An Entrepreneurship Symposium
By Isabel Ollerton, Pallas Care Intern and Undergraduate Senior at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
This past Friday, Pallas Care had the opportunity to attend this Aging is Now | Aging is the Future Entrepreneurship Symposium hosted by the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. The symposium brought together doctors, researchers, entrepreneurs, professors, alumni, and many others to explore the relationship between aging and entrepreneurship.
USC Davis Dean Pinchas Cohen welcomes participants to the Symposium
The symposium began with an introduction from the deans of both Davis and Marshall at USC, as well as senior lecturer Abby Fifer Mandell from the School of Business. The speakers professed the importance of the intersection between business and growing old. The time for innovation in aging is now, and these three are absolutely aware of it.
The first session following the welcome speech was all about The Business Case for Innovation in Aging. The panelists were Chris Farrell of Marketplace NPR, Dr. Katy Fike of Generator Ventures and Aging 2.0, Paul Irving from the Center for the Future of Aging and the Milken Institute, and facilitator Park Cofield of the USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. A large focus of the panel was the importance of having intergenerational teams in the workplace. Everyone knows that having people from different backgrounds and disciplines on a team together can generate bright ideas, so why not more people of different ages? According to Dr. Fike, adults of all ages benefit from working in teams with a diverse age group. The panel also discussed how beneficial multi-generational homes can be for all parties involved. Research shows that having intergenerational relationships is not only an important part of life, but an essential asset in the workplace.
The next group of panelists consisted of Dhaval Patel of Lotus Labs, Brent Taylor of Perennial and Beyond Meat, Dr. Kalinda Ukanwa of the USC Marshall School of Business, and facilitator Dr. Caroline Cicero of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. This discussion focused largely on accessibility and universal design. As people continue to live longer, accessibility for older adults grows increasingly important. While great strides have been made in recent decades, many older adults do not see themselves represented in the marketing for products they buy. This feeling of alienation may often lead people away from purchasing these products Dr. Ukanwa brought up the relatively new concept of AI ageism: an unprecedented issue. The example of AI ageism used by Dr. Ukanwa was the fact that facial recognition software is less likely to recognize the face of an older person. Facial recognition can be an important accessibility feature for devices such as phones, especially those who have trouble with hand dexterity. This systematic discrimination has been left unstudied and unaddressed, despite the growing prevalence of AI in our society.
On the brighter side of things, Dhaval Patel and Lotus Laboratories were happy to announce a product that they designed to make accessibility easier in the home. The Ring is exactly that: a ring designed to control objects around the home. The Ring takes smart home to the next level; imagine controlling your lights, blinds, TV, and more with just the wave of your hand. According to Patel, the ring relies on infrared technology, allowing it to function without access to the internet. Patel hopes for the Lotus Ring to be utilized in all sorts of situations: from homes to hospitals, and many more.
Both panels were full of brilliant people and bright ideas. It is a great comfort to know that such individuals are constantly thinking of the future of business and aging, and how the realm of entrepreneurship needs to evolve as we grow older. Luckily, we’re in good hands.
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