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§ Private Profile · Berlin, Germany
AgeTech startup developing cards for seniors to access online services and digital content via TV, bridging the digital divide.
Based in Berlin, Germany, family.cards develops hardware and software solutions that connect directly to televisions, enabling elderly users to access digital content and online services without requiring smartphones, tablets, or traditional computers. The AgeTech company addresses the digital divide by integrating seniors into family communication channels through their existing television sets, specifically targeting a domestic demographic that includes approximately eight million individuals in Germany who currently lack digital access. To support its nationwide market launch and ongoing product development initiatives, the enterprise recently secured €1.2 million in seed funding from institutional backers. This financing round was led by Brandenburg Kapital and OHA Osnabruck Healthcare 7 Ventures, with additional financial participation from early-stage venture capital firms Antler and Birdhouse. The company was founded in 2022 by serial entrepreneur Teo Ortega and former Zalando engineer Simon Hafner.
family.cards has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
family.cards has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
family.cards has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in September 2024.
family.cards has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
family.cards's investors include Brandenburg Kapital, OHA Osnabrueck Healthcare Beteiligungs, 42CAP, Antler.
family.cards is a German AgeTech startup founded in 2022 that builds a hardware-software system using physical, ergonomic cards connected to a TV, enabling seniors to access digital services intuitively without smartphones or complex interfaces.[1][2][5][6] It serves elderly users—particularly the 69 million in Europe unable to use touchscreens due to cognitive, physical, or psychological limitations—and their families, solving isolation by facilitating video calls, photo sharing, music, exercises, telemedicine, and entertainment.[1][2][3][5] The product addresses the digital divide with simple card placement on a wireless reader (with 4G SIM), automatic TV control, and expandable app integrations via a family companion app; it recently raised €1.2M in seed funding led by Brandenburg Kapital and OHA Osnabrück Healthcare Ventures, with participation from Antler and Birdhouse, fueling tech development, team growth, and European expansion amid strong pre-order and pilot traction.[1][2][7]
family.cards emerged in 2022 during the Antler residency program in Berlin, where co-founders Teo Ortega and Simon Hafner met and validated their idea.[1][2][5] Teo Ortega, CEO with a serial entrepreneurship background—including senior product roles at Citibox, koko, TheMotion, and Softonic, plus two prior company exits—drove the vision from his research into age-related challenges and empathy for seniors' digital exclusion.[1][2][5] Simon Hafner, CTO with engineering expertise from years at Zalando as a software developer and team lead, focused on intuitive interfaces tailored for older adults.[1][2][5] Early traction included pilot projects, pre-orders validating market demand, media features on VOX's "The Lion's Den," ARD, ZDF, and others, plus development with nursing and occupational therapy experts for ergonomic design.[2][5][6]
family.cards rides the AgeTech wave, targeting Europe's aging population amid a digital divide where millions of seniors miss telemedicine, family connections, and entertainment due to inaccessible tech.[1][3][5] Timing aligns with post-pandemic remote care demands and inclusive design pushes, amplified by partnerships like Deutsche Telekom for wider distribution and 4G integration.[3] Favorable market forces include investor interest (e.g., Antler's 1,200+ startups), regulatory emphasis on senior digital inclusion, and pilots proving demand; it influences the ecosystem by setting a standard for empathetic hardware in TV-centric homes, potentially scaling via app stores and challenging smartphone dominance for non-tech users.[1][2][3]
family.cards is poised for nationwide European rollout post-€1.2M seed, prioritizing third-party apps, team expansion, and market penetration to capture AgeTech growth amid rising senior populations and remote health trends.[1][2] Expect integrations with telehealth/streaming giants, B2B care home deals via Telekom ties, and AI-enhanced personalization; its influence could evolve into the default senior digital gateway, humanizing tech for 70M+ users while press traction (e.g., IFA 2024, major media) builds momentum.[3][5][6] This TV lifeline not only closes divides but redefines accessible innovation, echoing its founding mission to enrich lives through simple connectivity.[1][5]