SAN FRANCISCO (May 28, 2022)—GetSetUp extended the concept of accelerators and entrepreneurship to entrepreneurs 55+ through their Startup Accelerator Program specifically designed for this demographic. Entrepreneurs with a variety of businesses from arts and crafts to services to help older adults be healthier are pitching June 14-16 in Demo Days.
GetSetUp was created to empower older adults, many of whom are looking for economic opportunities for income, a sense of purpose or an opportunity to highlight their professional talents. GetSetUp offers older adults opportunities to reskill or upskill on a variety of job skills and build their own businesses through classes and programs like this accelerator program.
The Demo Days come after 12 weeks of GetSetUp's Startup Accelerator program to help prepare these entrepreneurs to give their pitches to a three-person panel of prominent venture capitalists and business leaders. Entrepreneurs will be judged by the clarity of their business description, their market analysis, creativity, and how they plan to use their funding. The two best pitches will be offered up to $10,000 to help their venture grow.
Demo Days pitches will be open for the public to see the new businesses, hear what the judges are looking for in new businesses, and be inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit.
Judges for the event include:
- Ray Jang - Senior Associate at Primetime Partners with extensive experience in health care and education.
- Maria Thomas - EIR & Strategic Advisor Redesign Health and former CEO of Etsy with experience leading companies and as an investor and advisor.
- Camille Ricketts - Former Head of Marketing at Notion and Former Head of Content and Marketing at First Round Capital.
- Mary Furlong - CEO of Mary Furlong and Associates and consultant for AARP who focuses on consulting within the Longevity Economy.
GetSetUp co-founders Neil Dsouza, Lawrence Kosick or Deval Delivala will also be a part of each panel.
Entrepreneurs come from around the world including eight from across the United States and nine from India. These entrepreneurs are at different stages in their business growth, have diverse goals, and span a couple of decades ranging in age from 55-77. Each entrepreneur will have 20 minutes total, half to pitch their idea and half to get feedback from the judges. The winner will be announced a week after the demo days once the panel has reviewed all the judges' evaluations.
Entrepreneurs who plan to pitch during a Demo Day include:
Educational services
- Mantel Featherson (North Wales, Pennsylvania) continues to grow EVOLVE@50+, a digital platform that enables people 50+ to learn and apply strategies that optimize their health, work, and wealth.
- Steven Olsen (Centennial, Colorado) is enhancing his Optimal Performance system that combines technology, coaching, and product usage for better performance.
- Nirmala Prabhu (Bangalore, Karnataka) is expanding her company, Knowledge Pitara, which sells educational games and toys.
Arts and Crafts
- Adele Field (Melstone, Montana) is expanding Flashback Garage where she sells artisanal crafts and gift baskets.
- Leslie Lamb (Albuquerque, New Mexico) is growing Grace Place Creative a digital design firm that specializes in providing products and services for home-based businesses.
- Sandra Foster (Atlanta, Georgia) is expanding her artistic designs like Foster Pocket, a removable pocket.
- Cora Bhatia (Salvador do Mundo, Goa) is growing her artistic handcraft accessories which include jewelry, hand-painted artifacts, and printed scarves.
- Neeta Goyal (Mumbai, Maharashtra) is expanding online sales of her specialized artwork made through painting porcelain and bone china plates, vases and tiles.
Health and Wellness
- Twyla Teitzel's (Gold River, California) Plant-Based Twy, aims to help people incorporate pillars of health, including sleep, movement, and community into a plant-based diet.
- Geita Chatterjee (Mumbai, Maharashtra) bakes cakes, cookies, chocolates, and more to order through her company The Sticky Dough.
- Vaidhehi Prakash (Chennai, Tamilnadu) is expanding her business making healthy powder mixes.
- Neeta Mehta (Mumbai, Maharashtra) is making homemade fresh and healthy chavanprash and thandai powder through her business Dadi's Secret.
- Bharathi Kumar (Bangalore, Karnataka) is expanding Bharathi's Jhatpat Foods which makes ready to cook premixes.
- Anjana Shankar (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) is developing her own baking company.
Social Good
- Ruby Holland (Seattle, Washington) is a housing activist and artist who advocates for people of color, the elderly, and working-class homeowners to keep their homes and avoid displacement through Keep Your Habitat Anti-Displacement Project.
- Lynn Bradley (Mikado, Michigan) created From We to Just Me to support those going through widowhood.
- Renu Aggarwal (Mumbai, Maharashtra) founded Samman, a self-help trust aimed at empowering women economically, socially, and emotionally. She is expanding it to allow more ways for women to showcase their talents through exhibitions, food stalls, cultural programs, and more.
"You can be an entrepreneur at any age! Especially in this time of economic uncertainty, it's even more important that we support older adults in building their own businesses. Many of them are creating innovative services to address the needs of an aging population," said Lawrence Kosick, President and Co-Founder of GetSetUp. "As long-time entrepreneurs at GetSetUp, we want to assure that these entrepreneurs get the support they need to take great businesses to the next level and inspire others to do the same!"
To learn more about GetSetUp visit getsetup.org.
