W HIMBLE FOUNDER and CEO Emma Brown has spent a lot of time at football games. It’s not her favourite sport, but Brown often accompanies her sports-loving sibling—who has spina bifida and needs assistance—to live games. Now and then, Brown helps him at his home, too, when scheduled caregivers cancel. Thinking about these gaps in care led her to create Whimble, an on-demand, care-tech app that “connects the supply and demand sides of care” when people need quick support. Four years later, her Ottawa-based start-up also operates in Toronto and is looking at West Coast expansion. A GAME CHANGER Two things set this care-tech business apart. First, it’s app-based, creating an Uber-style connection between Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and people needing quick, short-term support with daily activities, like dressing, toileting and cooking. Secondly, Whimble partners with major events, like the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa, to provide on-site personal care as part of the event offering. At first, Brown envisioned Whimble’s away-from-home attendant care as a fee-for service option people would book themselves. But a colleague with personal care needs who often travels and speaks at conferences—and knows how hard that is for people with disabilities—encouraged Brown to think bigger. “His suggestion was to approach event organizers and say: ‘If you’re inviting people in, to be truly inclusive, offering on-site personal care would be a game changer,’” says Brown. “It levels the playing field for everybody.” CARE WHERE IT COUNTS Inside Whimble’s event-ready model GAME PLAN BY CINDY MCGLYNN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS Whimble soon started partnering with festivals and sporting events, including the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa, which was hosted across multiple venues for 10+ days. At the 2025 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Whimble offered 18 days of services, including washroom assists, wayfinding support and accessible golf-cart rides. On-site support at sporting events can include meeting attendees upon arrival, guiding them to their seats, assisting with bathroom needs and eating. Brown says offering Whimble at events isn’t expensive. She says one PSW per 5,000 guests can be enough to support a general audience event. Physically larger events like golf tournaments need more attendants due to on-site travel time. And events with a higher- than-average attendance of people with disabilities, like wheelchair basketball championships, would have a different calculation. CLEAR COMMUNICATION To prepare for events, Brown says Whimble meets with event organizers to review the site layout, attendance, the event’s cadence and peak times. “With the World Juniors, we knew that intermission was when everybody wanted to go to the bathroom, get food and drinks and be back in their seats when the game starts again,” says Brown. Larger events use a 1-800 number or scannable QR code that guests use right from their seats to request assistance. Clear communication is important, Brown says, so guests “don’t have to be stressed wondering how they’re going to go to the bathroom, or if they’re going to be able to get PHOTOS: WHIMBLE 26 ADRENALIN | SPRING 2026 ADRENALINMAG.CA
