Developing effective, usable AI and technology solutions for older adults requires meaningful stakeholder engagement to ensure that AgeTech innovations are guided by real-world needs and user-centered design considerations. With this priority in mind, the a2 Collective Coordinating Center hosted an interactive virtual webinar on June 16, 2026, that introduced the LeadingAge Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Program to a2 Pilot Awards–funded investigators. LeadingAge, a Washington D.C.–based nonprofit organization founded in 1961, is a community of more than 5,300 nonprofit aging services and other mission-driven organizations that aim to provide compassionate, high-quality services to the growing older population in the United States.
Through the EIR Program, LeadingAge matches entrepreneurs, innovators, and organizations developing solutions for older adults with a suitable senior living community within its membership network for a 2-week residency. This live-in experience offers innovators immersive exposure to senior living operations and resident life that includes job shadowing, interaction with residents, and self-guided research. The program enables innovators to cultivate a deeper connection with and understanding of the population they aim to serve while co-creating solutions with the intended end users of their products.
The webinar featured an overview of the EIR Program from Michael Huges, MBA, LeadingAge vice president of strategic growth and partnership, and insights from two past EIRs: Peter Elbaor, founder and CEO of Ayla AI, and Alec Glassman, MBA, founder and CEO of SilverShield.
Hughes shared that the EIR program started in 2023 at LeadingAge member organization United Church Homes and has since expanded to nine U.S. states (Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin). From its inception, the program has been guided by two key principles grounded in human-centered design: “fall in love with the problem before developing a solution” and “co-create solutions with those you aim to serve.” Since then, 10 innovators have participated in the EIR Program, and their experiences have influenced the development of a wide range of health tech solutions at various stages of development, including fraud prevention support, conversational AI, contactless monitoring, accessible home control, incontinence management, and interactive poetry for social emotional well-being.
Past EIRs Elbaor and Glassman emphasized the impact their experiences in the program had on their perspectives and AgeTech development journeys. Elbaor noted that he was relatively new to the aging and longevity space when he participated in the EIR Program, which enabled his team to access deeper insights about the real-world population they sought to serve and to ask more informed questions about how technology could be leveraged to address needs across the senior living ecosystem. Critically, this firsthand experience allowed Elbaor to recognize which proposed product implementations were not a good fit and shift focus to supporting aspects of senior living operations where the technology could have greater impact.
Both innovators also shared that the experience challenged them to question their own assumptions about older adults’ needs and priorities. Glassman described how conversations with senior living residents about fraud prevention transformed his preconceptions about how to address the issue, catalyzing a turning point in SilverShield’s product development. Rooting the development process in real people’s perspectives and stories not only improved the technology solution, Glassman emphasized, but offered specific evidence and language to clearly communicate its value while countering ageist generalizations.
The LeadingAge EIR program is suitable for innovators at any stage of product development who are passionate about improving the lives of older adults in the United States. In partnership with the a2 Collective Coordinating Center, LeadingAge invites all a2 Pilot Awards–funded investigators to explore this opportunity to co-create solutions with their intended end users and gain insights that anchor product development in real people and their stories. Pilot awardees interested in applying to the EIR Program are encouraged to contact the a2 Collective Coordinating Center (a2@roseliassociates.com) for additional information.
Please note that a 2-week EIR Program stay is an opportunity to observe senior living operations and engage with residents, enabling entrepreneurs to gain broad perspective and insights to inform AgeTech innovation. The EIR Program is not an opportunity to sell products to senior living community residents or to conduct scientific research. If an EIR experience leads to longer-term partnership with communities interested in participating in research studies, investigators are responsible for obtaining appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, if applicable.
