6/27/2015Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit
June 2015 – Vol. 9, No.2

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 

We are so pleased to share that the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit is just four days away and we have a full slate of talent to shape the latest innovations into the Longevity Marketplace. The White House Conference on Aging will be present and Nora Super, will be providing an overview of the July 2015 WHCOA event in DC. (For more information on the background of the White House Conference on Aging and Silicon Valley events, see the attached document.) Venture capitalists and corporate investors will share information about their investment priorities and there will be lots of entrepreneurs pitching ideas and business plans. We are grateful to TiE (The Indian Entrepreneur Association), and many others, for sending angel investors and entrepreneurs.

As described in the Oxford Economics Report, “The Longevity Economy, Generating economic growth and new opportunities for business,” the Longevity Economy is changing the face of America and comprises 106 million people responsible for $7.1 trillion in annual economic activity. This number is expected to reach well over $13.5 trillion by 2032, and includes $3.0 trillion in consumer spending and $1.6 trillion in health care spending. This makes the Longevity Economy the third largest economy after the US (16.2 trillion) and China (9.1 trillion).  You can download the complete report at www.aarp.org/innovation50plus. 

Sabi recently shared with us their latest research report on the Boomer Market. Click here to get a copy of this comprehensive study. 

The theme of the conference is Surfing the Longevity Economy and we are fortunate to have David Inns, CEO of GreatCall moderating the panel that includes surf maverick, Jeff Clark, Mavericks Surf Company; media and internet maverick, Miles Orkin, Google; and marketing strategist, Karissa Price-Rico, Care Innovations.

Jody Holtzman, Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership, AARP will be there to describe the trends in innovation and investment in the health and wellness space and the role AARP is playing to stimulate innovation in product design and services. 

Our conferences bring together friends and colleagues we’ve known for many years, as well as new found friends and colleagues. Some of you know that I was the founder of SeniorNet in l996. This year they will be participating in the SV Conference along with AARP TEK‘s Anne Jacoby. We also are so pleased to have Norman Lear as our keynote speaker. Mr. Lear brought us together when were young and engaged in the social debate of our time—intergenerational relationships—with his groundbreaking television show, All in the Family. Fast forward several decades and hear Mr. Lear discuss his latest projects, his new media work, and some of the anecdotes from his new book, Even THIS I Get to Experience.

We are also looking into emerging issues on topics such as On Demand Marketplaces—a way in which boomers are financing their retirement by gaining solutions to problems such as caregiving, transportation, and housing. Market leaders from companies such as Uber, CareLinx, and Airbnb will be on hand to discuss this important subject. Bill Johnston of Structure3C will be sharing ideas on how to think about the social selling experience.  

In the recent weeks, we have seen the topic of privacy, security, identity theft and financial technology, and intergenerational financial support as emerging issues. Our client, EverSafe is part of the Fin Tech incubator and was featured in a recent issue of USA Today as one of the top seven hot, new “fintech” financial services start-ups.

Lunch is even a productive part of the day. Attendees have the chance to Lunch-and-Learn as they dine and converse with angel investors, VCs, and successful entrepreneurs. It’s an effortless way to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of industry authorities while sharing a mid-day meal.

If you miss this Summit be sure to sign up early for What’s Next in Washington, D.C. on March 23, 2016

In the meantime here are some of the favorite books from thought leaders we are sharing this summer:

·        Marci Alboher The Encore Career Handbook
·        David Brooks, The Road to Character
·        Lois P. Frankel, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office
·        Mary Furlong, Turning Silver into Gold
·        Atul Gawande Being Mortal
·        Guy Kawasaki, The Art of Social Media
·        Norman Lear, Even This I Get to Experience
·        Eric Ries, The Lean Start Up
·        Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg, Google How Google Works,
·        Tina Seelig, What I Wish I knew When I was 20
·        Scott Smith, How to Die
·        Angelo E. Volandes, M.D. The Conversation, A revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care

Coming soon The Grandparent Economy by Lori Bitter.

We are experimenting with our first “MFA Pop-Up Bookstore” a collaboration with Orinda Books. These books will be available at our conference and also online on our new website. We think as an expert in the field you will want to enhance your leadership role.

My favorite book to date is David Brooks’, The Road to Character. I especially like the chapter on Love. I am also greatly influenced (as are most of the readers in the Orinda bookstore) by Marie Kondo’s book – The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

Enjoy the summer and take some down time to relax and regroup!