The “demographic change”. A term that usually causes founders in Germany to roll their eyes. It is symbolic of people in beige jackets sitting quietly on park benches.
In Japan, Israel and especially in the USA, however, people have long understood what this change is: a blue ocean for founders.
An aging society leads to a shift in purchasing power, consumption and wealth and thus opens up new opportunities for business models.
In the USA in particular, it is noticeable what economic power this social change brings with it and how specifically the start-up scene is addressing the issue.
According to AARP’s Research Insights and Federal Reserve Bank data, Americans ages 50 and older own more than 70% of the nation’s wealth and account for about 52% of all U.S. consumer spending.
AARP is an organization with approximately 38 million members that focuses on issues affecting people age 50 and older. It was founded in 1958 by a retired teacher to combat poverty and isolation among older Americans.
$40 million was just the beginning
AARP recognized early on that the needs of consumers are changing permanently due to the aging of society and are creating new markets. The “AARP Innovation Fund” was launched with $40 million in 2015. The aim of this fund is to invest in innovative products and services and thus attract the start-up scene to the topic.
To this day, AARP has played a key role in ensuring that the US start-up scene strategically addresses solutions to the changing needs of an aging population. The company’s own innovation network consists of around 700 players who promote, finance and award start-ups.
“Aging” is also an established topic at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, the world’s largest and most important trade fair for consumer electronics and technology – both in the exhibition halls and in the conference program.
This commitment pays off. Many successful start-ups have emerged in the USA, not only in the obvious areas of health and care, but also in areas such as fintech or mobility.
In the USA and Canada there are also several VCs specifically aimed at this market that provide the necessary financing. Regional networks create synergies by connecting actors and create ecosystems throughout the USA.
New topic and product areas such as “agetech” and “longevity” are emerging from this ecosystem, which inspire innovators and investors alike.
Germany is in danger of losing connection to a billion-dollar market
The median age in the USA is 38.5 years and in Germany it is already 45.5 years. The group of people over 65 makes up 24% of the population in Germany and only 18% in the USA.
Germany should actually be a leader in the “silver economy” because the aging of our society and therefore that of our customers is more advanced than in the USA.
That’s not the case.
In 2024, according to the Bundesbank, the median net worth for people under 35 was EUR 17,500, the median for the 55 to 64 age group was EUR 171,200.
As society ages, private consumption is also shifting towards older people. Mature customer segments dominate, especially when it comes to branded products and expensive purchases.
The average age of new car buyers in Germany is 53 years. Older people also dominate demand in many other areas. For example, in travel and “personal care”, the products from the cosmetics and hygiene products sectors. Not surprising. When it comes to gaming, older people are the fastest growing group in Germany.
But young customers are still the focus of advertising and innovation.
The question is why.
A key reason is the fact that negative stereotypes and questionable role clichés towards older people are widespread in Germany.
This is the conclusion reached by the study “Ageism – Ageism and Age Discrimination in Germany”, which was carried out on behalf of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.
This attitude and the unconscious prejudices that we all carry within us also mean that “older people” are hardly taken into account by founders in business models.
A customer group that supposedly only lives on a small pension, maintains conservative values and is averse to innovation and distant from technology does not seem particularly promising.
50 plus is not a solution
These, mostly unconscious, prejudices lead to one of the biggest mental errors that founders and established companies regularly make in the context of demographic change: They form target groups and market segments that are based on age. Who doesn’t know them: the 50+ target group.
However, age is a very poor indicator of needs. Instead of developing personas with a focus on the years of life, it is important to create solutions for phases of life: retirement, menopause or the roles as caring relatives and grandparents are accompanied by a change in needs, knowledge deficits and often also financial challenges. This is where the business potential lies for founders!
There are already numerous startups in Germany that successfully offer solutions for an aging society.
German founders have potential
The Berlin start-up voize is developing an AI-supported language assistant for nursing documentation. In 2025, it raised $50 million in a Series A funding round to expand in Europe and enter the U.S. market, furthering its mission to reduce administrative burdens in healthcare.
Senior Connect is the AI-first platform for career transitions. The company, founded in Munich in 2024, supports employees in the transition with AI-supported workflows, from job searching to placement. The team digitizes outplacement processes for companies.
Veli from Kassel analyzes a household’s electricity and water consumption in real time. Due to deviations from typical consumption patterns, the system recognizes emergency situations and organizes automatic assistance. It is a smart alternative to the home emergency call.
The ecosystem is growing
All three teams were awarded the “SENovation Award” for founders.
The program has been supporting the German-speaking startup scene on the topics of age, agetech and longevity since 2018. Under the patronage of the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs, two teams are awarded prize money and coaching every year. Applications can be submitted online until June 30, 2026.
The program is supported by the SIGNAL IDUNA Group, whose CEO Torsten Uhlig states: “If Germany does not act now, central solutions for the aging society will come from abroad in the future.”
The topic is also addressed from the public sector.
With the “LINGA Weeks”, the state government of Lower Saxony aims to sensitize students to the topic of “aging as an opportunity” at an early stage and to promote innovation and idea generation through the participation of different departments. Business model development during your studies.
AgeTechX started in Berlin in 2025. The forum aims to bring together founders, investors, companies and political decision-makers on the topics of aging, social challenges and technology. The conference of the same name will take place in Berlin on October 5th and 6th, 2026.
Mindset shift
Founders have to change their perspective.
You should move away from the blanket assessment of age clusters and generations and instead pursue needs-driven business model development that addresses growing market segments.
Demographic change is turning into a silver economy, which makes start-up stories like those of Honor, Papa and Rippl possible in Germany too.
The market is there. It is a global market that is guaranteed to grow.
Germany has the best prerequisites for a central role in the global mega-trend
Playing “aging” when we see age as an opportunity and not a problem.
About the author
Frank Leyhausen has been advising companies, authorities and non-profit organizations on the opportunities and challenges of an aging society since 2000. The fields of action are innovation and communication as well as the effects on the labor market.
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