Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Francis.
Hi Mark, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a product and company builder with an expertise in emerging technologies, aging services, and healthcare. My journey began as I worked as a care manager for older adults in my early twenties and then served as a program manager for the Boston Area Agency on Aging. This was a mayoral appointed role within the City of Boston during which I had an opportunity to travel throughout the city to understand needs, programs, and services at a grassroots level. This experience created a foundation for interest in older adults as well as products and services to help them remain independent with optimal health.
From there I was blessed to attend graduate school at Harvard and then move out to Silicon Valley to jump into the excitement of technology innovation, company building, and capital raising. My career took me from boutique venture firms (Defta Partners and Acuity Ventures) to start-ups (Health Hero Network, Age Wave’s LifeCare @ Home, Electronic Caregiver), to Fortune 50 firms (Intel and Amazon) and now my own venture – CaregiverZone.
Along the way I was provided the opportunity to lead teams, raise capital, and launch innovative products. My expertise is in what is known as “Zero to One” – going from concept to new product introduction – as well as advising entrepreneurs on growing companies and raising capital.
CaregiverZone is the culmination of a lot of work, learnings, experience on emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, older adults, and caregivers. The focus of the firm is to provide resources, tools, and support to help caregivers navigate the Byzantine maze of eldercare while enabling older adults to live with as much independence, health, and engagement as they desire. Through CaregiverZone I am creating a workbook for family caregivers and am building a next generation AI-powered virtual caregiving solution. Lastly, I take on fractional roles with entrepreneurial companies to help overcome obstacles to accelerate growth.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! Is the road ever smooth? Struggles along the way include breaking into the private sector (formerly I worked in the non-profit and government sector), corporate mergers and acquisitions, being fired, horrible bosses, and fighting for capital. In other words – the typical journey.
One of my biggest challenges was a self-created one. About 15 years ago, I was working with Intel and my group was spun out into a joint venture with GE. I had a role in the new venture, it was a fantastic opportunity – but I declined joining. Why? I came to Intel to learn how to build innovative technology products – not to leave after two years to join another start-up (my prior life). I wanted to learn how to build technology products with experts from one of the leading companies – Intel. I realized that many people in aging services knew aging … but had no experience in making a technology-based product. Likewise, most of the technologists knew technology, but not the aging and longevity market. At that time, since I already possessed 15 years of experience in aging and healthcare – I wanted to dive deep into product innovation and development. Staying at Intel – and then moving to Amazon – enabled me to do so. While this could have been seen as veering off my path, I gained incredible direct experience in building products the areas of AI, machine learning, robotics, spatial computing, wearable technology, and biosensing. There are probably less than a handful of people with this depth and breath of experience on aging services, longevity, and emerging technology product development.
What did this teach me? Perseverance, drive, the importance of reinventing oneself, the importance of network, and the importance of a reputation of performance. Also important – having clarity on YOUR direction and be willing to make unconventional choices to get you there.
We’ve been impressed with CaregiverZone, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
CaregiverZone is the culmination of a lot of work, learnings, experience on emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, older adults, and caregivers. The focus of the firm is to provide resources, tools, and support to help caregivers navigate the Byzantine maze of eldercare while enabling older adults to live with as much independence, health, and engagement as possible.
Through CaregiverZone I am creating a workbook for family caregivers, building a next generation AI-powered virtual caregiving solution, and I take on fractional roles to other entrepreneurs/companies in the longevity and AgeTech spaces.
I will be launching a product known as CareBeacon.ai – which will leverage ambient sensing, biomarkers, and voice engagement with older adults to identify and act upon subtle clues related to social isolation, loneliness, cognitive health, physical activity, risk of falls, and elder abuse. By understanding norms and patterns within an individual’s home, anomalies can be detected and understood to proactively mitigate risk and enhance independence. For the older adult, this can be a game changer. For caregivers, the insights enable them to best manage care in an informed manner – while also providing peace of mind for the safety and security of a loved one.
In addition, I provide fractional and advisory services for companies. Recently, I mentored leaders from two companies as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Start-Up Challenge. Both companies – Senior Shield Technologies and DexTech – were selected as finalists; DexTech was awarded overall winner of the challenge (out of over 100 participants). It was rewarding to contribute to the growth and development of both firms and founders. They have bright futures ahead!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I welcome the opportunity to engage with readers and speak to groups. Please join the conversation at www.caregiverzone.com and follow on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrfrancis/. Whether a founder, investor, or learner – the opportunities to innovate and create businesses are enormous. I recently wrote an article in Forbes titled “Entrepreneurship Does Not Have An Expiration Date” – Let’s Build!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caregiverzone.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrfrancis/
- Twitter: @caregiverzone
