Q&A With the Render Competition Winners, Briocare

Last fall, we announced the eight winners of the inaugural Render Competition. Each startup received a $100,000 investment to scale their solution within and beyond the Greater Louisville region. Now, we’re catching up with each of the winning founders to hear about their competition experience, lessons learned, advice to future applicants, and an update on what’s ahead.

Next up, we’re hearing from Shaun Mitra, CEO and founder of Briocare. Briocare is a proactive, voice-first care hub, bringing personalized engagement and care support for older adults. Through voice AI, they help seniors lead an active and healthy life while providing peace of mind to caregivers.

Why did you decide to apply for the Render Competition?

Briocare participated in xLerateHealth, a healthcare-focused Louisville accelerator, in 2019. We had already gotten a feel for the vibrant and successful startup ecosystem in the area, and so we applied.

What did you take away from your interactions with the judges?

The judges had a broad range of backgrounds, leading to questions from different angles on the business. The discussion was very objective and focused.

What attracted you to Greater Louisville?

Louisville is positioning itself as the agetech capital of the country and is helping startups in the agetech space. There are a lot of senior care and healthcare companies headquartered in Louisville, which we have started partnering with, and there are multiple agencies and individuals working to help startups.

How are you using the $100K, and how will it help you scale?

We are using the $100K for key product feature development, marketing, and signing up partnerships.

Would the current efforts of your business look different today if you did not receive this funding?

Yes. We are able to work with national agencies, like the National Dementia Alliance, and some industry leaders. Some of these we would not have initiated without the $100K funding.

What role do you see your startup playing in the regional economy over the next 5 years?

We would like to expand our team in Louisville, especially the product management and support teams. We would also like to initiate pilots with some of the Louisville-headquartered senior care and healthcare companies.

How has your business had to pivot or adjust over the past year?

Given the pandemic and market feedback on our product, we are taking more of a partnership approach with homecare and marketing affiliates as a go-to-market strategy, rather than direct to consumers.

What’s next for your company in 2021?

We plan to sign at least two national home care companies as go-to-market partners this year. On the product side, we would add a wellness module to our solution.

What inspires you to continue to grow your business every day?

Our vision to help improve the quality of life of our loved ones and their care partners using smart voice technology is our true north. With the pandemic, older adults, especially those aging in place, are more lonely than ever. Family connection, remote care, and personalized engagement are the need of the hour, and that’s what keeps us going.