GoodFellows is a startup founded by Shantanu Naidu; a 30-year-old general manager in Tata’s office. The startup was funded by Ratan Tata who decided to support senior citizens for their companionship services such as reading the newspaper, taking them on walks, and even playing carrom with them. Just like the bond Shantanu and Ratanji share, the startup offers a connection between elders and today’s youngsters.
Highlights of GoodFellows –
- The GoodFellows company’s mission is to create lasting friendships between seniors and recent graduates.
- GoodFellows offers every service a grandchild might offer.
- The problem of loneliness or a lack of companionship which the senior citizens might experience and which has been the main factor contributing to the decline in the mental and physical health of senior adults, will be addressed by GoodFellows.
- The relationships that GoodFellows creates between the two generations are deeply significant and are assisting India in tackling the social issue.
- Ratan Tata expressed his optimism that the investment will assist the young GoodFellows team in expanding their base.
India has an increasing number of senior citizens who are alone and feel lonely at times. They need support, love, and importantly, time from their near and dear ones. But the fast, detached lives that we lead have made us unable to care for anyone other than ourselves. This being the first startup for senior citizens provides a good list of services that today’s youth can help with. Some of which include-
- The joy of quality time
- Teaching new tech
- Partners for daily tasks
- To discover something new
- Join for gatherings or events
Shantanu Naidu, Founder of Goodfellows said, “Everything a grandkid would do to help their grandparent, we would do as well, there’s no exhaustive list for it. We are looking to venture into the travel space, where the elderly can have curated travel plans along with their companion to explore the places they want to visit. As they get more senior, the physical and mental blocks of ‘no I can’t travel’ start kicking in & it’s really sad because now is the time they have to do those things.”
How will the startup work?
The business model of Goodfellows is a free premium subscription model. The first month is free with the goal of having the experience of this service by both senior citizens and young people since it’s hard to understand the concept without actually experiencing it. The second month onward is a small subscription fee, i.e. Rs5000 per month that has been decided based on the limited affordability of pensioners, as per the company.
The major percentage of funds from investors are currently invested towards scaling up the GoodFellow human capital, which is a slow process since empathy cannot be reviewed quickly or by the traditional recruiting process.
The startup is successfully running in Mumbai and Pune. Naidu says that they are expecting to open the business in big cities like Chennai and Banglore by 2024. GoodFellows is not an application. To avail of the services, senior citizens have to sign up on the website thegoodfellows.in or give a missed call on the number 8779524307.
Mr. Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata, said “The bonds between the two generations created by Goodfellows are very meaningful and are helping to address an important social issue In India. I hope the investment helps the young team at Goodfellows grow.”
“You do not know what it is like to be lonely until you spend time alone wishing for companionship,” he added.
Know more about the startup at timesnownews.com