Debriefing "The Living Lab": AgeTech NYC's First Accelerator

In July, I wrote about the concept of a Living Lab - an accelerator that allows entrepreneurs to validate products in real-life contexts.. In August, I interviewed Sheri Rose at the Thrive Center, to learn about her living lab. Now, with our first cohort wrapped up, I’d like to share key learnings and successes that are already helping AgeTech NYC Living Lab founders grow, scale, and impact lives.

Read on to learn more!

— Sarah Richard

Recap of the Living Lab Experience

This 6-week accelerator focused on supporting essential growth areas: customer research, sales, grant writing, go-to-market strategies, and fundraising.

• Customer Research: CABHI’s Leap program and Senior Planet by AARP led focus groups, giving founders meaningful feedback.

• Coworking: Civic Hall in Union Square provided space, fostering a collaborative environment.

• Targeted Mentorship: Advisors hosted expert sessions on topics from senior living sales to strategic fundraising and product-market fit in AgeTech. Special thanks to Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, who hosted a panel discussion that highlighted industry trends and growth opportunities in AgeTech.

• Demo day: Founders demonstrated their products and progress to a group of NYC-based investors and senior living operators, kindly hosted by The Apsley by Sunrise Senior Living.

Our First Cohort’s Review

Each member of the inaugural cohort brought fresh ideas and impressive dedication.

Jeff McSpadden is building Composure:
“Participating in the AgeTech NYC Living Lab was an invaluable experience that connected us with the broader NYC aging services ecosystem. Through this program, we forged meaningful relationships not only with fellow entrepreneurs and innovators but also with providers and key leaders in the aging space. The insights shared by AgeTech NYC advisors were instrumental, and with the support of LEAP / CABHI, Composure had the opportunity to conduct a caregiver focus group. This focus group provided critical insights into the challenges caregivers face regarding sleep issues in memory care residents, offering feedback that will directly shape our future product development. We are excited to remain an active part of the AgeTech NYC community and to support future Living Lab cohort members as a trusted resource.”

Ivan Wicksteed is building Eve:
“The Living Lab was a great experience. Sarah did a stellar job pulling together founders, VC's and experts from a range of disciplines to round out the program. The most beneficial part was getting to hang out with other founders in the AgeTech space & comparing pain points/opportunities.”

I (Sarah Richard) am building Vara:
“The Living Lab has been invaluable in supporting my initial product discovery and development. The focus groups were instrumental in helping me validate the true value of building an operating system for assisted living, and advisor guidance supported my determination of starting with urgent compliance needs.”

Katie Joseff and Patrick Deegan are building TeddyBot.

Our Incredible Advisory Team

Industry experts gave founders insight into AgeTech and healthcare innovation. Weekly sessions were designed to address challenges directly relevant to founders, helping them build resilient, impactful solutions.

Session Experts

• Investor: Abby Miller Levy (Primetime Partners) – Venture capital investor focused on innovations that improve healthspan and wealthspan.

• Go-To-Market: Dr. Alex Aksanov (Stay Active PT) – Expert in integrating digital health and MSK care for aging populations.

• Customer Research: Bianca Stern, MSc. OT (Centre for Aging & Brain Health Innovation) – Specialist in innovation cultures and healthcare technology.

• Senior Living Sales: Brian Geyser (Maplewood Senior Living / Inspīr) – Focused on innovation and tech deployment in senior living.

• Grants: David Dring (NYC Department for the Aging) – A change management leader with deep experience in community care.

Other Advisors

• Aaron Feinstein (The Apsley) – Program director in senior living.

• Anagha Kumar (Icahn School of Medicine) – Passionate about geriatric care and home healthcare innovations.

• MC Razaire (Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures) – Corporate venture capitalist investing nationally in early stage fintech, insurtech, wealthtech and digital health opportunities.

• Rachel Curry, MPH (Pearl Health) – Specializing in women’s health, aging, and public health.

• Serena Lipton, MMH, CSHIP (NIC) – Senior living real estate and operations expert.

• Stephen Farber, JD, MBA (HealthHive) – Advocate for integrating health and social care management for older adults.

• Susan Black (Wowzitude) – Strategy and partnerships expert in AgeTech marketing and community engagement.

• Yaakov Stern, PhD (Columbia University) – A neuropsychology expert focused on cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s research.

Looking Ahead

As the program moves forward, our goal remains to expand the Living Lab, continuously driving AgeTech innovation. The positive reception and valuable feedback from our first cohort confirm a strong demand for real-world, supported testing grounds in AgeTech. We look forward to future cohorts and are eager to see our founders’ ongoing impact in improving the aging experience.

Are you interested in joining or supporting future Living Lab cohorts? Reach out to us at [email protected]. Join us in making New York the best place to grow older!