Miigen, the private alternative to Facebook for senior living, has secured a spot as one of the “19 To Watch” in Forbes’ review of the 2019 Startup Grind in Partnership with Google for Start Ups Global Conference in California.
In its preview of the conference held earlier this month, Forbes highlighted Stirling-based Miigen for their work in the development of a “digital time capsule” where older people can store their memories, insights and life experiences. Miigen was one of just 10% of the near-200 start-ups at the conference to make the list of the leading business magazine’s “Ones to Watch”.
Miigen was co-founded by Chief Executive Craig J Lemmon, an entrepreneur with 30 years’ experience in the leisure and technology sectors. He and fellow founder Campbell Ferrier began working on the concept for Miigen in 2015 after each were motivated by the emotional effects of losing their parents.
Miigen is a social platform that is enhancing the quality of later life living and the mental well-bring of our ageing population.
The recognition from Forbes will assist Miigen with plans to launch a new £1.5m funding round in the UK this year. This follows an over-subscribed first-round investment campaign in July 2017.
“We are absolutely delighted with the whole of our experience at Startup Grind Global,” Lemmon said. “It gives us further confidence that we will reach our ambitious target of becoming a global company by signing up 10 million users by 2023.
“We already have in excess of 62,000 users in more than 112 countries around the world. The service we offer to our expanding target audience – and their response to that offering – has proven a compelling story with investors.”
Miigen allows older adults to create a digital record of their lives in their own words and in their own voice. Users can securely share this with friends, relatives and children, giving them control of their own digital legacy.
The company is targeting a global demographic of more than 600 million later-life social media consumers.
Now in its seventh year, Startup Grind Global is described by Forbes as featuring a roster of “world-class entrepreneurs and investors”. More than 8,000 people – including venture capital investors and professional service providers – attended this year’s two-day event in Redwood City, California.
Last year, Miigen was included among the elite in Startup Grind’s European Conference for its “incredible talent, potential, disruptive technology and opportunistic markets”. Miigen was ranked among the top five of thousands of pre-seed and seed-stage companies from Europe, Asia and Africa which applied to Startup Grind Europe in 2018.
