Age of enlightenment dawns for tech firms focusing on senior services

 Mark Friedman from the Philadelphia startup dlux makes his pitch during the Aging 2.0 event at North Bowl. (Todd Bookman/WHYY)

Mark Friedman from the Philadelphia startup dlux makes his pitch during the Aging 2.0 event at North Bowl. (Todd Bookman/WHYY)

The target demographic for technology companies felt decidedly gray for a while Thursday.

Entrepreneurs mingled with assisted-living specialists and hospice nurses at a tech expo inside North Bowl. The event, organized by the San Francisco-based group Aging2.0, let startups pitch a range of ideas aimed at improving the lives of seniors and their caregivers.

“We’re seeing a lot more attention from these 20- and 30-something entrepreneurs,” says Aging2.0’s Grace Andruszkiewicz. “They’re recognizing that there is a huge market opportunity and are starting to get really interested.”

She says the sheer number of aging baby boomers means the industry must get more efficient and comfortable with technology.

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Eight companies took part, pitching concepts ranging from a smart pill box to a concierge service for planning a funeral.

“We could combine our passion for helping older adults, but also our backgrounds in building great companies, to bring a very unique offering to the home-care market,” says Arjun Bhimavarapu, vice president of Hometeam, a New York based startup that provides in-home care to seniors.

Aging2.0 is organizing similar events in cities around the globe.

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