Summary: Nashville-based AgeInnovate is accepting applications through July 15 for its 2026 Startup Competition, a national AgeTech innovation pitch competition for startups developing solutions in caregiving, healthcare, longevity and technology. Three finalists will pitch live Sept. 16 at Launch Tennessee 3686 entrepreneurship conference in Nashville for a $25,000 investment, with one Tennessee-based company also selected for a non-competing Tennessee Showcase.
Key Details
Organization: AgeInnovate
Opportunity: 2026 AgeInnovate Startup Competition
Focus areas: Aging, caregiving, healthcare, AgeTech, longevity and technology
Prize: $25,000 investment from Community Equity Partners
Eligibility: Open nationally to startups building solutions for older adults, caregivers, healthcare organizations and the longevity economy
Tennessee Showcase: One Tennessee-based company will be selected as a non-competing showcase company
Application deadline: July 15
Live pitch event: Sept. 16 at Launch Tennessee 3686 entrepreneurship conference in Nashville
Apply: https://ageinnovate.com/startup-submissions/
By 2034, older adults are projected to outnumber children in the United States for the first time, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, creating growing demand for new technologies, services and care models that support aging, caregiving and longevity. The AgeInnovate Startup Competition is helping bring those solutions to market by connecting promising startups with investment, industry expertise and strategic partnerships.
Now entering its third year, the Nashville-based initiative awards a $25,000 investment to one startup developing solutions for aging, caregiving, healthcare and technology. But its founders say the program’s value extends far beyond the funding.
“We didn’t want to create another pitch event,” said Amy LaGrant, co-founder of AgeInnovate. “We wanted to build an ecosystem grounded in lived experience, market reality and community insight.”
LaGrant, who has 20-plus years in marketing and gerontology, founded AgeInnovate with Caroline McGowan, whose background in enterprise growth and ecosystem development has helped unite entrepreneurs, investors and healthcare leaders around innovation.
The duo saw an opportunity to create a more intentional pathway for startups serving older adults. AgeInnovate works with entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders to identify scalable solutions that improve quality of life, support caregivers and address the challenges of aging.
For LaGrant, the mission is deeply personal.
She began volunteering in senior living communities at age 9 and spent more than two decades building a career at the intersection of gerontology, marketing and aging services. But her perspective shifted dramatically when her grandfather was diagnosed with dementia in 2002, followed by her father 10 years later.
“I was suddenly my target audience,” LaGrant said. “I had spent decades studying aging and caregiving, and then I became a caregiver myself. If I was struggling despite my background, I knew other families were struggling, too.”
That experience also shaped how she evaluates startups entering the aging space.
“A lot of founders are inspired by a problem they experienced with a parent or grandparent, which is important,” she said. “But too many are building from a focus group of one. You have to talk to older adults and understand the broader population you’re trying to serve.”
For LaGrant, that broader population includes the middle market, one of the most underserved segments in aging innovation, she said.
“Too often, aging technology is most accessible to affluent older adults who can pay out of pocket or low-income older adults who qualify for government assistance,” she said. “Middle-income older adults and families are often left with too few practical, affordable options.”
That gap is an opportunity for AgeTech builders.
“There is a major opportunity for founders to build affordable, practical solutions for the millions of older adults who fall between private-pay services and government-supported care,” she said.
Nashville’s Growing Role in AgeTech
AgeInnovate intentionally launched in Nashville, a city increasingly recognized as a healthcare and technology hub.
LaGrant points to Tennessee’s strong healthcare ecosystem, anchored by institutions such as Lipscomb University, Vanderbilt University and a growing network of healthcare companies, investors, entrepreneurs and community organizations.
“We saw a unique opportunity to help shape what an age-friendly innovation ecosystem could become,” she said. “There are incredible organizations and partners here that are committed to improving how people age.”
The competition works with a growing network of Tennessee and national partners, including Launch Tennessee, Lipscomb University, the Greater Nashville Technology Council, AgeWell Middle Tennessee, and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
AgeInnovate also partners with Community Equity Partners, an investment syndicate that conducts rigorous evaluations of participating startups.
According to LaGrant, applicants undergo nearly two months of vetting focused on market viability, scalability and alignment with real-world aging and caregiving needs.
“We intentionally stay out of the investment decision-making process,” she said. “Our role is to focus on mission, impact and value alignment, while Community Equity Partners evaluates the companies from an investor perspective and provides the $25K funding.”
The result is a selective competition that gives finalists meaningful credibility with investors and industry leaders.
“When a company becomes a finalist or winner, it means they’ve been vetted by people who understand what makes a viable investment,” LaGrant said.
A Proof Point: SpendCare’s Growth
The competition’s impact is already visible in companies that have moved through the program.
SpendCare, winner of the 2025 AgeInnovate Startup Competition, provides flexible spending cards that allow healthcare organizations, caregivers and families to fund everyday needs that support older adults’ health and quality of life.
Co-founder Perry Halman-Peguillan said the company addresses a growing challenge across healthcare systems: how to help people pay for everyday needs that influence health and quality of life.
Halman-Peguillan founded SpendCare with David Young and Dr. Rodney Hamilton. The multigenerational team brings together lived experience across age groups to design, test and improve the platform around the real-world needs of older adults, family members and caregivers.
SpendCare was born from a simple question.
“How do we help people pay for things that support healthy outcomes?” Halman-Peguillan said. “There are real challenges people face every day, and we saw an opportunity to empower older adults while solving a meaningful business problem.”
SpendCare allows funds to be used for items such as groceries, transportation, laundry services and gym memberships. Unlike traditional benefit programs, the platform emphasizes flexibility, accountability and independence.
“Older adults love it because it gives them choice,” Halman-Peguillan said. “They can shop where they want and purchase what they need. It’s an empowering tool.”
Winning the AgeInnovate Startup Competition helped accelerate the company’s growth.
Since the competition, Halman-Peguillan said SpendCare expanded from about 200 cardholders to nearly 1,400. Spending processed through the platform also grew from about $100,000 to more than $1 million.
“We truly wouldn’t have been able to grow at the pace we did without AgeInnovate,” he said. “It provided visibility, credibility and access to a network of people who understand both aging and innovation.”
Helping Shape the Future of Aging
LaGrant believes AgeTech is reaching an important turning point.
“What excites me is that people are no longer entering this space only because of a personal story,” she said. “They’re entering because they see a viable market opportunity. That’s a sign the industry is maturing.”
Still, she believes significant challenges remain, particularly around society’s perception of aging.
“Until we break down the stigma that aging is something negative, we’re going to continue to see gaps,” LaGrant said. “Aging is an accomplishment.”
Looking ahead, AgeInnovate plans to expand beyond its annual startup competition through research initiatives, educational resources and industry collaboration designed to preserve and share decades of knowledge from leaders in gerontology, aging services and healthcare innovation.
For now, LaGrant hopes the competition continues serving as a catalyst for entrepreneurs building companies that can improve how people age.
“Our goal is to create opportunities for founders to build stronger companies and create meaningful impact,” she said. “Ultimately, we’re trying to help make Tennessee, and the world, a better place to age.”
Applications Open Through July 15
Applications for the 2026 AgeInnovate Startup Competition are open through July 15 at https://ageinnovate.com/startup-submissions/. The top three finalists will compete live at Launch Tennessee 3686 entrepreneurship conference in Nashville on Sept. 16 for a chance to receive a $25,000 investment and gain exposure to investors, industry leaders and strategic partners.
The competition is open nationally. Tennessee-based startups may also be considered for the Tennessee Showcase, a non-competing recognition opportunity that spotlights innovation being developed in the state to support aging, caregiving, healthcare and longevity.
Founders building solutions for older adults, caregivers, healthcare organizations and the longevity economy are encouraged to apply. More information is available at https://ageinnovate.com. Questions may be directed to [email protected].
