Goodfellows, a Mumbai-based startup that connects the elderly with young people willing to help them as companions, has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons. "The bonds formed by Goodfellows between two generations are very meaningful, and they are assisting in addressing an important social issue in India." "I'm hoping that this investment will help the young team at Goodfellows grow," Tata said.
Shantanu Naidu, general manager in Ratan Tata's office, founded the startup six months ago. The startup announced that it has completed its beta phase and is now ready to provide services to the elderly in Mumbai, with plans to expand to Pune, Chennai, and Bengaluru. It claimed that during the beta phase, it received over 800 applications from young graduates looking to work as elderly companions.
During the beta phase, a group of 20 applicants was chosen in Mumbai. According to Goodfellows, young graduates applying for the job of companion are rigorously screened for "empathy" and "emotional intelligence."
Goodfellow is a startup that provides senior citizens with companionship through young, educated graduates who have been rigorously screened for empathy and emotional intelligence. A Goodfellow does anything a grandchild would do.
Goodfellows operates on a freemium subscription model, with the first month free and a small subscription fee charged from the second month on due to the limited affordability of pensioners. Senior citizens can use the services by signing up on thegoodfellows.in or calling 8779524307.
Furthermore, Goodfellows hosts monthly events curated for Grandpals who participate with their Goodfellows, making the bond stronger and more enjoyable in a different setting. This allows the Grandpals to meet each other as well as other recent graduates, allowing them to form a sense of community.
