ALLY by ila
ALLY is a mobile training platform by London-based social enterprise ila Generation that equips retail and hospitality staff to recognise and respond to gender-based violence, turning everyday shops, hotels, and restaurants into certified safe spaces.
Founded by two female co-founders, ila identified that of 327 GBV apps worldwide, none focused on bystanders — the people already present when help is needed most. ALLY has trained thousands of frontline staff across London, Berlin, and Bangkok, partnering with brands including Sephora, Hyatt Regency, and Seven Dials Market, and earning recognition from UN Women and the Seedstars × UN ESCAP Smart Cities Innovation Lab.
The Brief
We were approached by ila's co-founders in a climate where COVID lockdowns had driven a 120% spike in UK domestic violence helpline calls. ila had years of experience running in-person bystander training workshops, but needed a technical partner to translate that methodology into a scalable digital product — a mobile app that could train shop floor staff, certify venues as safe spaces, and build a visible public network of businesses where trained help was available.
The Solution
We took ALLY from a lean proof-of-concept teaser — which ila used to secure initial funding — through to a full B2B platform. The app weaves professionally produced video with interactive native UI into seamless training flows, backed by a three-tier admin system for staff, store managers, and chain operators. A containerised backend on AWS supports the certification pipeline, an ALLY Map of safe spaces, and full internationalisation into Thai as the product expanded into Southeast Asia with Hyatt Regency, Sephora, and LVMH.
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