Boomer Venture Summit Spotlights Business Opportunities in the Aging Population
Deborah Lohse
Summit will bring together researchers, startups, health-care providers and investors to explore the vast marketplace for serving older Americans
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 7, 2012 — The aging population is more than a looming drain on the U.S. economy; it’s also a booming opportunity for entrepreneurs who can seize on trends like the demand for quality caregiving; affordable disease-management tools; and less-clunky medical aids.
Entrepreneurs and experts on this exploding baby boomer marketplace and the “longevity economy” will convene June 20 at Santa Clara University for the ninth annual Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, presented by Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business and Mary Furlong & Associates. It takes place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the University’s Recital Hall building, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, Calif.
The Summit event, which also features two competitions for boomer-focused businesses, is a venue for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to share information about serving or investing in companies catering to consumers age 50 and older. Investors will discuss why and where they are putting their investment dollars; company executives will discuss their business plans; and analysts will explain how they segment the market and evaluate business opportunities.
Among the trends and entrepreneurial opportunities that are expected to be discussed are:
* The increased need for caregiving for aging boomers and senior care as one of the top job-growth opportunities for the coming years.
* The need for improved, better-designed equipment for aging bodies.
* Baby boomers as entrepreneurs: the “encore career” phenomenon and how many such older entrepreneurs are starting businesses to serve other boomers.
* The trend toward “incubators” and venture capital in the boomer marketplace.
* The impact of declining state and federal dollars for senior care in the U.S.
* Hot segments for investors in the boomer marketplace.
* Consumer and online protections for aging boomers.
* The increase in corporate investment in the boomer and longevity marketplace.
Speakers on these topics will include Mark Yi, managing director of Intel Capital; Jody Holtzman and Jeff Makowka, executives in “thought leadership” at AARP; and Laurie Orlov, founder of Aging in Place Technology Watch, a boomer and senior market research firm. John Feather, CEO of an association of grant-making foundations benefiting the elderly, Grantmakers in Aging, will also speak. Steve Shaw, director of business development from Double Down Interactive will speak about using Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter To Build Your Business.
The theme for the conference is “Investments and Distribution in the Longevity Economy.” At 2:10 p.m. there will be a competition among five finalists for a $10,000 prize for best boomer-focused startup business in the areas of biodesign, medical devices, geriatrics and gerontology, or "aging in place" technology. Later that day judges will also pick one company from among five vying for a chance to present their existing business to a large health-care chain for distribution.
The Summit is sponsored by AARP, UnitedHealthCare, Linkage, FaceTime Strategy, Caring.com, Lotsa Helping Hands, GreatCall, CareLinx, First Republic Bank, and SilverRide.
For information on the summit, speakers, agenda and competition judges and conditions, please see http://scuboomerventure.com.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 8,800 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.
About Mary Furlong & Associates
Mary Furlong & Associates is the nation’s foremost consultancy to organizations seeking to capitalize on new business and investment opportunities in the boomer market. The company provides business development, financing strategy and integrated marketing solutions to entrepreneurs, corporations and non-profit organizations serving the 50+ market. Mary Furlong is the Dean's Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Leavey School of Business. For more information, visit www.maryfurlong.com.
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121