GetSetUp’s Digital Tools for Caregivers

The challenge of caring for our aging population is becoming a crisis, the sheer scale of India’s demographic shift — almost 320 million Indians will be older than 60 by 2050 — is already driving change. The 2020 Longitudinal Ageing Study in India showed some 26% of people over the age of 60 already live either completely alone or with just their spouse. By 2050, the world's population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1 billion). Most countries in the world face the realization that there will be more older people in their populations than younger people, and globally we need to prepare for this. There are not enough caregivers globally, and most people can’t afford long-term senior care or caregiving services. The simplest and most scalable solutions will come from age tech and health tech.

GetSetUp helps to bridge the digital divide for older adults through its customized video platform, specifically designed to meet the needs of older adults. Older adults can join live classes and interact via video or chat. Because there is no need to download a new application like Zoom, GetSetUp is helping to mitigate the initial barriers to technology and making learning and access to vital services more accessible to older adults. 

Its customized digital video platform allows for more safety and protection. We go beyond the platform to include multi-authentication systems for signing up to the site that accommodates diverse learners' needs and prevents scammers and bots from joining the site. This greatly reduces opportunities for Zoom bombers to join or scams as GetSetUp’s team can ban users abusing the platform to assure the safety of the Learners. 

GetSetUp is a scalable way for older adults to learn in live interactive classes taught by peers about the latest in technology, to help them age in place and stay healthy. Classes with fellow peers then offer a sense of purpose and opportunities to socialize - helping to mitigate social isolation which can increase the risk of death. GetSetUp is helping to lift the burden or reduce the need for caregivers by offering classes to help older adults learn to utilize tech to age in place and more independently while offering them a myriad of classes in fun interactive social environments with peers that help with health and wellness, enrichment, and purpose. We want to scale up our efforts in these areas in India and around the globe. 

Our solution is customized and designed specifically for older adults, people who are 50+, with our current oldest learner being 93 years young. GetSetUp is helping to empower these older adults to age in place with the latest tools and offering them a myriad of ways to stay healthier with a safe and supportive community of fellow peers from around the globe. Older adults are a historically underserved market as people tend to build products and services for the young, but as our populations age, we need to be designing solutions that are customized for older people, like GetSetUp’s customized video platform. We took the insights of older adults into account, we rely on their feedback, and over ⅓ of our team are over 50 and instrumental to our growth and success. GetSetUp offers resources for older people everywhere to learn, stay healthy, connect, and get empowered with just the click of the button. We make it easy for people in rural locations (with internet access) and with limited mobility to have a vibrant community of peers to learn, share, and connect with. GetSetUp is easily scalable and customizable to include new classes on the latest technology and is constantly evolving to address the needs of our older adult community. Through empowering older adults we can help to eliminate the caregiver burden. 

Our team is a global team from around the world. Two of our co-founders, Neil Dsouza and Deval Delivala were born in India and know that market, and one of our co-founders, Lawrence Kosick, is 50+ as well so part of the demographic we are looking to serve. Furthermore, all of our Guides are over 50 teaching their peers these skills so that over ⅓ of our employees are from the demographic we look to serve. Plus we constantly ask for feedback through surveys, interviews, and other methods to improve our product from the people we serve and the partners who help us to bring solutions to them. All of this combined assures that we are serving our community with the tools they need by listening to their needs. 

We are looking to apply to solve to benefit from the insights and skills of the people they can connect us with to help us improve our product even further. We are looking at ways to collaborate with research to help enhance our product with evidence-based solutions. Furthermore, we are looking to connect with different potential partnerships that can help our solution reach the next level.

We address the needs of those over 55 who make up 30% of the global population & have been historically underserved by the tech industry. We use technology & an inclusive approach to empower older adults & address their social determinants of health to assure that they can age healthily & happily.  While many organizations aim to serve older adults, few have had success in mobilizing & gaining the trust of members as quickly as GetSetUp. We listen to our learners & provide them with a supportive community & positive environment. 

The GetSetUp community is customized to give older adults options and keep them safe. We offer a multi-authentication process that helps keep scammers out. Diverse user interfaces allow our learners to evolve their learner experience from vicarious learning in a passive video viewing experience to more interaction through the Zoom experience and by participating in our social networks. Our classes and social networks cover the topics and interset of a diverse aging population. To assure that we are offering them the best possible experience we speak directly with learners, gather data, and review surveys so that we can constantly ensure that learners are gaining personal and professional enrichment opportunities that help them explore their passions. 

Many learners cite enhanced confidence within just a few months as well as improved physical, mental, social, & emotional well-being. We are disrupting how traditional technology companies address the senior market, by creating a safe, live, and inclusive virtual environment for people to share & age together!  Also, we are countering ageism as a tech company that practices what we preach, over 30% of our paid staff is over 50. We see our work as a company and for seniors as one of the first global-scale companies that will address the health and wellness of older adults on a large scale utilizing technology customized to this market. We see ourselves as leaders in this space to create positive change and hope to inspire a wave of other services and products to attend to this growing demographic. 

We seek to continue to grow in the upcoming years. Some of our upcoming goals include: 

• Continue to improve our product to grow our scalable online business for older adults. 

• We were thrilled with the first 4.6 million learners and now we are looking forward to an ambitious goal of 15 million by the end of 2022.  

• We plan to continue to expand our partnerships in the upcoming years

• We plan to continue to expand the classes offered. 

• We may look to fundraise $30-50 million in the upcoming years to help us expand further globally. 

In under 2 years, we have become the largest senior platform of its kind globally with 4.6M unique monthly users logging in from 160 countries. We are the first tech and stay-at-home social platform for this age group. We have proven we can help older adults gain confidence in their tech abilities through peer-to-peer education proving there are millions of older adults who want to be active and digitally connected. In addition to helping learners with vital socialization and health and wellness support, we are also helping them to find purpose and share their skills with others as creators. 

We launched (9/22/21) the first video platform built specifically for seniors to learn and connect with their peers (which we call The Lounge). This requires no downloading of any apps and allows learners to choose their level of interaction in a class. They can observe the class, send emojis, get involved in the written chat function, or they can enter the interactive space and speak and engage with other learners with or without their video on. By minimizing any friction and supporting multiple engagement stages, our classes and community are available to all older adults regardless of their comfort or experience with technology 

Our innovative business model has brought together millions of older adults (the creators) with the 50+ partners we signed in 2021 including health care companies, government agencies, community organization, and employee benefits companies (the payors) to offer older adults mental stimulation and socialization at no additional cost to improve their aging. Highlights include:

• Our partnership was announced in November 2021 with Tivity Health to offer GetSetUp as a SilverSneakers benefit toTivity’s current health plan partners representing 18 million older adults.

• Partnered with Uber to train on the use of the ride-sharing app and increase mobility for older adults in July 2021.

• State of New York through AgingNY and NYSOFA partnerships April 2021. 

• Washington State Department of Social and Health Services partnership May 2021.

• Renewed our partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in June 2021 and added resources from the Library of Michigan partnership in September 2021

• CA State Library partnership October 2021.

• Wyoming Department of Health, Aging Division partnership December 2021.

We added an additional $10 million in funding last year from key investors including Cowboy Ventures and Primetime Partners which was announced in November 2021.

One of the main ways we measure progress is through the impact we have on the health and wellness of older adults. 

Recent Health and Wellness Survey - Health and well-being survey with GetSetUp Learners show improvements across the board

General Questions

• The greatest areas of improvement by learners surveyed were in the following areas:

• Mental engagement 26.1%

• Physical fitness 23.6%

• Overall health and wellness 16.1%

• Social engagement 13.7%

• Around a third of people surveyed said their interactions with medical professionals had reduced since starting GetSetUp.

• 43% of those surveyed turn to GetSetUp classes to learn the latest technology available to help with health, this was the second most popular response after medical professionals 

• Over ⅔ of the people surveyed (67%) would be more satisfied if their health plan offered GetSetUp as a health benefit.

• Eight out of 10 people surveyed consider GetSetUp a reliable source to learn about advances in health technology.

Community Involvement

• Learners on average improved their community involvement by over 20% and some improved by 90%

• 28% of learners rated their community involvement as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent)

Physical Health

• Learners improved their physical health by as much as 60%

• 31% of Learners rated their physical health as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent), compared to just 7% before GetSetUp.

Mental Well-Being

• After using GetSetUp, 0% of surveyed learners no longer rated themselves as poor or with less than 20% of positive mental well-being

• Learners on average, improved their mental well-being by 16%, with some learners improving by 90%.

• 42% of Learners rated their mental well-being as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming community members. (very good or excellent)

Motivation

1. 20% of learners surveyed now rate themselves as 10 out of 10 in motivation

2. Learners on average improved their motivation by 28% and some improved by 90%

3. 41%  rated their motivation as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent)

Self-Development

• 20% of learners surveyed now rate themselves as 10 out of 10 in self-development

• After using GetSetUp, 0% of surveyed learners rated themselves as poor or with less than 20% of positive self-development

• Learners on average improved their self-development by 29% and some improved by 90%

• 45% of Learners rated their self-development as a 9 or 10 out of 10, after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent)

Tech Capabilities

1. Learners on average improved their tech capabilities by 25% and some improved by 90%

2. 31%  rated their tech capabilities as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent)

Confidence

• 16.2% of learners surveyed now rate themselves as 10 out of 10 in confidence

• After using GetSetUp 0% of surveyed learners rated themselves as poor or with less than 20% of positive confidence

• Learners on average improved their confidence by 23% and some improved by 100%

• 42% of Learners rated their confidence as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent) 

Happiness

1. 20% of learners surveyed now rate themselves as 10 out of 10 in happiness

2. After using GetSetUp 0% of surveyed learners rated themselves as poor or with less than 30% of positive happiness      

3. Learners on average improved their happiness by 22%, and some learners improved by 90%

4. 43% of Learners rated their happiness as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent)

Overall Health

• 15.4% of learners surveyed now rate themselves as 10 out of 10 in overall well-being

• After using GetSetUp 0% of surveyed learners rated themselves as poor or with less than 30% of overall health and well-being

• Learners on average improved their overall health by 19%, and some learners improved by 80%

• 46% of Learners rated their overall health as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community.

Social Determinants of Health Survey from 2021 - A holistic approach to addressing the social determinants of health

As a company, we work to help address the social determinants of health for our learners. A survey taken last year showed us our impact in the 5 core areas. 

• Economic Stability - 68% learned a skill they could use for a job, their own business, or volunteer work

• Education Access - 94% had access to learning opportunities they wouldn’t normally have access to  

• Healthcare Access - 61% felt healthier with GetSetUp and 64% felt more active with GetSetUp

• Neighborhood Environment - 95% feel GetSetUp is a safe virtual environment 91% find like-minded people in the environment

• Social and Community - 67% felt more socially connected 37% have met new friends on GetSetUp

Plan your process. GetsSetUp is already live and running with our 800% YoY growth in learners since 2020 we know this is a market that needs to be served better. We regularly touch base with our demographic and users to get insights on how to grow and improve. 

Collect evidence of need and context. We hear regularly from learners that they love us including comments like: We have many learner testimonials and can share as many as you like. Here are just a few. 

According to Terri T. who has taken over 700 classes and now leads several interest groups including one in India,  "Six months ago, I never would have believed all I could do. I'm leading groups, taking nursing and social work classes to build my curriculum, and using my new Google Slide skills to present. Thank you, GetSetUp, for helping me to get my life back."

Carol B. said, “Every class offered has been so worthwhile. I wish I had more time to take more classes. I love everything about the program and I'm so thankful I found it. The classes and instructors have enriched my isolated life. Thank you!”

Ruth M. said, ”The instructor was upbeat, positive, and made me feel welcome. One of the things I really like about GetSetUp is that when we Seniors are confused and ask simple questions, we are taken seriously and given a helpful answer. I feel respected, not judged.”

Agree with your intended impact. Our rising numbers of learners, classes taken, and partnerships show that we are filling a space that is desperately in need of services and resources. 

Articulate your long-term outcomes. Our goal is to improve the health of 30% of older adults worldwide, with an intermediate goal of reaching 15M older adults in the next year. We also hope that we can assure that this same 30% learn to use technology to age independently. 

Map your intermediate outcomes backwards. So far survey results show that of those surveyed 46% of Learners rated their overall health as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community and 31%  rated their tech capabilities as a 9 or 10 out of 10 after becoming members of the community. (very good or excellent) 

Identify outputs. We want to continue to survey and assure that our learners continue to feel these results as we add more and more learners to the platform. We plan to do this through more surveys and interviews always looking to maintain the highest quality and work toward our goal that older adults can learn to use technology to age better in place and our platform helps empower them to age healthier. 

Clarify assumptions. People falsely believe that older adults can’t use tech or don’t want to but in reality that’s not true. The GetSetUp social learning community is live and being used every hour of the day!  

Establish timelines and plan resources. We hope to establish this clearer through the Solve program with clearer metrics, timelines, and ways to assess data and resources.

GetSetUp has built its own proprietary senior-specific social learning platform that makes it easy for older adults to get online, learn technology,  engage in mental enrichment activities, and be socially connected. Its customized video platform is a first for older adults, with no need to download Zoom to access and engage in programming and connect with peers and this is the reason for our high rates of activation and engagement. We have learned a lot from early versions of our product especially since no one has ever built a truly scalable online business for older adults. This has helped to reduce friction and created added security for our learners making it harder for bad actors to enter or run scams. Furthermore, the GetSetUp team has the option to ban people not following community policies based on their IP address. 

We fully support a diverse and inclusive team. We aim as well to hire older workers and over ⅓ of our staff are 50 or older. We see to provide opportunities for them and are an equal opportunities hire. Our co-founders include Lawrence Kosick an older adult himself from Canada, Neil Dsouza a serial entrepreneur originally from India, and Deval Delivala a female leader from India. 

Members of our staff are around the globe and we seek to foster inclusion and diversity as we grow.

Our business model is based on B2B and B2G models. Through partnerships with governments and organizations that assist older adults, we are able to offer older adults classes for free that help them to stay physically and mentally fit as well as learn how to use technology to more effectively age in place. We offer opportunities for customized classes specific to regions and areas' needs. This means we can help to explain government websites specific to local areas. We did a number of vaccine sign-up classes in the US for example to help older adults understand how to register for vaccines. We offer tech support and peer-to-peer learning on a class catalog of over 4500 classes customized for seniors. We help organizations both large and small have access to diverse resources with a one-stop-shop for experts in a variety of areas. Since we have technical support available to assist learners with issues, other learners can continue learning without holding up classes. Furthermore, we offer equity in services by allowing partners to offer virtual services that help to reach their members who may be in rural locations or have limited mobility. 

GetSetUp is the first social learning platform for older adults. We currently have over 4.6 million active monthly users globally and project 15 million by the end of 2022. We provide free or subsidized classes through our partnerships with organizations that subsidize payments on behalf of their older adult population. This allows us to provide virtual education, onboarding, and socialization to their members who need it. We have over 100 partners globally with states, local governments, non-profits, senior living centers, and health plans.

• $20.6M raised in funding from key investors like Cowboy Ventures, Primetime Partners, LightShed Ventures, Rethink Education, and more. 

• Tivity Health partnership - Depending on how many of the 18 million seniors activate their free membership through the Tivity Health deal, revenue could increase to as much as $150 million. 

• Signed deals with senior living communities and the healthcare programs of several U.S. states—including Michigan’s Medicaid program and New York’s Department of Aging—and countries.

• Individual users can also access a limited free version of GetSetup, or pay a fee (currently $20 per month) to access all courses and features. About 10% of the user base is on a “paid” subscription.