MONTREAL, Oct. 29, 2025 /CNW/ - Canadian startup Root & Seed has won the 2025 AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge: Implementing Change for its platform designed to bring older adults, caregivers and families closer together through conversation.
In their winning pitch, co-founders Anika Chabra and Jennifer Siripong Mandel explained that as people age, opportunities for meaningful engagement can decline. Social isolation can contribute to poorer physical and mental health.
Their solution: Conversation Cards featuring thought-provoking questions that caregivers can ask, such as "What is one of your first memories?" or "What is the most meaningful gift you've ever received?" The cards are paired with a digital tool that lets caregivers capture stories in real time through audio, images and text.
Root & Seed is built on the idea that when older adults engage in meaningful conversations about family heritage, traditions, rituals and stories, they strengthen personal connections with caregivers and family members.
"For elders, stories help improve mood and sleep, combat loneliness, and nurture dignity and legacy," Chabra told an audience of more than 450 people. The platform also supports caregivers with tools that make their work more rewarding – and can help with retention of care providers, she added.
To pilot the solution, Root & Seed partnered with Just Like Family, a national home care provider. Based on feedback from personal support workers, social workers, psychologists and dementia specialists, the team further refined its offering to include Kinkeeper Training modules available in multiple formats, co-designed Conversation Cards tailored to caregiving contexts, and technology enhancements such as built-in translation features.
Root & Seed has drawn insights from reminiscence therapy to create similar benefits, said Mandel. The platform also produces keepsakes that bridge generations and capture an elder's essence, she said.
Founded in 2021, Root & Seed won a Community category award in the National Impact Challenge 2023 – Bold Innovations for Living, powered by AGE-WELL and SE Health, for its original product, which was squarely focused on creating connections within families. Since then, the company established its partnership with Just Like Family to expand its offerings to help caregivers and older adults build meaningful connections.
Chabra and Mandel said winning the 2025 AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge: Implementing Change – which includes a $20,000 cash prize and access to the AGE-WELL Innovation Studio – will support their platform's national rollout. The funding will help Root & Seed reach more caregivers and older adults in a range of settings, including home care, retirement residences, long-term care homes, and hospices.
"Coming up with an idea is hard, getting traction is very hard, but implementation is even harder," explained Chabra. "Receiving an award that celebrates implementation is satisfying – and it will give us valuable support as we expand our program nationally and commit to implementing with excellence."
One of Canada's most dynamic and inspiring pitch competitions, this year's AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge: Implementing Change took place during the AGE-WELL 10th Annual Conference in Montreal.
"AGE-WELL is delighted to support Root & Seed in its national rollout to equip caregivers with this innovative platform that supports healthy aging," said Bridgette Murphy, CEO of AGE-WELL, Canada's technology and aging network. "Through this competition, we advance entrepreneurship in Canada's growing AgeTech sector and recognize innovators who are shaping the future of aging."
The 2025 AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge was generously supported by key sponsors: the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) and SE Health. Promotional partners were CanAge, CIHR Institute of Aging, and YouAreUNLTD.
For more information about the finalists and the competition, visit https://agewell-nce.ca/national-impact-challenge
About AGE-WELL:
AGE-WELL is Canada's Technology and Aging Network. As a dynamic pan-Canadian network with global reach, AGE-WELL has mobilized a vast community of researchers, older adults, caregivers, partner organizations and future leaders to accelerate the delivery of technology-based solutions that make a meaningful difference in the lives of older Canadians and their caregivers. AGE-WELL serves as a catalyst for technological innovation that supports healthy aging while driving Canada's growing AgeTech sector. AGE-WELL's groundbreaking programs are funded by the Government of Canada through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Health Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Discover how AGE-WELL is changing the future of aging at: https://agewell-nce.ca/.
SOURCE AGE-WELL
For further information, please contact Margaret Polanyi, Senior Advisor, Strategic Communications, AGE-WELL, [email protected] or [email protected]
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