The final session of the Silver Eco Festival brought together an international cohort of startups using artificial intelligence to rethink how societies support ageing. Organized with Silver Valley—Europe’s innovation network dedicated to longevity—the pitch event showcased five emerging companies developing technologies grounded in autonomy, dignity, and prevention.
![[Replay] AI for a Better Ageing World - Pitch Session](https://www.silvereco.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/une-AI-pitch-session-1024x576.png)
Before the pitches began, organizers recalled the conclusions of Silver Valley’s recent white paper on AI and the silver economy. The study identifies several key contributions of artificial intelligence to ageing well: early detection of fragility, predictive capacities, performance optimization, smart monitoring, and personalized support. Each startup was invited to demonstrate how its technology embodies these principles, with only two and a half minutes to make their case.
Alcove: Virtual Care Reinvented
The first to take the stage was Stephen Mckee of Alcove, a UK-based leader in AI-enabled virtual care. Alcove installs connected tablets in people’s homes, synchronizing them with sensors placed throughout the living space. Through these devices, virtual carers can conduct welfare checks, oversee medication intake, and offer companionship via video.
Behind the scenes, Alcove’s AI integrates thousands of data points in real time, generating dashboards that track independence outcomes and even predict hospital-risk situations before they escalate. The system also produces “AI care stories,” automated reports sent to social workers summarizing the user’s well-being. McKee noted that Alcove has already delivered around 125,000 virtual visits (representing 10 million minutes of care) with a reported satisfaction rate of 99.8% in the UK.
(Youtube Timecode : 02:00 min – 04:30 min)
AI Compassion Coach: Scaling Empathy
Next came Gabriele Maddaloni, co-founder of AI Compassion Coach, who addressed the emotional dimension of care. The startup provides a conversational AI designed to support people with chronic illnesses and their caregivers. Rather than highlighting the technical layers (crisis routing or safety safeguards) Gabriele Maddaloni reflected on a comment heard earlier in the day: that their approach was “unique.”
He questioned why compassion itself should be a novelty in care, suggesting instead that structural limitations make it difficult to provide emotional support at scale. The AI Compassion Coach, he explained, aims to fix this infrastructure gap by offering a scalable way to extend compassion worldwide. Collaboration with partners at the festival, he added, will be crucial to making this vision a reality.
(Youtube Timecode : 04:30 min – 06:29 min)
Nami AI: Wi-Fi Waves as a Window on Behaviour
Representing Nami AI, co-founder Jérôme Leroy introduced a sensing technology based on Wi-Fi waves. “Nami” means “wave” in Japanese, a nod to the company’s focus on radio-frequency interference analysis. Using only three smart plugs, Nami can monitor activity across a 100-square-meter home, even “seeing through walls” to detect micro-movements.
With deployments already underway in Japan, including governmental programs in Okinawa, the low-cost system can be installed in about ten minutes. It produces alerts for events such as prolonged inactivity, nighttime wandering, delayed wake-ups, or unusual bathroom visits. It also tracks daily living patterns, including eating and sleep. Leroy emphasized accessibility: the system costs under €100 and offers ten key alerts that can support families and telecare operators.
(Youtube Timecode : 06:30 min – 08:45 min)
Amical: A Phone That Is Also a Companion
Tony Aubé presented Amical, an AI companion designed for people living with Alzheimer’s, dementia, traumatic brain injury, or intellectual disabilities, individuals who often cannot use smartphones or tablets. The solution takes the form of a retro-style phone with no screen and no buttons, users simply pick up the receiver and speak to the AI, available 24/7 in more than 25 languages.
The device’s core goal is to reduce loneliness, but it also functions as a cognitive assistant. The AI can call once per day to check on the resident and notify staff or family if something seems wrong. Families can use it like a regular telephone to call their loved ones. Tony Aubé stressed that the aim is to complement (not replace) human connection.
(Youtube Timecode : 08:46 min – 10:10 min)
Pontosense: Radar-Based Predictive Insights
Closing the session, Travis Peterson of Pontosense presented a radar-based monitoring system that operates without cameras, wearables, or audio recording, an approach rooted in privacy and dignity. The company claims to have developed one of the world’s most powerful radar systems, capable of detecting heartbeats from up to 15 meters away.
This room-level monitoring enables detection of falls, bathroom visits, gait changes, and bed entry and exit. Paired with AI-based predictive analytics, the platform gives caregivers and clinicians week-by-week and month-by-month insights, with the goal of preventing incidents rather than reacting to them. The technology is already deployed in tens of thousands of homes and is expected to reach millions next year.
(Youtube Timecode : 10:11 min – 11:38)
AI for a Better Ageing World – Pitch Session : Replay
A Shared Commitment to Human-Centric Ageing
As the session concluded, Jérôme Pigniez invited all presenters back on stage, underscoring their shared mission: leveraging artificial intelligence to build a fairer, more inclusive world for ageing. Though each startup takes a different technological route (virtual care, emotional support, RF sensing, AI companionship, radar-based prediction) their common aim is to enhance autonomy and dignity.
In an era where populations are ageing rapidly, the pitches offered a glimpse into how AI may reshape support systems, blending advanced analytics with the human values essential to ageing well.
Published by the Editorial Staff on