Family.cards raises 1.2 million euros in seed financing round

With the support of investors such as Brandenburg Kapital and OHA Osnabrück Healthcare 7 Ventures, the company will further develop its innovative platform for seniors and conquer the European market.

Potsdam, September 26, 2024 - Brandenburg-based startup Family.cards, which specializes in the development of digital accessibility solutions for seniors, today announced the closing of a €1.2 million seed financing round. The financing round was led by Brandenburg Kapital and OHA Osnabrück Healthcare 7 Ventures. Existing investors such as Antler and Birdhouse also participated in the round.

Support for senior citizens in the digital world

Family.cards aims to give older people access to digital services. Studies show that up to 69 million senior citizens in Europe are unable to use touchscreens due to cognitive, physical or mental limitations. This makes basic tasks such as booking medical appointments, communicating with family members or watching video content more difficult for them.

For the everyday lives of senior citizens

Family.cards has developed an easy-to-use card system that gives seniors access to various digital services via their TV. The system enables intuitive functions such as video calls, sharing photos and videos, playing music and audio books as well as access to age-appropriate sports exercises and much more. The card reader is connected to the TV, making it easy for the target group to use.

Use of the funds

The capital raised will be used to further develop the technology, integrate additional third-party apps into the Family.cards card store, expand the team and open up new markets across Europe.

This funding will allow us to further develop our innovative platform and accelerate market entry to make it easier for even more seniors to access the digital world.

Teo Ortega, co-founder and CEO of Family.cards

Positive feedback from investors

Katja Kühnel, Senior Investment Manager at Brandenburg Kapital, emphasizes the importance of digital solutions for older people: "The use of digital solutions by older adults is a prerequisite for the success of demographic change. However, existing offers are often not tailored to this target group. Family.cards addresses this neglected market need in a convincing way."

This team combines an experienced entrepreneur who has built complex hardware with a technical founder who has worked on some of the toughest technical challenges.

Alan Poensgen, Partner at Antler,

Jan-Felix Simon, Managing Director of OHA, is also convinced: "We accompanied the Family.cards team in our Healthcare Accelerator and were immediately impressed by their product. The decision to invest was therefore easy for us."

Foundation and vision of Family.cards

Family.cards was founded in 2022 after co-founders Teo Ortega and Simon Hafner met during the Antler Residency in Berlin. Teo Ortega is an experienced entrepreneur who has held senior positions at Citibox, koko and TheMotion. Simon Hafner, who has a technical background, previously worked as a software engineer at Zalando.

"The demand for uncomplicated digital solutions for seniors is enormous," adds Teo Ortega. "Our pre-orders and pilot projects clearly show that Family.cards fills a huge gap in the market. With the support of our investors, we are ready to roll out our platform nationwide and offer seniors a new way to access digital content."