No Isolation

No Isolation is a Norwegian startup, founded in October 2015. We tackle loneliness and involuntary social isolation by developing communication tools that help those affected. Our first product is AV1, the telepresence robot designed to allow children and young adults with long-term illness to participate in their social and educational lives. AV1 was launched in August 2016 and currently helps around 500 children across thirteen countries. Our second product is KOMP, the one-button screen designed to improve the communication between generations and family members, regardless of technological skills. Through KOMP, seniors can receive messages, photos and video calls. As of today, more than 85,000 moments have been shared with KOMP. No Isolation has employees in three offices: Oslo, Amsterdam and London.

<div>No Isolation is Norwegian startup developing technology to combat isolation and loneliness. The company&rsquo;s initial product, the AV1 telepresence robot, was designed to tackle loneliness amongst children and younger adults. The company subsequently launched KOMP, a senior-dedicated product, in Norway in December 2017, and in the UK in May 2019.</div>

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

Age Tech

<div>No Isolation aims to reduce loneliness and involuntary social isolation through warm technology targeting two groups: those over 80 years and children and young adults with long-term illness.</div>

Remote learning is driving an education technology revolution.

EdTech: K-12

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 No Isolation is Norwegian startup developing technology to combat isolation and loneliness. The company&rsquo;s initial product, the AV1 telepresence robot, was designed to tackle loneliness amongst children and younger adults. The company subsequently launched KOMP, a senior-dedicated product, in Norway in December 2017, and in the UK in May 2019.
 
 
 KOMP is a one-button communication device that provides two-way video and audio calls, and is purpose-built for use by seniors. The product design is unique due to its one-button concept, based on research that older people often experience dry fingertips, which restricts their ability to use touchscreen devices.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 The KOMP screen is placed at the seniors&rsquo; living quarters and leaves an open line of communication for family members. An&nbsp; unlimited number of family members can use KOMP&rsquo;s app to share messages, videos, and photographs throughout the day, which will display on the device when it is turned on. KOMP is available for rent at GBP 39 per month (approximately USD 50) or can be purchased for GBP 599 (approximately USD 790).
 
 
 The company reported combined device sales in March and April 2020 of 2,200 units, compared to 650 units sold in the entire year in 2019. Based on user feedback, the company launched a new version of the product with a wider screen in November 2020.
 
 
 
 
 
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 Honor provides a platform for elderly persons and their families to find home care providers, and is one of the largest on-demand home care companies in the US. The company employs machine learning algorithms to its platform to optimize caregiving services.The company also partners with multiple independent homecare agencies and had over 40 home care agencies partnered as of October 2020. Its services were offered across six states (California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Ohio, and Michigan) as of October 2020.
 
 
 Honor generates a share of the revenue from the agencies by taking over a share of the agencies’ billing, hiring, training, and scheduling functions. Through these partnerships, Honor is able to expand the reach of its professional caregiver market, and scale its business. Honor raised USD 140 million in Series D funding led by Baillie Gifford in October 2020, and it intends to use the funds to expand into new markets and further invest in its care delivery platform. 
 
 
 In August 2021, Honor announced the acquisition of Home Instead, one of the largest home care providers in the US, at an undisclosed value. Following the deal, Home Instead is expected to operate as a subsidiary of Honor under the company’s original brand name led by its CEO Jeff Huber. 
 
 
 Home Instead provides a wide range of home care services to the elderly which includes companionship-based care, specific care solutions for dementia and Alzheimer’s, and live-in care. The company also provides home monitoring solutions including sensors, tablets, safety alarms and health apps. It 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. 
 
 
 As of August 2021, it has 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).
 
 
 The merged entity is expected to combine for over USD 2.1 billion home care services revenue. In combining Home Instead’s global reach with Honor’s technology platform, the companies intend to improve the efficiency of home care services and enhance the professional development of caregivers by providing them with better career opportunities.
 
 
 In October 2021, the company raised USD 70 million in Series E funding and USD 300 million in debt financing. The equity funding round was led by Baillie Gifford, valuing Honor at USD 1.25 billion, while the debt financing was led by Perceptive Advisors. The company intended to use the funds for team expansion (tripling its engineering and product team) and expanding the operations and technology of the Home Instead network. Prior to this funding round, Honor raised USD 140 million in Series D funding led by Baillie Gifford in October 2020.
 
 
 
 
 
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Honor

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 Eargo specialises in developing hearing aid and related services. Eargo has four products in its lineup: namely, Eargo Max, Eargo Neo HiFi, Eargo 5 and Eargo 6. The company&rsquo;s products are unique due to its design meant to keep the device invisible when plugged in.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 The products are priced between USD 1,850 (Eargo Max) and USD 2,950 (Eargo 6) and as per the company, are around half of the price of the hearing aids&nbsp; provided via traditional channels in the US. The Eargo Neo range 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.
 
 
 The company utilizes a business-to-consumer (D2C) 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.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 The company last raised funds in November 2022 when Patient Square Capital became the majority owner of Eargo through a conversion of its convertible notes. The gross proceeds from the transaction raised USD 32.5 million for Eargo, including an investment of USD 5.5 million by Patient Square Capital and an expense of USD 2.5 million in transaction-related expenses. The raised funds were set aside for working capital purposes and to fund Eargo's omni-channel growth strategy. 
 
 
 
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Eargo

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 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&nbsp; 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,&nbsp; 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&rsquo;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&nbsp; its K4Community Plus app in response to Covid-19.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In July 2023, the company raised 
 USD 8.9 million in a funding round co-led by Bryce Catalyst and AXA Venture Partners, with participation from other venture capital firms. The funds raised were set aside to drive adoption of its platform in senior living communities. Additionally, the company also planned to invest in its patented operating system offering and community engagement suite. After the funding round, Mike Weller joined the company as COO. 
 
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K4Connect

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 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.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 The company generates revenue from device sales and subscriptions. Independent research conducted in September 2020 indicated that facilities using CarePredict&rsquo;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.&nbsp;
 
 
 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.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In February 2021, the company &nbsp;announced its partnership with Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A). M4A is the agency behind the &ldquo;Providing Alzheimer's N' Dementia Assistance&rdquo; (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. 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In July 2023, CarePredict raised USD 29 million in a Series A-3 funding round co-led by Aspire Healthtech Partners and SV Health Investors' Medtech Convergence Fund. The funds were set aside to be used to expand the company&rsquo;s operations and market presence.
 
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CarePredict

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 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.&nbsp;
 
 
 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&rsquo;s visitation package proved to be crucial for socially distanced in-person visits.
 
 
 As of December 2020, the company&rsquo;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,&nbsp; Bridges by EPOCH, Christian Horizons, and Kisco) to roll out its devices for family visitations, and programmable and live streamed content.
 
 
 
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Eversound

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

Offers digital platforms that support the wellness of the senior population

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

Platforms that help seniors interact socially and communicate with others.

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 No Isolation aims to reduce loneliness and involuntary social isolation through warm technology targeting two groups: those over 80 years and children and young adults with long-term illness.
 
 
 For children diagnosed with a long-term illness, the company built the AV1 robot, a small, portable avatar with two-way audio and a one-way camera that transports them to places to which they couldn't otherwise go in order not to lose touch with daily life. Developed in 2016, the AV1 ‘seeing-eye’ robot is supported by Vodafone’s internet of things (IoT) technology and is controlled by an app on a smartphone or tablet. More than 400 AV1 robots are in use in several countries.
 
 
 Patients report that AV1 successfully facilitated human communication during their illness, eased their return to school, and even helped speed up recovery.
 
 
 The company raised USD 4.3 million in its most recent funding round in December 2018. The funding series and the purposes to which the funding would be put were not disclosed.
 
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 Founded in 2016, BookNook is an online literacy platform designed for learners in grades 1-5. Partnering with school districts and non-profit organizations, the company focuses on human-to-human learning and works with children one-on-one or in small groups, enabling it to gather rich, observational data. As of June 2021, the company partnered with hundreds of schools, school districts, and non-profits across 35 states.
 
 
 BookNook differs from other digital literacy tools by not requiring students to take formative assessments to check for their understanding. Rather, the platform lets teachers record qualitative data on oral fluency, such as whether a student pauses at punctuation marks as they read aloud, or reads in set phrases. Students can also record self-reflections on the platform.
 
 
 In June 2021, the company partnered with MIND Research Institute, a neuroscience and education social impact organization and creator of the PreK-8 visual instructional program ST Math, to deliver a High Dosage Tutoring program (HDT) for math to K-8 students to address unfinished learning. BookNook tutors will deliver tutoring sessions using the ST Math program over BookNook’s synchronous learning platform. The company launched a new teacher application portal at booknooktutor.com in October 2021, giving experienced teachers the opportunity to apply to become BookNook virtual tutors on its platform. BookNook intends to engage 10,000 virtual teachers to support 80,000 students by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
 
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BookNook

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 Story2 uses its proprietary Moments Method writing system, its StoryBuilder software, and live online group coaching to help high school students and professionals improve their writing, speaking, storytelling, and collaboration skills. 
 
 
 The company aims to help different segments with their specific needs: students with college admission and scholarship essays, professionals preparing for interviews and creating cover letters, and business teams to improve sales, recruiting and company messaging through effective storytelling.
 
 
 Since 2013, Story2 has worked with more than 200,000 individuals in 21 countries with college admission essays, interview preparation, and pitching ideas. The company is expanding into China and India in 2020 and plans to focus on helping science and technology students improve their communication and leadership skills.
 
 
 
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Story2

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 Vooks offers a subscription-based, ad-free curated library of children's books converted to video with narration and some slow-paced animation, allowing children to read along while watching. Aimed at young children aged 6 months to 8 years, Vooks promotes reading aloud to develop fluency and comprehension. The company was founded by siblings Marshall Bex and Shannon Bex, and Russell Hirtzel, and is reportedly the first-ever streaming service for books with illustrations, read-along text and animations.
 
 
 In February 2020, Vooks raised USD 12 million in Series A funding; however, the investors and purpose of the funding were not disclosed. In November 2020, the company raised USD 21.9 million in equity investments from more than 30 investors.
 
 
 In November 2020, Vooks partnered with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD), a community-based, nonprofit social change organization, and Atmos Energy, a natural gas distributor, to provide around 78,000 one-year Vooks subscriptions for children aged 3 to 6 and early education teachers in the Greater Dallas area. The program is funded by a USD 1 million contribution from Atmos Energy, and contributes to UWMD’s Aspire United 2030 education goal of increasing the number of North Texas students reading at grade level by third grade by 50%. Similarly, in March 2021, the company partnered with Reach Out and Read Of Greater New York (ROR GNY), a nonprofit organization of healthcare providers who promote early literacy. The partnership aims to provide more than 75,000 preschool children with one-year Vooks subscriptions starting in March 2021.
 
 
 In July 2021, it was reported that Vooks is offering its service to authors and producers as a way of quickly testing ideas with audiences through simple animated shorts. Thereby, Vooks expands its library of original content while authors and producers get real-time performance data.
 
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Vooks

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 Xeropan offers an AI-powered, game-based approach to learning English through 14 of the most widely-spoken languages. As of October 2020, the app had more than one million players.
 
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Xeropan

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 GoGuardian is a provider of student security software solutions to help educators identify learning patterns, protect students from harmful and distracting content, and support students at risk of self-harm and suicide. As of August 2021, the company had partnered with more than 10,000 schools in the US, covering more than 22 million students.  
 
 
 In November 2020, GoGuardian announced a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/1863">
 merger with Pear Deck
 </a>
 to deepen the support provided to students and teachers and improve their in-class experience. Founded in 2014, Pear Deck is a student engagement platform that allows teachers to create, edit, and launch multimedia content and formative assessments on students' devices to increase student engagement. At the time of the merger, Pear Deck was used by 8 million educators and students in more than 17,000 schools worldwide. Pear Deck co-founder and Chief Educator, Michal Eynon-Lynch, will join the GoGuardian Board of Directors. In May 2022, the company acquired 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10683">
 TutorMe,
 </a>
 Zovio’s tutoring services business, for USD 55 million in cash to strengthen its product offering. 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In August 2021, GoGuardian secured a USD 200 million investment from Tiger Global Management. The funds will be allocated for product innovation, talent acquisition, and business development. 
 
 
 
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GoGuardian

Adaptive learning platforms, personalized learning plans, and AI-powered analytics provide insight into student performance

Learning platforms that promote an inclusive and equitable educational culture for underserved communities

Uses AI/ML to create personalized learning plans, adaptive learning platforms, and intelligent tutoring systems

Platforms providing student-parent-teacher-school communication and networking solutions, and those providing search, reference, and marketplace solutions.

No Isolation

Age Tech

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