This week on the blog, we are thrilled to feature a guest post written by Andrew Broderick of the San Francisco Tech Council (SFTC), an AgeTech Collaborative™ enterprise participant. Broderick outlines a recent SFTC initiative that prepares and empowers older adults who are interested in starting their own business, with a particular emphasis on helping them overcome the unique challenges that face older entrepreneurs. The program’s success — and the lessons learned — can serve as a guide for similar programs, or indeed for anyone over 50 who wants to become an entrepreneur.
In San Francisco, the Kickstart Your Business @50+ program is at the forefront of empowering persons aged 50 and older to redefine their future through pursuing entrepreneurship and becoming small business owners. In 2021, San Francisco Tech Council and Blissen partnered to launch Kickstart as a pilot with support from the city’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development (OEWD). To date, the program has completed six cohorts of at least 20 participants each, and it has achieved outcomes that led OEWD to now make it an official program open to residents of San Francisco.
What makes Kickstart unique as an entrepreneurship program is that it focuses exclusively on the over-50 demographic. But Kickstart is more than just a program that empowers older San Franciscan residents with essential business skills and tools to transform their business ideas into viable ventures. The Kickstart program is the only entrepreneurship training program in San Francisco that provides older adults with a customized approach to training that tackles the specific challenges faced by older small business owners, such as self-doubt; lack of a supportive community and support system; and lack of digital skills and knowledge of how to leverage new technology in business.
Overall, Kickstart has helped participants respond to unique professional and personal challenges faced in mid-life, and it has offered an alternative pathway to financial independence. More importantly, Kickstart has instilled a positive mindset and self-confidence that they can pivot mid-life to become small business owners, and it has fostered a sense of purpose and social connection in a community of peers who share the same aspirations and goals when it comes to redefining the later phases of their lives. Key design elements that make the Kickstart program structure and format meet these needs of older adults include:
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10-week cohort-based training: Combines structured live group sessions with practical assignments such as creating a business plan, financial projections and sales strategy.
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Practical curriculum: Topics range from business formation, financial planning, and sales and marketing to navigating digital tools and shaping entrepreneurial mindsets.
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In-person and online learning: Combines virtual classes with in-person sessions and networking events for comprehensive entrepreneurial education and community support.
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1-on-1 coaching and peer support: Personalized guidance, targeted workshops and a strong peer-driven community foster accountability and collaboration among participants.
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Community-centered approach: Fosters a support network and alumni programming, addressing the isolation that many older entrepreneurs experience.
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Financial and resource support: Graduates earn mini-grants and are linked to grant opportunities, small business resources and financial aid.
Kickstart’s performance indicators speak not only to the demand that exists for programs like this, but also to the impact that the program has had on participants and their capacity to launch and sustain businesses as measured by new business formation, revenue growth and business viability. A large part of this success is attributed to how Kickstart tackles head-on three significant barriers to entrepreneurial success that older adults often face, by delivering a blend of live instruction, peer mentorship and hands-on practice:
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Overcoming self-doubt and cultivating a growth mindset: Many older adults enter Kickstart feeling uncertain about their abilities or whether entrepreneurship is still possible. These hesitations are rooted in years of not being entrepreneurs, uncertainty about technology, or managing fears about starting anew later in life. The Kickstart program actively shatters self-doubt and empowers a renewed sense of possibility through mindset sessions and a cohort culture that fosters self-confidence. Kickstart’s module on entrepreneurial mindset coaching is frequently cited as providing the key ingredient — confidence. Even participants with significant doubts about their business viability or personal capacity discover a newfound belief through structured exploration and active feedback, and in group sessions filled with camaraderie and peer encouragement. As one participant noted: “The assignments made me accountable and confident to take charge and make major moves to start my business. Before, fear was holding me back. But the Kickstart program kicked fear out of the way.”
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Building a supportive community and lasting networks: Among the barriers that older entrepreneurs face is the lack of a supportive community and professional support system. Kickstart directly addresses this through intentional practices that foster belonging, collaboration and lifelong peer networks. In practice, Kickstart weaves support into every aspect of the program experience — in-person and online sessions, peer support circles, regular meetups and an alumni LinkedIn group — to create a powerful community of shared purpose. Peer accountability — regular group check-ins, assignment feedback and optional drop-ins — has resulted in friendship circles, accountability partnerships and alumni groups that persist long after graduation. The sense of “not feeling alone” is repeatedly echoed by Kickstart’s graduates, and program survey data confirms that 99% of alumni feel less alone in their entrepreneurial journey, and 100% make meaningful connections with peers. One participant put it vividly: “The support was thick — we could almost just grab it and feel it… I didn’t feel alone.”
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Digital upskilling — from hesitant to confident: Participants’ lack of digital skills and knowledge of how to leverage new technology in business is often the greatest barrier. Many participants arrive at Kickstart with apprehension toward digital tools, sometimes relying on younger family members for help with basic tech needs. Kickstart’s dedicated Digital Skills sessions introduce digital platforms vital to modern businesses through slow-paced, patient instruction. Through hands-on practice, participants master essential business software and transform from hesitant beginners to confident users. And participants with more experience navigating digital platforms actively share their practical insights during sessions and become mentors to those less familiar with technology. When technology newcomers see their peers successfully mastering digital tools, they gain the confidence that they, too, can develop these skills. Across cohorts, 84–93% of participants leave with increased digital confidence. One participant said, “I had never made my own social media posts before. Now my deliveries have doubled since running promotions online, something I learned about during the program.”
The Kickstart Your Business @50+ program stands out as a pioneering initiative tailored to meet the unique needs of older adults eager to embark on their entrepreneurial journey. This life-changing program has become a gateway to financial independence, resilience and community-building. And with demand far outpacing current capacity, Kickstart has demonstrated an unmet need for tailored, evidence-based programs like this to equip older adults with the tools and confidence to thrive in today’s economy.
AgeTech Collaborative participants can reach out through SFTC’s profile page in the ATC directory to learn more or get tips for replicating this proven model to serve more aspiring older adult entrepreneurs and create a ripple of positive, lasting change.
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