The AgeTech Podcast - by TheGerontechnologist: Recent Episodes
Keren Etkin
The show that brings to you the movers and shakers of the agetech ecosystem, hosted by Keren Etkin, founder of TheGerontechnologist and the author of The AgeTech Revolution.
Generative AI is all the buzz right now, and I was wondering what AgeTech use cases we will see utilize this technology for tackling the challenges of aging.
I sat down to talk with Stefano Selorio, the founder and CEO of Carevocacy, a startup that provides digital literacy skills to older adults, about their new product APO.
APO is an AI product designed to provide tech support to older adults, and it's based on Carevocacy's experience providing tech training as a service.
AgeTech startups are faced with a unique set of challenges.
Raising funding, validating the market, launching a product and trying to find product-market fit are things every startup has to deal with. However, startups in AgeTech are unique in the way their products usually have to appeal to multiple stakeholders (older adults, family caregivers, elder care organizations, etc'). This means that market validation, crafting a value proposition and even building the product's user interface(s) becomes all the more challenging.
For this reason, early-stage AgeTech startups could use all the help they can get. One of the organizations that has been highly influential in helping multiple AgeTech startups get off the ground - by providing them with resources such as funding, research support, access to beta testers and distribution resources - is the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, also known as CABHI.
I invited Mel Barsky, director of business development, and Bianca Stern, executive director of health innovations, to talk about some of their startup-focused programs.
Link to Leap platform: https://www.cabhi.com/leap/
For more AgeTech content, visit TheGerontechnologist.com.
One of the things early stage AgeTech startups need, is funding for pilots that prove the efficacy of their product. For U.S. based companies, SBIR grants have been a wonderful route to go. Now, there's an additional route for getting NIA funding for smaller scale pilot programs - the a2Collective program.
Applications are open until August 15, and the first step of the process only requires an application of a couple of pages. Startups selected for the program can receive up to $200,000 in non-dilutive funding, and get a chance to pilot with leading research universities in the U.S.
I invited Stephen Liu, co-founder and managing director of the AI/Tech + Aging a2 Collective to the AgeTech podcast to talk about the program.
The webinar hosted by the a2 Collective can be found here.
For more AgeTech content, visit TheGerontechnologist.com.
In this episode, I got to talk to fellow author Bradley Schurman, the author of The Super Age. Bradley is a demographic futurist and the founder of the super age at global collective of change-makers that offers information and professional business consulting services geared to health organizations respond to the demographic change.
Prior to launching the super age Bradley was co-founder and managing partner of economy for where he led business development in Asia and Europe. He was also the director of global partnerships and engagement at the AARP, the world's largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of older people.
https://www.thesuperage.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Age-Decoding-Demographic-Destiny-ebook/dp/B092VXD6D2
Japan is the oldest country in the world, and with more than 34 million people over the age of 65, it already feels the effects that many countries will experience in the upcoming decades. In this episode, I spoke with Debbie Howard from the Carter JMRN group which specializes in market research in Japan. You'll learn about some unique aspects of their aging population and culture, and some of the challenges and opportunities that come with an aging society. We'll also take a look at what it takes for foreign entrepreneurs to being their agetech solutions to the Japanese market. So if you're curious about aging and agetech in Japan, stay tuned!
To read Debbie's article on agetech in Japan, visit:
https://www.thegerontechnologist.com/7-reasons-why-japan-gives-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-aging-and-age-tech/
The first three episodes of this season, will focus on a topic that I know everyone is dying to know about - agetech in Japan. My first guest is Roy Tal, the CEO and founder of solo. I will let him tell you all about what solo does and how they're doing it, both in Japan and in the north American market.
Interview with Salome Isanovic, the COO of Careship, a Berlin based startup that is all about helping everyday people become caregivers.