Longevity and AI at Mary Furlong's "What's Next" Summit

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending Mary Furlong's renowned “What’s Next” Longevity Venture Summit. Mary is a legend in the longevity space - named an “Influencer in Aging” by Next Avenue in 2016 and a Silicon Valley Business Journal “Top 100 Women of Influence.” I was honored that her team included me as a “Changemaker” hosting a table at the Changemakers lunch.

The conference culminated in an AgeTech NYC x SF happy hour, very kindly sponsored by Max at Third Act Ventures, the only firm investing across the entire spectrum of Agetech. It was such a joy to see the AgeTech NYC community mingling with our SF counterparts!

I’ve captured some key learnings and takeaways from the week below, with actionable next steps for the AgeTech NYC community of over 500 founders, operators, and investors.

— Sarah Richard

P.S. - if you’re based in New York this summer, please consider joining us at July’s AgeTech NYC meetup, hosted by James at Primetime Partners!

Key Takeaways for AgeTech Startup Founders

1. AI is top of mind in AgeTech → Read Laurie Orlov’s report on the potential for AI in Senior Living
Artificial intelligence was a key topic at the summit. I’ve been impressed by how intentionally and thoughtfully AgeTech founders are leveraging AI: improving caregiver matching and scheduling, and safety alerting. At Mimzy, we’re excited about AI’s possibility to go beyond just alerting, and into prediction, to help delay expensive care transitions (e.g., moving an older adult from independent living to assisted living).

2. AARP is a beacon of trust for the older adult → Apply to AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP 
The conference kicked of with a keynote from Amelia Hay at AgeTech Collaborative from AARP. AgeTech Collaborative from AARP was a sponsor of the summit, but I’m unbiased in saying that AARP is widely considered a stamp of approval that older adults trust. Their ecosystem now includes more than 440 companies and growing!

3. Aging in Place is for everyone → Follow Dr. Joe Coughlin’s work at the MIT AgeLab
Amelia put it best when she noted that what’s missing today from AgeTech is “fun.” She’s describing Joe Coughlin’s ice cream problem, which I wrote about here in February. We have to to build solutions that delight, more than just protect - and certainly don’t make our users feel “old.” It’s why we’re building Mimzy as a smart home system rather than ambient monitoring system. I’m more excited about how we can improve older adults’ lives vs. how we can monitor them.

4. Data privacy is everything → Learn about data privacy and AI policy in Stanford’s recent whitepaper
In the session "Protecting Personal Data in AgeTech," experts emphasized the critical importance of safeguarding personal data, which I wrote about here last month. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into our lives, ensuring robust data privacy measures is paramount. This is why I’m thankful that both AI and hardware have progressed to the point that we’re able to run Mimzy’s AI models on the device itself, so no data ever goes to the cloud (only alerts)!

5. AgeTech is finally getting attention from the broader tech community → Attend Mary’s next conference in December (What’s Next Longevity Innovation Summit)
Mary noted, “this was the largest conference we have ever hosted with more investors and very strong start up companies. Trends in investing in include management of chronic conditions and mobility and engagement. With the boomers turning 80 in 18 months, there is a lot of opportunity for innovation and investment.” Anecdotally, I’ve been thrilled to see the nascent and growing interest from large generalist funds and non-AgeTech founders.

Looking Ahead

The “What’s Next” Longevity Venture Summit was a testament to the vibrant ecosystem of AgeTech innovation. It provided valuable insights and connections that will undoubtedly influence the direction of AgeTech over the next year. The lessons learned from this summit will be instrumental in guiding our efforts as we continue to develop Mimzy as the first 100% private, AI-powered smart home system that can help delay expensive care transitions.

Stay tuned for more updates and insights from the Golden Age of Technology! And in the meantime, check out Keren Etkin’s 2024 AgeTech Market Map to see who else is building in AgeTech.

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