Aging in place start-up K4Connect has been selected for the National Association of Realtors’ 2021 Tech Accelerator. The program will support forward-thinking small businesses, investments today which will allow us to overcome the complex problems of tomorrow.
May 5, 2021
By: Eleanor Garth
North Carolina start-up K4Connect is behind the K4Community solution, a single “operating system” for senior living communities that brings together a wide range of smart products for residents, staff and operators in a single, simple interface. Now Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors, has announced that K4Connect is one of eight technology companies selected for the 2021 REACH scale-up programme.
SCV, which claims to be the most active global venture fund in real estate technology, operates the award-winning REACH growth programme in five major, international markets. The 2021 REACH cohort will focus on scaling high-growth potential technology companies in and beyond the residential real estate sector.
Longevity.Technology: According to the report Three Trends Shaping the Politics of Aging in America: “Between 2016 and 2026, the employment of home health and personal care aides will increase by 41%, far outpacing the average growth of all occupations [1].”
We are glad to see K4Connect given further opportunity to scale up, building on their Amazon partnership. Aging in place (the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level) is becoming a paramount concern as the silver tsunami looms ever larger, so much so, that Longevity.Technology is preparing a market intelligence report on aging in place to be published later this year.
SCV President and NAR CEO Bob Goldberg said the REACH programme will “support forward-thinking small businesses, investments today which will allow us to overcome the complex problems of tomorrow.”
Companies selected for the 2021 REACH programme offer pioneering tools and solutions for multiple aspects of the market, including senior living services and independent living strategies. Collectively, these companies have raised more than $700 million in capital, employ more than 125 people worldwide and represent a valuation in excess of $1 billion.