WAHVE, Golden and Toi Labs Win Big During Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit

16th Annual Summit Proves Fertile Ground to Forge Deals and Partnerships

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Jun 20, 2019, 08:03 ET

BERKELEY, Calif., June 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit and Business Plan Competition demonstrated itself to be more vital than ever as a premier destination and gathering space for investors, entrepreneurs and thought leaders in healthcare, technology and the booming $7.6 trillion longevity market.

The event, now in its 16^th year, was held June 5-6 at the Claremont Hotel and Spa in Berkeley and was produced by Mary Furlong & Associates. Organized under the theme of "Design, Innovation and Investment in the Longevity Marketplace," the Summit played host to angel investors, early-stage and growth-stage firms, and distribution partners, all focused on investment in the longevity economy.

The Summit also featured two pitch events.

The Silicon Valley Innovation Competition, sponsored by AARP Innovation Labs, focused on promoting financial empowerment and resilience through solutions that leverage social connections. The winning presenters – Evin Ollinger, Founder and CEO for Golden, and Sharon Emek, Founder, Chairman and CEO for WAHVE (Work At Home Vintage Experts) – will go on to participate in this fall's AARP Innovation Hatchery Pitch Event in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Toi Labs emerged the winner of the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit Business Plan Competition. The competition gives participating companies the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges for feedback and the chance to win the $10,000 grand prize.

"We are thrilled and humbled to have been chosen from the pool of talented companies that competed from across the globe," said Toi Labs Founder and CEO Vik Kashyap. "Our goal of improving the well-being of seniors by transforming the bathroom is accelerating."

The event also served as a launch pad for new partnerships aimed at serving older adults and fueling the longevity economy, including the formation of Thrive Alliance, a partnership between Thrive Center and the Innovators Alliance.

"The partnership between Innovators Alliance and Thrive brings a powerful synergy to the efforts of helping seniors age well," said Thrive Center CEO and Executive Director Sheri Rose. "Thrive Alliance pulls together and completes our pillars of Innovation/Research/Pilot/Distribution that focus on driving innovation in aging care."

The Summit this year drew more venture capital firms and other investors than in any of its previous 15 years. Event organizers and experts say this demonstrates the opportunistic appeal of an industry with a vast number of consumers that has yet to peak.

"Consider that the oldest baby boomer is now 73 and the Consumer Technology Association sized the Active Aging market to grow to $29.8 billion by 2022," said Laurie Orlov, CEO for Aging in Place Technology Watch and one of the event's keynote speakers. "Investors and entrepreneurs see the opportunity with a market that reflects major demographic change."

For more information, visit BoomerVentureSummit.com and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, #SVSummit.

About Mary Furlong & Associates/ Mary Furlong
For 16 years, Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA), headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, has developed strategies for marketing and business development. The services provided by the firm are unique and geared to opportunities with baby boomers, senior markets and the longevity economy. Dr. Furlong is the executive producer of three conferences annually, What's Next Boomer Business Summit, Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit and Washington, D.C. Innovation Summit, as well as the co-producer of What's Next Canada. These events serve to highlight the tremendous opportunity in the marketplace.

For Media Inquiries:
Lori Bitter, The Business of Aging
[email protected]
415-652-9884

SOURCE Mary Furlong & Associates