Ratan Tata invests in startup for elderly
1 min read . Updated: 17 Aug 2022, 12:24 AM IST
Premium- Goodfellows connects the elderly to youngsters willing to assist them as companions
NEW DELHI : Mumbai-based startup Goodfellows, which connects the elderly to youngsters willing to assist them as companions, has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons. “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," Tata said.
The startup was founded six months ago by Shantanu Naidu, general manager in the office of Ratan Tata. The startup said it is emerging from the beta phase and is ready to offer its services to the elderly in Mumbai with plans to expand to Pune, Chennai and Bengaluru. It claimed that during the beta phase, it received more than 800 applications from young graduates who wanted to work as companions to the elderly.
A cohort of 20 applicants was selected in Mumbai during the beta phase. Goodfellows claimed that the young graduates applying for the job of companion are vetted intensely for “empathy" and “emotional intelligence."
