“There’s No Single Archetype of Aging”: Why Building Tech for Older Adults Is Harder — and More Important — Than Ever
Quick Terms to Know
AgeTech: Technology designed to support older adults in living healthier, safer, and more independent lives.
Aging in Place: The ability for older adults to stay in their own homes and communities as they age, instead of moving to assisted living.
Assistive Technology: Tools that make daily tasks easier, from voice assistants and fall detectors to medication reminders.
Caregiver: A family member, friend, or professional who helps an older adult with daily tasks, health needs, or decision-making.
ADLs (Activities of Daily Living): Basic self-care tasks like bathing, eating, and dressing — often used to assess independence.
Human-Centered Design: A design approach focused on understanding and building around real user needs, abilities, and challenges.
Double Bottom Line: The idea that a business can deliver both financial returns and social good — a core goal for many AgeTech startups.
AgeTech Journal’s Jane Nam with Peter Elbaor, Founder & CEO of Ayla AI, after a conversation on the challenges and opportunities of building technology that supports older adults.
“You’re not building for one population — there’s no single archetype of user.”
— Peter Elbaor, Founder & CEO, Ayla AI
Peter Elbaor captures one of the biggest challenges — and opportunities — in designing technology for older adults. Building in the AgeTech space isn’t like building anywhere else. It’s complex, deeply human work that resists one-size-fits-all solutions.
Elbaor, the founder and CEO of Ayla AI and several other AI-powered products, entered the AgeTech world just a year and a half ago. A personal family experience revealed how fragmented and frustrating caregiving in America can be — and set him on a new mission. Like many founders drawn to this space, he began asking a bigger question: How can we help people age in place — maintaining their independence, dignity, and autonomy for as long as possible?
A Space That’s Easier — and Harder — Than Expected
Compared to sectors like fintech or media, AgeTech is still relatively young. That means fewer competitors and a community marked by empathy rather than cutthroat competition. “It’s easier in the sense that people — from users to partners — are more empathetic, and conversations are often more honest,” Elbaor said.
But the ease ends there. “We’re building products that matter, and that means understanding your users deeply,” he explained. “The problem is, there’s no one archetype of user. There are dozens of sub-archetypes, each with different needs and challenges.”
That complexity doesn’t just affect product design — it has ripple effects on business models. Most venture funding relies on “Facebook-style economics,” Elbaor noted. But with aging, there isn’t one massive, monolithic audience of 65+. Instead, there are countless smaller populations, each requiring tailored solutions — and that makes scale and traditional venture returns harder to achieve.
The Smallest Frictions Become the Biggest Barriers
Elbaor recalls observing an older adult struggling with her smartphone. She couldn’t unlock it because she repeatedly entered the wrong PIN — not from memory issues, but because motor challenges made it hard to tap the correct numbers. “She’d try to tap the five and hit the six instead. Or she’d tap too quickly for the phone to register,” he said. “It seems small, but that tiny problem cascades — she’s locked out, has to reset her password, then forgets the new one. It’s frustrating.”
This isn’t resistance to technology, Elbaor emphasized. “Older adults aren’t resistant — they just need technology to work for them. And most of it doesn’t.”
Those “small” design details — button size, tap sensitivity, navigation flow — can be the difference between a tool that empowers and one that alienates. And the diversity of needs goes beyond motor skills. Cognitive differences can shape preferences for navigation patterns or memory aids, requiring multiple interface approaches even within a single product.
Rethinking Metrics for Success
With such diversity among users, traditional startup metrics fall short. Instead, Elbaor’s team focuses on adoption, activation, engagement, and caregiver collaboration. For example, VisitAssist, a platform designed for older adults and their care partners, tracks not just sign-ups but how many users record a medical visit, how many summaries are shared, and how often those summaries are viewed.
It’s a more nuanced approach that mirrors sophisticated consumer companies, which segment users along demographic or psychographic lines and adjust KPIs accordingly. “As AgeTech matures, we’ll likely see more segmentation and customized success metrics,” Elbaor predicted.
Knowing When to Walk Away
Another lesson: innovation isn’t just about launching new products — it’s also about sunsetting the wrong ones. Elbaor’s team made the decision to end development on Ayla, an AI memory assistant designed to help older adults remember tasks and connections. “In senior living communities, caregivers already provide that support,” he explained. “Why build a tool that does half the job of a real person — and not as well?”
“Shutting doors is just as important as opening them,” he added. “If a project isn’t worth your time, you have to be honest and move on.”
Navigating a Complex Ecosystem
The challenges of AgeTech extend far beyond end-users. The ecosystem includes senior living operators, community-based organizations, healthcare providers, insurers, and more — each with different capacities, incentives, and pain points. “I haven’t found a single value proposition that works for everyone,” Elbaor admitted. “You need to understand the entire ecosystem before before you can really find success.”
For example, senior living organizations — especially nonprofits — often face financial constraints, while insurers and large healthcare providers may have more resources but different priorities. Effective AgeTech solutions must consider these dynamics and adapt value propositions accordingly.
The Next Frontier for Mission-Driven Builders
Despite the complexity, Elbaor believes AgeTech is the next frontier for founders who want to create impact. “Ten years ago, socially responsible investing was where you could do well and do good,” he said. “Now, AgeTech — helping older adults age with dignity and independence — is that new space. If you can figure it out, you’ll have both social impact and financial reward.”
The New York AgeTech community, while still small and underfunded compared to sectors like fintech or media, is growing. And Elbaor sees opportunity in its early-stage nature: “We’re a younger community, but as we find each other and collaborate, we’ll mature — and our impact will grow.”
A Call to Innovators
Aging is universal, but the needs, abilities, and experiences of older adults are anything but uniform. Building technology that truly serves them means thinking beyond one-size-fits-all solutions — designing for real human behavior, addressing subtle challenges, and embracing the messy realities of aging.
It’s a harder road than most tech founders choose. But for those who do, the reward isn’t just a product — it’s a future where aging is more dignified, independent, and connected than ever before.
About AgeTech Journal:
AgeTech Journal is an independent publication exploring the intersection of aging and innovation — from breakthrough products and research to the people shaping the future of longevity and care.
