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Find a co-founder for your silver economy startup

The silver economy, sometimes called agetech or the longevity economy, covers products and services for older people and their families: ageing in place, preventing loss of independence, social connection, mobility, adapted housing, support for caregivers, and tools for care homes and home care services.

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In short

To find a co-founder in the silver economy, publish your project for free on EasyCofounder stating who uses your solution (older people, family caregivers, home care professionals, care homes) and who pays for it, then look for the complementary profile you lack, often a care or support professional for a technical founder or the other way round.

The user, the person who recommends the solution and the person who pays are often different, the older person, the family caregiver, the health professional, the local authority or the insurer, which makes a co-founder who knows these players and can speak to each of them especially valuable.

On EasyCofounder, describe the need you address, your first conversations with families or professionals and the role on offer, then meet technical profiles, care professionals and salespeople used to working with care providers who want to commit to a meaningful project.

In the UK and Ireland, ageing in place is a shared goal of families, health services and local authorities, but funding is split between families, council social care budgets, the NHS or the HSE and private providers.

A balanced team usually brings together a product designer who tests with older users and carers, a co-founder from home care, nursing or care home management who knows daily routines and risks, and a seller used to the procurement processes of councils, housing associations and care groups.

Building a Silver economy startup: what matters

  • Design with the people concerned

    Font size, simple flows, a relative helping with set-up: a solution designed without older people and their caregivers is unlikely to be adopted, which is why regular testing in real conditions matters.

  • Several possible payers

    Families, care homes, home care services, pension funds, insurers or local authorities may fund a solution, and a co-founder who understands their decision processes and timelines saves a great deal of time.

  • Sensitive data and rules to follow

    Information about a person’s health or independence is sensitive data under GDPR in Europe, and some solutions may fall under rules specific to health and social care. Check with a specialist.

  • Care regulation in the UK and Ireland

    Providing regulated care can require registration with the Care Quality Commission in England, its equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, or HIQA in Ireland, so check whether your service falls within scope with a specialist before launch.

  • Typical business models

    Monthly subscriptions paid by families, software licences for care providers, contracts with councils or housing associations, or devices with a monitoring service, the model depends on who sees the value and who controls the budget.

  • Networks to approach

    Charities such as Age UK and the Centre for Ageing Better, care provider associations and health innovation networks are useful to understand needs, find pilot partners and meet people who know the sector from the inside.

Find your co-founder in 4 steps

  1. 1

    Create your free profile

    Describe your skills, your availability and what you bring to a founding team.

  2. 2

    Publish your project

    Say which role you are looking for (CTO, CEO, CMO…), the commitment expected and the equity on offer, in Silver economy.

  3. 3

    Let the matching work

    Filter talent by skill and location, or get suggestions of compatible profiles from the AI matching.

  4. 4

    Talk, then meet

    Chat through the built-in messaging, test your collaboration on a first project and put your agreement in writing in a shareholders’ agreement.

Frequently asked questions

What co-founder does a silver economy startup need?

If you are technical, look for someone from care, home support or care home management. If you come from that field, look for a technical or product profile able to build a solution that is very simple to use.

Who pays for a solution aimed at older people?

It depends on the product. Families, care homes, home care services, pension funds or local authorities can be the payers, and identifying the decision-maker early is one of the founding team’s first tasks.

How do I test a product with older users?

Involve a few volunteer older people, caregivers and professionals from the start, watch them use a mock-up or prototype, then adjust before going wider, while respecting their consent and the confidentiality of their information.

Where can I find a co-founder in the silver economy?

Publish your project for free on EasyCofounder describing the need and the target users, then extend your search to networks of elderly care professionals, health or social innovation incubators and sector events.

How do I sell to UK local authorities?

Public bodies usually buy through procurement frameworks or tenders with formal criteria, so a co-founder who has answered public tenders, or a partnership with an established supplier, can help a young company get started.

How do I win the trust of families and carers?

Be transparent about what the product does, involve carers in testing, offer human support for set-up and make cancellation simple.

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