Inside the Ecosystem: A Look Back at 2025

By Elise Downes posted 9 hours ago

2025 was a year of continued momentum for the AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP, shaped by moments that remind us what’s possible when innovative startups, enterprises, investors, and testbeds come together and collaborate with purpose.

Along the way, we saw ATC participants connect through major events and smaller moments, in rooms built for convening and in places we never expected to bring AgeTech. We saw innovation shared in real-world settings, stories elevated in new formats, and the ecosystem expand in ways that opened more doors for connection and progress.

As the year winds down and we look ahead to 2026, we wanted to pause and revisit a few of the moments that shaped the year, beginning with where it started.

Showing up on the world stage at CES 2025

Dr. Hon Pak, Head of Digital Health at Samsung Electronics, speaking with panelists at AARP’s AgeTech Summit at CES 2025.

CES is always a moment when the world’s attention turns to what’s next, and in January 2025, we brought AgeTech innovation to life through a 12,800-square-foot booth featuring 24 startup exhibits and 34 on-stage sessions—a mix that made it easy for people to stop, explore, ask questions, and see what’s possible when AgeTech is experienced up close.

We also had one very unusual addition to our booth this year: a pickleball court. It was unexpected in the best way, adding energy to the space and giving people an easy reason to jump in, linger, and start conversations.

Between the exhibit floor, the on-stage programming, and the moments in between, CES gave us a chance to showcase the innovators and collaborators reshaping the future of aging. It also helped bring AgeTech—and the startups building in this space—into the national spotlight, with major outlets shining a light on the innovation on display, including USA Today, Fox News, and VentureBeat. As always, the conversations and insights we took away from the week carried momentum into the rest of the year.

Bringing AgeTech to unexpected places

AgeTech Collaborative Super Bowl LIX Activation

AgeTech on display at Super Bowl LIX in February 2025.

Not all of the year’s biggest moments happened in the usual places. In February, during Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans, we brought the AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP into a very different kind of conversation at the Leigh Steinberg Super Bowl Party, where the focus is on health innovation and wellness approaches that support athletes’ long-term physical and mental health and can ultimately benefit all of us.

Inside the Brain and Biohacking Lounge, we showcased ATC startup participants LUCID, Thinkie, and Virtuleap alongside leaders in sports, medicine, and technology exploring the intersection of brain health, neuroperformance, cognitive training, and longevity. It was a fun, unexpected setting, and a reminder that AgeTech conversations can and should extend well beyond traditional aging spaces.

Making innovation tangible through real-world showcases

A resident at Asbury Methodist Village experiencing the Flowly VR system in the Asbury Smart Living Showcase.

One of the themes we kept coming back to this year was the value of seeing AgeTech solutions in everyday life. When technology lives in a real space and gets used by real people, the feedback is clearer, more specific, and far more useful.

That’s what the Asbury Smart Living Showcase was designed to do. In collaboration with Asbury Methodist Village, we created a model living unit outfitted with products from ATC startup participants including tools that make it easier to connect with family and caregivers, safety solutions, and technologies that help people better understand balance and fall risk. Residents can spend time with each solution and share candid input directly with the teams building it, including what works well and what could be improved.

We brought that same “see it for yourself” energy to our home base this summer with the launch of AgeTech in Action, an interactive exhibit inside AARP’s headquarters. The space highlights a range of innovations from across the ecosystem and gives visitors an up-close look at technologies designed to support aging in practical, human ways. Featuring adaptive apparel, virtual reality experiences designed to support cognitive health, vital signs monitoring, and even a smart toilet seat that can surface health insights, it offers a tangible look at how AgeTech shows up in real life.

Convening the ecosystem at the ATC Summit

Sammy Wegent, CEO of FreeStyle+, facilitating an interactive session at the 2025 ATC Summit.

In May, we brought our full ecosystem together in Washington, D.C., for the ATC Summit & Founders Day, a three-day gathering designed for ATC participants to connect, share what they’re working on, and explore where collaboration could go next. It was a much-needed opportunity to take conversations that usually happen online and continue them in person, with time and space to go deeper.

The event started with Founders Day, creating space for startup teams to work through what they’re building and where they’re headed, alongside others navigating similar challenges. From there, the ATC Summit opened into a mix of one-to-one meetings, small group conversations, and sessions that helped people get specific—what it takes to run a strong pilot, what enterprises need to move forward, what investors are looking for, and where testbeds can help solutions get ready for real-world use.

Across the three days, it was often the moments in between that stood out: conversations that picked up where emails had left off, introductions that turned into longer discussions, and connections that carried on after everyone headed home.

Amplifying founders and innovators through storytelling

Linda Mayhue, Director of Clinical Care Management for Xandar Kardian, giving a pitch to event attendees via Proto.

Storytelling became an even bigger part of how we supported the ecosystem this year. Alongside events, exhibits, and programs, we focused on creating digital space for AgeTech Collaborative participants to share their perspectives and connect with new audiences who want to understand the people behind the innovation.

This was a breakout year for the ATC blog. Annual readership grew by more than 25%, making it our most popular year to date. That momentum was driven by thought leadership from across the ecosystem, including founder spotlights, guest posts, and insights from investors and enterprises—pieces that went beyond announcements and updates to share what’s working, what’s changing, and what others can learn along the way.

We also expanded our storytelling through video, capturing startup founder stories in a 12-part series that offers a more personal look at the journeys behind the solutions. And we continued to grow our collection on Proto, a holographic video display that shows founders delivering one-minute pitches directly to viewers. With more than 120 startups now featured, it’s become another way to extend founder visibility and bring AgeTech innovation into new settings, even when startup teams can’t be in the room.

Expanding the ecosystem to create more opportunities for collaboration

Susie Spigelman, Co-Founder & COO of Beacon, now an ATC startup portfolio company, pitching for our judges in January 2025.

As we head toward the close of the year, one of our favorite things to reflect on is how much the ecosystem grew. Throughout 2025, we welcomed 142 new participants, including 54 startups, 34 enterprises, 22 investors, 19 business services, and 15 testbeds, nine of which joined through direct referrals from existing ATC participants. This growth brings in new perspectives and supports steady progress toward making aging easier for everyone.

Much of this growth was fueled by the strength of our Accelerator program. Across 15 pitch competitions and open mic events, we reviewed 567 startup applications and advanced 113 finalists to present to our judges. It was a strong year for bringing new solutions into the ecosystem and expanding the pipeline of companies ready to collaborate.

We’re grateful to everyone who helped shape the year, from the big moments to the quieter ones in between. The progress highlighted here is a reminder of what this ecosystem can do when people come together with purpose. We’re excited to carry that momentum into the new year and hope to see many of you at CES 2026!

#CollaborativeEngagement

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