Call for Entries in What’s Next Innovation Challenge Sponsored by AARP Innovation Labs
Asking Entrepreneurs to Solve Hearing Impairment for Those Over 50
ATLANTA, February 13, 2020 – Entrepreneurs with breakthrough solutions that encourage older adults to use hearing aids have until February 25, 2020, 11:59 p.m. PST to enter the “What’s Next Innovation Challenge” sponsored by AARP Innovation Labs and produced by Mary Furlong & Associates.
Finalists will present their products or services on March 26, 2020 at the “What’s Next Longevity Business Summit” during the Aging in America Conference at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. AARP members, event attendees and a panel of judges will select the winners who will participate later this year in the national competition in Washington, D.C. for a $5,000 award and AARP Innovation Labs partnership.
The competition will showcase disruptive products and services that drive adoption and usage of hearing aids for the millions who have hearing impairment in the United States. One in three Americans, ages 65 to 74, have hearing loss and half of those over age 75 have difficulty hearing, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Untreated hearing loss has serious emotional and social consequences for older persons, according to a study by The National Council on Aging.
Startup companies with less than $500,000 in annual revenue or a maximum of $5 million in investor funding are eligible to compete. Finalists will be notified by March 12, 2020 and must be available to present at the What’s Next Longevity Business Summit on March 26, 2020. Apply HERE.
Mary Furlong, author, serial entrepreneur and thought leader on aging, produces the “What’s Next” events which are among the several local competitions leading to the national pitch event focused on solutions for aging consumers. One startup, Embodied Labs, won the “What’s Next Innovation Challenge” and the national AARP competition. The “What’s Next Longevity Business Summit” also has picked several finalists over the years, including CareLinx and Intuition Robotics, who have participated in the national AARP competition.
“The What’s Next Innovation Challenge” has become one of the premier events to showcase high-tech solutions for the longevity market,” said Furlong. “We can’t wait to see how startups tackle the age-related health issue of hearing loss.”
The “What’s Next Longevity Business Summit” event has gained a reputation for bringing together thought leaders focused on the $8.3 trillion, 50+ marketplace. Leading investors, businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, authors, analysts, media and marketing experts network and learn from each other. Top summit sponsors include AARP Innovation Labs, GreatCall, Ageless Innovation, CareLinx, VitalTech, Medterra CBD, Business of Aging, Susan Davis International, Caregiving Club, iN2L, Hamilton CapTel, Home Instead, myFamilyChannel, SilverRide, Outpatient, Naboso Technology, Nationwide, Portfolia, Embodied Labs, Caremerge, Stay Smart Care and Thrive. For more information and to register, please visit What’s Next Longevity Business Summit.
About Mary Furlong & Associates
Founded in 2003, Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA) is a strategy, business development and marketing company. A serial entrepreneur, Mary founded SeniorNet.org and ThirdAge Media (acquired by Ancestry.com) prior to MFA. For 17 years, Mary has produced the industry leading “What’s Next Boomer Business Summit” and “Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit,” adding the “Washington Innovation Summit” and “What’s Next Canada” in recent years. Author of “Turning Silver into Gold, How to Profit in the Boomer Market” and “The MFA Longevity Market Report,” Mary has been recognized by ASA, Fortune, TIME and as one of the top 100 Women in Silicon Valley. She is an adviser to the Ziegler Link·Age Fund, CABHI and numerous startup companies in addition to her private client practice.
About AARP Innovation Labs
AARP Innovation Labs engages the startup ecosystem to help bring the best solutions to market and to scale. We engage with startups in stages, with a long-term strategy of choosing a select group of startups to collaborate with to transform markets and change lives. We encourage entrepreneurs to keep the $8.3 trillion in economic activity of the 50+ market in mind when designing for all ages. Learn more at aarpinnovationlabs.org.
About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security; financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation’s largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit http://www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.
