Jeffrey Gray is the Founder and CEO of AgeTech Atlanta, the fastest growing network of AgeTech innovators in the US. Jeffrey moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles in 1999 after selling his first tech venture to RealEstate.com and has been an advisor and mentor to many Atlanta-based startups since then. He has also held key roles in non-profit organizations such as City of Refuge, Points Of Light and Open Hand Atlanta.
AgeTech Atlanta is composed of startup founders, industry mavericks, educators, researchers, and influencers in the fields of AgeTech, eldercare, and longevity and supports global innovators that are committed to changing the definition and experience of aging. The group has partnered with the American Society on Aging to produce the On Tech @ On Aging and the AgeTech Challenge Innovation Showcase, is a participant in the AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP®, and is a foundation partner with the ECHAlliance – A Global Health Connector. Founded in 2021 and based in Atlanta, AgeTech Atlanta is widely regarded as the largest and most influential ecosystem of its kind in the US. For more information, visit the AgeTech Atlanta website at www.agetechatlanta.com. To RSVP for the final AgeTech Atlanta meetup of the year on Thursday, December 5 at 10am at the Atlanta Tech Village – Buckhead, visit https://lu.ma/ph0yc5fp.
In the below Q&A, Jeffrey shares more about his career journey and what brought him to Atlanta, why he sees an immensely innovative future for the AgeTech industry and his motivation to help entrepreneurs grow and scale to deliver much-needed solutions to the market.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about your career journey and how you came to work in the Atlanta technology ecosystem and your current role?
A: I moved to Atlanta 25 years ago after selling my first company to Atlanta-based RealEstate.com. Our family moved here from Los Angeles expecting that we would move back within a year or so, but we soon put down Atlanta roots and stayed. Apart from an 8 year career detour into the nonprofit sector, I have been immersed in the Atlanta technology community, advising and mentoring many startup founders along the way.
Q: Could you share your experience as the founder of AgeTech Atlanta… what is the history of this organization?
A: I got interested in what we now call AgeTech in 2015 after losing my Mom to Alzheimer’s and experiencing first-hand the needs of older adults and the loved ones that support them. Based at the Atlanta Tech Village since 2017, I developed an extensive network in “all things AgeTech”. Three years ago I was encouraged to host a networking mixer that brought together about 25 leaders in the space, where three founders shared their product innovations and insights gained from their journeys. We all learned so much that we agreed to reconvene again. Today, three years later, we’ve met every other month and have built the largest community-based AgeTech ecosystem in North America.
Q: Why do you think Atlanta is significant as a city and an innovation hub to develop age-related technologies?
A: What I discovered early in AgeTech Atlanta’s history was that Atlanta was a leader in the space, but nobody knew it! We had dozens of companies, community based organizations, universities, and influencers doing great things – but for the most part they were on solo journeys, lacking a community to support them.
Why Atlanta? It’s a city with a big heart, and most AgeTech ventures are inspired by a founders profound experiencing related to aging: losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s or Parnkinson’s, caring for an aging spouse, partner, sibling, or parent, experiencing the challenges of navigating our healthcare system, or discovering how the daunting challenges their loved ones faced trying to live their best lives with mobility, sensory, or cognitive challenges.
Atlanta’s lead by taking action. That’s my hypothesis on how we emerged as a global leader in the space.
Q: How big is the market for agetech related solutions?
A: Estimates vary, but it’s a massive opportunity with some saying the global market today is close to $1 trillion and growing. Most people have heard a commonly cited statistic that every day 10,000 people turn 65, and the older adults spend about $.56 of every dollar of US GDP. The effects of increased longevity are profound and are influencing nearly every sector of our economy – not just healthcare, long-term care and senior living, but also travel, tourism, transportation, housing, finance, banking, retail, insurance, real estate, and consumer goods.
Q: Beyond the market dynamics, why are you personally motivated to serve this field?
A: I’ve always fought for the underdog. In our society today aging people are at a profound disadvantage and our mission is to change that by supporting the change makers: AgeTech startup founders and other innovators who are re-defining the experience of aging through technology.
Q: Could you share more about some of the inspiring entrepreneurs your organization has helped to launch or build their companies?
A: There are too many great companies led by fearless and inspiring founders. Here are a few Atlanta-based companies to keep and eye on: WelcomeHome, Accushield, Vivo, Ome, myFloc, Wherible, Sensorscall, Art Pharmacy, Travelsist, 1 True Health, MapHabit, GenAI Health, Happy Talks, eLife, Liv Labs, Fynn, MedTrans Go, DashStylists, Prospercar, and Cerebrofit.
Q: What are the greatest challenges facing AgeTech entrepreneurs?
A: Being an entrepreneur is the second-hardest job in the world behind being a caregiver. AgeTech founders face unique headwinds because the sector is still nascent, and because of deeply rooted biases which can make it harder to attract capital. Every AgeTech founder I know is on a mission to educate the world about the massive size of the market, and the unique opportunities that exist to build successful companies by serving its needs. We are all aging into this marketplace so I expect the pace of investment and innovation to increase significantly year-over-year, and we’ll start seeing more AgeTech unicorns soon.
