How agetech can ease care burdens and rejuvenate the longevity economy

One night, I got a call from a long-distance friend: “My father had a heart attack. After a month in the hospital, he returned home and, overnight, I became a full-time care coordinator. Juggling insurance claims, rehabilitation schedules and caregiver logistics consumes my days. I burned through vacation days at work, missed my kids’ soccer games and felt the guilt of divided attention. Now I can’t stop thinking about my own financial and health future.”

Sound familiar? If you listen closely, you’ll hear these stories everywhere. Even those of us working in longevity, armed with expertise and networks, often find ourselves lost, scrolling through contacts, emails and second-hand referrals to piece together fragmented support for loved ones.

The problem is glaring: Innovation in ageing exists, but it’s not reaching the realities of our day-to-day lives. Why?

By 2050, one in six people globally will be over 65, with global life expectancy reaching an average of 77.2 years, a gain of over three decades in one century. Between 2015 and 2050, the share of those over 60 will nearly double from 12% to 22%. But is innovation keeping pace with this demographic shift? How can technology unlock opportunities in the longevity economy, and what barriers must be overcome?

Agetech refers to any product or service that measurably improves functional ability, financial security, or social participation for older adults. It champions ageing in place and tackles systemic issues like caregiver burn-out and underfunded pensions.

The economic stakes are immense: Slowing age-related diseases to increase life expectancy by one year is worth $38 trillion, and by 10 years, $367 trillion, contributing meaningfully to long-term economic growth.

Despite this economic potential, older adults remain underserved: The 50+ demographic is projected to spend over $120 billion on technology by 2030, yet 68% feel today’s solutions are not designed with them in mind. So why the disconnect?

Four agetech founders – Bettina Hein (Juli), Garrett Sprague (Smplicare), Lily Vittayarukskul (Waterlily) and Mark Edwards (ViewMind) – highlight a paradox: While technical advances accelerate, structural barriers – from fragmented healthcare to lack of incentives – are undercutting their reach.

Fragmented systems and misaligned incentives remain a central challenge. As Bettina Hein notes, preventive health tools struggle because funding prioritizes acute care over prevention. Juli, her chronic-condition platform, bridges this gap with user-centred design and interoperability, but systemic collaboration is critical. Operational complexity also limits impact: Even effective tools falter when coordinating caregivers, hospitals, insurers and families.

Regulatory friction compounds the issue. Lily Vittayarukskul argues innovation barriers are “less technical than structural”. Regulatory constraints such as the SEC’s proposals on AI and predictive analytics, while aimed at reducing bias and risk, can unintentionally hinder useful forecasting tools. Cautious procurement and compliance-heavy environments deter startup involvement.

Misconceptions deepen these challenges: Many assume public systems cover long-term care, delaying preparation until crises arise. Emotional barriers are equally critical: Families resist confronting ageing. Vittayarukskul’s company Waterlilly tackles this by embedding planning tools within trusted financial advisory relationships, aligning financial foresight with health decisions, creating immediate personal value while building evidence for reimbursement.

Prevention offers a clear path forward. Garrett Sprague, co-founder of Smplicare, points out that prevention is acknowledged, but rarely built into healthcare economics. Smplicare reduced fear of falling by 35% in an early intervention pilot that uses AI to detect mobility-related decline. “It’s about delivering the right care at the right time,” he says, urging policy-makers to align incentives with prevention. Mark Edwards echoes this: ViewMind’s ocular-movement diagnostics advances brain health, one of the main issues in longevity. But systemic shifts are needed: “Only 3% of healthcare spending targets prevention versus 97% on treatment,” he notes, stressing that wearables adoption proves users’ demand to take ownership of their health.

Ultimately, success depends on aligned incentives and shared priorities. As the Future-Proofing the Longevity Economy report cautions: “The question is not whether change will come – but whether stakeholders will shape it or be forced to react to it.” By collaborating across sectors, stakeholders can ensure agetech solutions deliver innovation alongside inclusion, impact and resilience. The goal? To transform today’s stories of fragmented caregiving into narratives of empowerment, where longevity is met with opportunities and dignity.