i3 - March/April 2016 - 5

Tech

BY CINDY LOFFLER STEVENS

I N N OVATO R
1996, and he currently sits on
the Board of New York Angels,
one of the largest and most
active groups in the U.S. He
shared his insights on how the
industry can support CTAF and
his unique perspective on growing and funding startups.
Why is it important for CTA to
have a foundation?

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS LIVES

Dustin Cohen

echnology has the power to make a profound
difference in people's lives. As the demographics
in the U.S. and around the world shift towards an
older population, technology will help engage seniors
and combat social loneliness. According to Nielsen,
there is a tremendous business opportunity for the consumer technology industry as Americans age 50 and
older are expected to control 70 percent of the country's
disposable income by 2017, and inherit $15 trillion in
the next 20 years.

The Consumer Technology Association Foundation (CTAF)
serves a vital role in supporting nonprofit organizations using
technology to enhance the lives of seniors and people with disabilities. The Foundation supports programs that impact these
communities launching its first series of grants in 2012 guided
by CTAF Chair John Shalam. The CTAF also facilitates dialog
between industry, consumers, government, advocacy groups and
other key stakeholders around these important issues. We talked
with current CTAF Chair Larry Richenstein for his views on the
foundation.
He has been an entrepreneur in the CE industry for more than
30 years-Unwired Technology LLC his last startup in which he
sold a majority interest in 2005 was purchased by Delphi Automotive PLC in 2014. An active angel investor and mentor to technology startups, Richenstein has unique experience to draw on. His
consulting and investment vehicle, Peak Ventures, was started in
C TA . t e c h / i 3

The CTAF is important to CTA
because it amplifies the utility
of the products our industry
creates, while demonstrating
our desire as an industry to
support good work done by
our grantees' varied charitable
institutions. The goal of CTAF,
to further the use of technology
to improve the lives of seniors
and those with disabilities, adds
another dimension to CTA and
shines a light on the positive
work of our industry.
How is the Foundation making
an impact?

CTAF's impact is two-prong.
First, we have provided grants
of nearly $2 million to a number of worthwhile charities that
are using these funds to make
an impact. Whether it's Selfhelp
Community Services' Virtual
Senior Center that has used our
funding to increase the number
of users on their system and
to open in new markets, Older
Adults Technology Services
(OATS) that used our funding
to create a pilot senior center
in rural New York that will be
a model for other rural facilities to teach seniors how to use
technology to improve their
lives, or BridgingApps that
helps seniors and people with
disabilities identify apps that
meet their accessibility needs,
we are having a positive effect

on people's lives. Tom Wheeler,
chairman of the Federal Communications Commission complimented the work of CTAF
during his interview at CES and
we also have received awards
like the American Society of
Association Executives "Power
of A" Gold Award.
How is the Selfhelp Virtual
Senior Center helping seniors?

Selfhelp's Virtual Senior Center
(VSC) enables hundreds of low
income seniors who are homebound to participate remotely
in classes and other programs
that they otherwise would not
be able to engage with combating social isolation. With our
latest funding to Selfhelp earmarked for enabling the scaling
of the VSC program to reach
many more seniors throughout
the U.S. via improvements in
software and outreach efforts,
we expect the positive results
of the VSC to reach even more
people in the future.
What does the IBM
contribution mean for CTAF?

We are excited to work with
IBM as we identify how new
and emerging technologies will
fundamentally change the way
we age or manage disabilities
in the years to come. By raising
visibility about how technology can empower seniors and
people with disabilities, we
can help promote wellness and
enhance independent living.
What was the Foundation's CES
contest?

CTAF announced a contest
in late 2015 for early stage
companies that have developed
technologies that help seniors
and people with disabilities.
MARCH/APRIL 2016

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2012/introducing-boomers--marketing-s-most-valuable-generation.html http://www.microsoft.com/enable/news/virtualsrcenter.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/enable/news/virtualsrcenter.aspx http://www.cta.tech/foundation http://www.microsoft.com/enable/news/virtualsrcenter.aspx http://oats.org/ http://oats.org/ http://oats.org/ http://www.CTA.tech/i3

i3 - March/April 2016

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