Startup

The Value

A Program Personalized to Your Startup’s Needs

Startups who are invited into one of our 8-week cohorts can expect hands-on mentorship and community with like-minded founders with products serving older consumers. Each startup in the program is assigned a dedicated advisor who works with them to tackle the specific challenges they are facing.

Surrounded by a team with years of experience building and creating solutions for the 50+ demographic, startups gain rapid insight into the market and can tap into a breadth of resources like consumer insight tools, subject matter expertise, unique cohort-only events, business case development and more – all customized to meet your startup’s goals and help you succeed.

Invest in AgeTech

Accelerating AgeTech Startup Growth

Our 8-week accelerator program helps early-stage AgeTech startups better understand the 50+ consumer and position their solution to tap into the $8.3 trillion longevity economy.

Featured Startups

You’ll be in great company when you join

AgeTech Accelerator

What makes this accelerator unique?

If you are a startup exploring opportunities in the longevity space, this is the place to be! AARP Innovation Labs is the intersection of technology and the longevity economy. You’ll be able to tap into decades of research and insights into consumers 50+ and the experts who live and breathe this work everyday.

On top of that, we founded our program with the goal to be hands-on. We aren’t just providing mentors, but dedicated support that acts as an extension of your team through the duration of the cohort. Our team dives in to understand your business, pain points, and goals so that we can best support your individual business needs, whether that is testing business models, collecting consumer feedback on your next release, or understanding what messaging resonates with your audience.

The Value

What does a typical 8-week cohort look like?

Connect with other portfolio startups

We kick off every cohort with a meet and greet with the other startups in the program so you get the chance to build a community and lean on other founders who are in the trenches of startup life alongside you. We like to say that there is “power in the cohort” and we’ve seen this time and time again with valuable connections made between startups.

Identify your engagement goals

During week one, you’ll meet with your dedicated advisor to identify your engagement goals and build a tactical plan for how you will achieve those goals over the course of the next 8 weeks. Goals can be anything from learning about your target audience’s pain points to creating effective marketing messaging to developing a plan to launch your product in market. Tactics can include a variety of things like speaking with experts on Medicare, building prototypes for user testing, collaborating on a product roadmap, and more.

Check-in weekly

You and your advisor will set up a time to meet each week, or at a cadence that works best for you, to check in on the progress toward your engagement goals. Between meetings, your portfolio manager will be working behind the scenes on the tasks to meet your goals.

Attend accelerator events

In addition to working directly with your portfolio manager, our team provides weekly programming customized to the needs of the cohort (e.g., industries, themes). Events may include a fireside chat or open Q&A with experts from across AARP in areas like caregiving or policy, a workshop on growth marketing, or an opportunity to practice and refine your pitch.

Proven Track Record of Success

Proven Track Record of Success

Army Distaff Foundation

Testbed Spotlight

“As a testbed community, the AgeTech Collaborative helps us find innovations to meet our challenges head-on.”

Army Distaff Foundation (ADF) is a nonprofit organization focused on caring for 275 older veterans by providing high quality health care and specialized programming, including innovative care solutions and new technologies. 

ADF has worked with AARP Portfolio Startups to address challenges their residents face including social isolation, mental heath and physical well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can We Help?

We have answered frequently asked questions to give you information at your fingertips. 

How do I join the program?

To be eligible for the program, you must enter an AARP Innovation Labs sponsored pitch event. From there, the startups that are selected to pitch at the event are considered eligible. The AARP Innovation Labs team carefully assesses and selects the startups that best exemplify AARP’s mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age and show potential business growth. Learn about upcoming pitch events.

When are the cohorts?

Our cohorts take place four times per year. 

What happens after the program?

After successfully completing the program, startups may be invited to join AARP’s AgeTech Collaborative™. The AgeTech Collaborative™ is our community of curated testbeds, industry leaders, investors, and startups that are using technology to help people choose how they live as they age. Within the AgeTech Collaborative™ you’ll be able to search for pilot opportunities, access vendor services, and network with other AgeTech insiders.

Is your program virtual or in-person?

Our cohorts are run completely virtually and have been since day one. We’ve found our rhythm and have been successful in building community between startups and Innovation Labs staff even in a virtual setting.

What is the time commitment for my team?

Time commitments can range from 1-2 hours per week to 5-6 hours per week, depending upon the engagement goals for your startup. You are welcome to include whomever from your team makes sense in weekly calls, user feedback sessions, and cohort events.

Is there a cost for joining the program?

We do not charge or take equity for startups to join the program. Does this sound too good to be true? As a mission driven organization we sit in a unique position. We are looking to support and amplify the work of startups who are aligned with our mission of empowering people to choose how they live as they age. Your success is our success.  

Why is AARP interested in supporting startups?

AARP’s mission is to empower people to choose how they live as they age. We are looking to support and amplify the work of startups who are aligned with our mission because at the end of the day, your success is our success. 

By participating in the program, will I be able to market my product to AARP’s members or be able to utilize the AARP brand in marketing my business?

Due to our non-profit status, we are unable to give startups access to AARP’s membership base or utilize the AARP brand in marketing your business. 

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Tackle the biggest issues and opportunities in the 50-plus market.