At Forerunner, we believe in a better way to invest. We’re a venture capital firm focused on understanding the mindset of the modern consumer and identifying the people poised to deliver what they need. We believe that when entrepreneurs are poised to meet consumers not just where they are today but where they’re going to be tomorrow, they become more than just founders — they’re forerunners. By supporting them with funding, strategic wisdom, and consumer insight — our “CQ” — we help transform industries and drive culture forward.    We’re a San Francisco-based team of veterans and visionaries from multiple disciplines. What unites us is a shared belief that “good enough” just isn’t good enough. We’ve used our combined expertise to support trailblazing brands like Dollar Shave Club, Warby Parker, Hims & Hers, and dozens more.

Forerunner

Declaration Partners is a private investment firm that specializes in direct investments designed to optimize long-term financial appreciation. Declaration Partners is looking to invest in the consumer, fintech, healthcare, software, and real estate sectors. Declaration Partners also makes investments on behalf of family offices and like-minded institutional investors.

Declaration Partners

Founded by Natalie Massenet and Nick Brown, Imaginary Ventures is venture capital firm that invests in early–stage opportunities at the intersection of retail and technology in Europe and the US. The firm seeks to make investments in companies with a focus on the e-commerce space, including retail, fashion, lifestyle and beauty sectors in Europe. Imaginary Ventures is based in New York, New York. Investments include Farfetch, Reformation, Everlane, Necessaire, Daily Harvest, Glossier, Good American, Universal Standard and others.

Imaginary Ventures

Optum Ventures provides capital and strategic guidance to startup companies solving health care's pressing challenges. It is the venture capital investment arm of Optum that invests in digital health companies that use data and insights to help improve consumers' access to health care services and how care is delivered and paid for, and that makes the health care system more reliable and easier to navigate.

Optum Ventures

DUOS

DUOS is a technology-enabled service provider connecting Medicare beneficiaries to the resources needed to attain the highest level of health. Our proactive and personalized activation platform engages your membership throughout their health journey, delivering quality health outcomes and improving member satisfaction for our valued partners. Our underlying technology aggregates historically siloed data and resources from across the ecosystem, removing barriers to health literacy and access to care, and facilitating contextual and timely connections with closed loop visibility.

DUOS, a digital health startup, provides a virtual service for the elderly to get assistance in completing their daily tasks (B2C business). The platform connects the elderly with a personal assistant to manage tasks, including assisting them with technology, ordering groceries, transportation, and health-related issues (such as booking vaccine appointments). The service is available to eligible Medicare and Dual Eligible Medicaid members (depending on health plan coverage) and is available across all 50 US states.

A concentration of wealth and a willingness to adopt age-in-place technologies present new opportunities.

Age Tech

DUOS Introduces New Capabilities to Enable One-Click Enrollment in Government Benefits Nationwide

DUOS, a digital health startup, provides a virtual service for the elderly to get assistance in completing their daily tasks (B2C business). The platform connects the elderly with a personal assistant to manage tasks, including assisting them with technology, ordering groceries, transportation, and health-related issues (such as booking vaccine appointments). The service is available to eligible Medicare and Dual Eligible Medicaid members (depending on health plan coverage) and is available across all 50 US states.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22555">October 2023</a>, DUOS announced the launch of DUOS+AI platform at the HLTH conference 2023. The platform uses a large language model to recommend services based on the social determinants of health of older adults. DUOS+AI is a conversational interface that triages member needs and matches them with resources. The company claimed that its AI technology can interpret various levels of written literacy and support multiple languages, making it accessible and inclusive.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/35206">October 2024</a>, DUOS launched Chat 2.0, an AI-powered healthcare platform that helps older adults access healthcare services. The platform builds upon its predecessor Chat 1.0 and integrates Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) with member-specific documents.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://press.humana.com/news/news-details/2024/Humana-and-DUOS-Launch-Groundbreaking-Initiative-Enhancing-Care-for-U.S.-Veteran-Seniors/default.aspx#gsc.tab=0">March 2024</a>, the company partnered with healthcare provider Humana to introduce a program to support Humana's veteran seniors in Louisiana. Through the partnership, veteran seniors with chronic conditions that are part of Humana's Medicare Advantage plan offered in Louisiana receive the option to connect with DUOS to receive benefits and resources to help them meet their health-related needs and goals. The companies noted that the program would run until the end of 2024.&nbsp;

Honor provides a platform for elderly persons and their families to find home care providers, and is claimed to be one of the largest on-demand home care networks in the US. The company’s key offerings include Home Care, Family Caregiver Resources, and the Honor Family App and Honor Family Care Network for remote monitoring.In August 2021, Honor announced the acquisition of home care provider Home Instead at an undisclosed value. The merged entity was expected to combine for over USD 2.1 billion home care services revenue.&nbsp; Key customers and partnershipsAs of August 2021, Home Instead had around 90,000 caregivers serving at 1,200 locations across the US and global markets. Home Instead acquired UK-based online platform SuperCarers in June 2020. It connects professional caregivers to elderly people seeking at-home care. Prior to the acquisition, SuperCarers had raised a total of GBP 4.9 million (USD 6.6 million).It also partners with the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications (ORCHA) to provide quality assured apps for psychological wellbeing, physical activity, and mental stimulation.

Honor

Eargo specializes in developing hearing aid and related services. Eargo has four products in its lineup: Link by Eargo, Eargo SE, Eargo Neo HiFi, Eargo 6, and Eargo 7. The company’s products are unique due to its design meant to keep the device invisible when plugged in.The products are priced between USD 749 (Link by Eargo) and USD 2,490 (Eargo 7). The Eargo Neo HiFi comes alongside an app and offers connected smart features such as audio personalization and control. The app allows the user to control the audio to suit their surroundings, customize settings, and contact Eargo's licensed hearing professionals for consultation and support.In October 2020, Eargo was listed as a public company and then acquired by Patient Square Capital In October 2023. Via the acquisition, Patient Square Capital acquired all outstanding shares of Eargo—that were not owned by Patient Square—at USD 2.55 per share. Key customers and partnershipsThe company utilizes a business-to-consumer (B2C) online retail strategy compared to traditional business-to-business (B2B) model deployed by other manufacturers who sell their products through clinics. The strategy has proven beneficial through the Covid-19 pandemic as consumer footfall for brick-and-mortar clinics have declined.

Eargo

K4Connect provides technology solutions to residents and staff members in senior living communities through its K4Community platform. The company was co-founded by Scott Moody who sold his fingerprint sensor technology company AuthenTec to Apple for USD 356 million in 2012, which then became the basis for Touch ID.The platform's offerings include digital voice and video communication, and community updates for residents. It also provides smart home automation through the provisioning of plug and play Alexa devices for residents and supports smart thermostats, smart lights, motion sensors, and sleep tracking devices. In addition, community staff members have access to tools for resident surveys, resident and family management, and communications. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the platform also established an expanded video chat service to facilitate resident-to-resident communication, staff requests, yoga classes, and dining room bookings. Further, in March 2020, it partnered with software communications firm Bandwidth to introduce a hotline for staff and residents as a means of keeping all parties up to date with community information.The platform is built on the company’s patented operating system, FusionOS. The company claims that FusionOS is an advanced multi-modal edge-cloud architecture, the first of its kind in the senior living industry. Residents and staff can access the platform using a smartphone app or pre-provisioned tables in the living communities priced on a per-resident basis.As of July 2020, the platform served over 800 independent and assisted living senior living communities across the US. The platform serves over 29,000 users at more than 125 senior living communities across 27 customers as of February 2020, more than doubling its users from 2018, which it expects to repeat in 2020. The company has established channel partnerships with Allbridge (a data, video and voice solution provider for senior living) in July 2020, and Eskaton (a senior services provider) and White Horse Village (a continuing care retirement community) in May 2019. It collaborated with GlobalLogic (a digital product engineering company) in July 2020 to expedite the development schedule of its K4Community Plus app in response to Covid-19.

K4Connect

CarePredict was founded by Former IBM consultant and tech veteran, Satish Movva, and produces Tempo smart wearables for the elderly community. Using machine learning (ML), the company claims the app can reduce the chance of a fall, and predict urinary tract infections (UTIs) and depression ahead of a clinical diagnosis. The device aims to assist caregivers in taking preventive action by detecting activities and behaviors which are precursors to health declines. The data from the device can also be shared with family members.The company generates revenue from device sales and subscriptions. Independent research conducted in September 2020 indicated that facilities using CarePredict’s wearables reported 40% fewer hospitalizations 69%, lower fall rates, 67% increased length of stay, and a 37% improved staff response rate than facilities that did not use CarePredict.The company expanded its operations in 2018 through its acquisition of WiseWare, a company selling activity-tracking jewelry for older users. In April 2020, it launched the PinPoint contact-tracing tools to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.Key customers and partnershipsIn February 2021, the company announced its partnership with Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A). M4A is the agency behind the “Providing Alzheimer's N' Dementia Assistance” (PANDA) project. The company will be the first tech platform to be part of the project and will provide caregivers assistance in remote monitoring and preventive care using its smart wearables.

CarePredict

Eversound develops wireless headphone systems to enhance the level of engagement and social interaction for the elderly living in assisted living or memory care centres. The platform provides a library of programmed content on a variety of topics. The headphone system can be used to communicate with caregivers, during group events, family visits, and for music therapy. The headphones are equipped with a wireless transmitter and volume controls. It connects to external audio sources such as community A/V systems, televisions, and audio devices.The product was unveiled in May 2016. In a subsequent six month study conducted by LCB Senior Living community, group events leveraging the Eversound system resulted in an 18% reduction of residents falling asleep and a 28% increase in engagement during group events. In December 2016, the company expanded to 18 states across the US.In March 2020, as a part of its Covid-19 response, the company launched a live streamed, interactive content service to help seniors combat isolation. Further, as in-person visits at assisted living communities were interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of Eversound’s visitation package proved to be crucial for socially distanced in-person visits. Key customers and partnershipsAs of December 2020, the company’s product is being used in more than 700 senior living communities across the US. Its clients include senior living communities such as Brightview, Commonwealth, and Oakmont. In addition, Eversound has established partnerships with senior living communities (such as The Arbor Company, Bridges by EPOCH, Christian Horizons, and Kisco) to roll out its devices for family visitations, and programmable and live streamed content.

Eversound

Tech-enabled equipment or companionship services that help elderly people function independently.

Platforms that match seniors with home care providers as well as app-based products to facilitate communication between senior families and caregivers

Tech-enabled products used to diagnose, prevent, and treat conditions common among seniors.

Remote monitoring, medical diagnosis, communication, and coordination between caregivers and families of the elderly.

Platforms that help seniors interact socially and communicate with others.

Platforms that help seniors and their families plan and make arrangements to settle the senior’s estates and affairs in the event of death.

Companies that use GenAI as a core part of their product offering for Age Tech

Offers digital platforms that support the wellness of the senior population

Age Tech providers incorporate GenAI to enhance both seniors’ and caregivers’ experiences

Many devices that help seniors operate independently and receive remote treatment use IoT

Some companies use VR to help treat seniors with conditions such as isolation and dementia

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 
 Digital health firm DUOS has unveiled Chat 2.0, an AI-enabled healthcare platform designed to assist older adults in accessing healthcare services. This new platform builds on the capabilities of its predecessor, Chat 1.0, by integrating Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) with documents specific to each member.
 Chat 2.0 is able to deliver personalised responses from plan-specific sources and supports multiple languages. It also allows users to book appointments directly and submit service requests through a chat interface. In addition, it gives CMS-compliant answers that have traceability back to health plan documents. The platform can understand inputs at a fifth-grade reading level, and can deal with informal language inputs, including slang and misspellings.
 DUOS believes that this platform can aid older adults in better understanding and navigating their care coverage, thereby making healthcare more accessible and actionable for them. The company has plans to expand their services to seven additional states within the upcoming months, allowing them to connect with more older adults across the United States.
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 During the recent past, DUOS has been focusing on enhancing healthcare accessibility for seniors. Earlier in 2024, DUOS <a href="https: 
//press.humana.com/news/news-details/2024/Humana-and-DUOS-Launch-Groundbreaking-Initiative-Enhancing-Care-for-U.S.-Veteran-Seniors/default.aspx#gsc.tab=0"> partnered with Humana </a> , a healthcare provider, to introduce a program to support Humana's veteran seniors in Louisiana. Through the partnership, veteran seniors with chronic conditions that are part of Humana's Medicare Advantage plan offered in Louisiana received the option to connect with DUOS to receive benefits and resources to help them meet their health-related needs and goals.

DUOS

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