Aaron J. Horowitz



As the spawn of a painter-dancer duo, I was born into a world filled with creativity and exploration around every corner. Not much has changed since my boyhood adventures with fimo clay, broken electronics, and a workbench filled with optimistic possibilities.




Since co-founding Empath Labs (formerly Sproutel) in 2012, I've been working with an incredible team - conducting patient-centered R&D to create products that improve the lives of children and adults with illness. It's been a fun journey and when given the opportunity I enjoy sharing stories of impact, failures, and everything in between. Here's an example:



Beginning in 2018, our team worked on a product to comfort children with cancer, My Special Aflac duck. To date over 11,800 ducks have been donated to children with cancer in collaboration with Aflac. Below is a short video that highlights our development process:



And, for the curious, here's the origin story of our first product Jerry the Bear - a best friend for children with type 1 diabetes.


Check out my blog to see projects, art, inspiration, and more!

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