The call for Next Age, the first acceleration program in Europe specifically focused on Silver Economy startups, is starting for the third consecutive year. Next Age was created at the initiative of CDP Venture Capital together with AC75 SA, the startup accelerator promoted by Fondazione Marche with Fondazione Cariverona and Università Politecnica delle Marche. The call will be open until February 29.
The program is part of the CDP Venture Capital National Accelerators Network, present throughout Italy with the aim of supporting the growth of startups specializing in the markets with the greatest potential, and is part of a broader collaboration between CDP Venture Capital, Fondazione Marche and Fondazione Cariverona, which has led to the total allocation of 8 million euros for the development of startups and innovative SMEs in the area.
Next Age is a three-year program selecting about 10 seed and pre-seed startups annually, who will have access to a structured 4-month path (part in-person and part remote) with the support of the accelerator’s partners, to be guided toward validating their solutions and business model.
Along the way, startups receive: an initial round of seed investment, an acceleration path, direct partner support, contact with international mentors, access to companies in the industry with which to develop partnerships and introduction to a large network of investors.
The program includes an intensive investment path: in addition to the initial investment of 126,000 euros for each of the selected startups, assets under management include more than 6 million euros for subsequent post-acceleration follow-ons aimed at startups with the highest growth potential.
The program is managed by AC75 Startup Accelerator together with the international venture capital firm SOSV, and has built a strong network of partners over time to support accelerated startups. Intesa Sanpaolo and Amplifon as main partners, Istituto Nazionale Ricovero e Cura Anziani (I.N.R.C.A.), Università Politecnica delle Marche, and UK National Innovation Center for Aging (NICA) as scientific partners, and the Silver Economy Network as ecosystem partner for the initiative. AC75 SA also benefits from the support of Regione Marche.
With the third edition of the program, Next Age renews its commitment to selecting and accompanying the best innovative solutions for living longer and better and supporting startups in generating a strong positive impact for the benefit of society in a global market with enormous potential.
The mission of Next Age program is to develop an innovation hub in the Silver Economy through the active involvement of startups, corporates, research centers and national and international investors, with the aim of establishing operational collaborations between each of these players.
The Silver Economy is a global market with specific impacts on individual national contexts, that’s why Next Age is a program with a strong international focus: the first two editions counted 512 total applications from more than 40 countries, including 50% from Italy, 23% from Europe and 27% from the rest of the world.
Over the past two years, Next Age has selected and accelerated 16 startups including 6 foreign ones from Barcelona, Berlin, Singapore, Boston and Dublin. Which have already raised more than 3 million euros in investments, closed new partnerships with leading companies in the industry such as Santo Stefano Rehabilitation – KOS Group, Cirfood, Under Armour and some of the program partners: Intesa Sanpaolo, Amplifon, and UK-NICA, and are receiving awards from leading national and international
institutions and organizations.
Silver Economy is a very broad field, ranging from wellness to health, from new housing
and welfare models to leisure, from mobility to tourism, and dedicated financial and
insurance services.
The sector is in the midst of a strong growth trend that is set to intensify in the coming
years: according to European Commission estimates, already by 2025 it will reach a value of €5.7 trillion-equivalent to a third of European GDP-and will see 38% of European workers employed (Oxford Economics and Technopolis Group, 2018). According to “World Social 2023” report released by the UN, nearly 800 million individuals are 65 years or over. And they are expected to double by 2050 to 1.6 billion: more than 16% of the global population.
Italy is running to become the laboratory of excellence in the field: by 2047 the percentage of over-65s will exceed 30% of the population-a segment amounting to more than 20 million people.
The progressive population aging and the increase in active life expectancy are just two aspects of a demographic transformation that poses momentous challenges to our society and opens up great opportunities that are still little considered. Innovation plays a decisive role in addressing both and is the lever to develop new products, services and business models capable of meeting the specific needs of this increasingly relevant and growing part of the population both in Italy and globally.
Startups that want to apply for Next Age 2024 can upload their application on the f6s platform at this link:
https://www.f6s.com/next-age-silver-economy-accelerator/apply?ref=LandingPage
