Firstly of 2020, one in 5 French individuals is 65 or over, in line with INSEE. Based on its projections, in 2060 the French inhabitants can be made up of a 3rd over the age of 60, with 11.9 million over the age of 75, together with 5.four million over the age of 85. Confronted with this enormous demographic problem, the remark appears clear to entrepreneurs within the silver economic system: the senior market may be very promising.
In 2013, Michèle Delaunay and Arnaud Montebourg, respectively Minister Liable for the Aged and for Autonomy and Minister for the Financial system, formally launched the silver economic system sector. With forward-looking figures to make you dizzy: a possible market of 130 billion euros in France by 2020 with 300,000 jobs at stake.
Numerous younger founders behind these startups
Seven years later, it’s troublesome to understand how a lot this sector actually weighs in France in line with the very admission of the director basic of France Silver Eco, the affiliation commissioned by the State to federate the actors of the sector. “The query is simply too cross-cutting, it’s sophisticated to combination the info,” he stated. However one factor is for certain: since 2013, a myriad of startups have arrived in the marketplace, with services or products supposed for seniors or individuals with lack of autonomy.
Behind these firms, many younger founders. “It’s usually the identical sample: we see individuals near their grandparents who search to assist them,” observes Julia Mourri, journalist and co-founder of the media Oldyssey, who offers a highlight on initiatives involving individuals aged.
Chock at startup
Some begin after having misplaced their autonomy themselves. That is the case of Cyrille Dalmar, founding father of Manea, who has developed a versatile bathe arm. An object of which he had the thought, after a highway accident on the age of 18 which immobilized his left arm. “What I used to be supplied was not very ergonomic, unsatisfactory and really costly,” he says.
Two years after the launch of its field, the entrepreneur has bought 400 fashions and goals to ramp as much as 10,000 items this yr. If he doesn’t but dwell from his exercise, the 30-year-old is assured for the longer term. “The outcomes of the businesses which can be beginning up now usually are not essentially explosive, however by 2050 the aged inhabitants will develop rather a lot. So now could be the time to get began, ”he stated.
“Not essentially explosive” outcomes that Nicolas Menet, sociologist and managing director of Silver Valley, a cluster that brings collectively 180 startups and huge teams on longevity points, readily acknowledges. “Since 2013, there have been loads of improvements however few startups have actually taken off. Now we have few startups that exceed one million euros in turnover ”.
A Scale Up Lab to maneuver up a gear
clarify this introduced discrepancy between the market potential and the fact on the bottom? Nicolas Menet places ahead a number of explanations. First, this “business is usually related to the difficulty of illness, habit”, not very horny for traders. Moreover, “the provide doesn’t all the time correspond to the wants of customers. Some entrepreneurs have a false picture of outdated age and produce improvements that don’t meet an actual want, ”he continues. Lastly, the director basic of Silver Valley factors to “the ignorance of the general public funding out there from areas, departments and even the BPI on problems with longevity and incapacity”.
Confronted with this blended remark between very promising market and startups which can be struggling to take off, the Silver Valley cluster determined to react by making a Scale Up Lab. The target is bold: “we wish to give the silver economic system the means to supply its unicorns”, summed up with a great dose of enthusiasm Nicolas Menet.
“Stress-test” initiatives to identify the longer term unicorn
The Scale Up Lab is designed as a derisking software. Clearly: it’s a query of finishing up a type of “stress-test” of the innovation initiatives introduced. The Scale up Lab will observe the rules of the Radical Innovation Design methodology, developed by École Centrale Supélec, which incorporates 27 standards.
Over a number of months, the initiatives will cross by way of the sieves of a number of commissions made up of operational specialists (monetary advisers, traders, distribution specialists, and so forth.) so as to gauge their monetary viability, the robustness of their construction, the resilience of the founder (of his imaginative and prescient of its managerial qualities) or the reliability of the ecosystem linked to the corporate.
After three months, undertaking leaders will know if they’re able to transferring from start-up to scale-up and can depart with suggestions. “The concept is to make the startup meet the wants of customers, assist the scaling up and search for the precise companions”, summarizes Nicolas Menet.
Happytal and CetteFamille, two startups which have discovered their market
A option to establish the longer term nuggets of silver tech to propel them to the market. And maybe have them observe the trail traced by different firms within the sector, like Happytal which implements concierge methods inside hospitals for sufferers, their relations and workers. Based in 2013, the corporate is experiencing sturdy development and reached a turnover of 24 million euros in 2019. An argument over its gross sales canvassing practices with public hospital sufferers final summer season within the World and in France 2 didn’t stop it from profitable a name for tenders at the beginning of the yr, which opened the doorways to almost 900 institutions in France, along with the 110 with which the corporate has already established partnerships.
We are able to additionally cite CetteFamille, a platform for connecting aged individuals and host households. The startup made headlines a couple of days in the past by asserting a fundraising of four million euros. Based in 2015, the ESS firm, which needs to supply a substitute for a retirement residence, has created a community of four,500 foster households and has benefited eight,000 individuals with lack of autonomy. Two examples which present that it’s due to this fact very doable to launch your field with providers and merchandise supposed for seniors and to take it off.
