Senior Care
Building the future of rural senior care
Rural communities are home to deep connection, resourcefulness, and resilience. Yet, they face growing challenges in supporting older adults — from workforce shortages to social isolation and access to care.
AscendRural bridges innovators and rural communities to co-create scalable, real-world solutions. Our next Impact Theme focuses on senior care, and we’re inviting early-stage tech startups and community partners to join us in exploring new solutions.
For Startups: Apply to the Senior Care Accelerator
Turn your innovation into real-world impact
The AscendRural Accelerator is a four-week, cohort-based program designed for early-stage tech companies to get “rural ready” to pilot, validate, and scale solutions in rural settings.
Participants gain:
Mentorship and strategy: Guidance from rural system leaders, investors, and domain experts
Community partnerships: Opportunities to pilot directly with rural communities
Market validation: Insight into what works — and what scales — in rural America
Visibility and support: Connection to AscendRural’s ecosystem of regional and national partners.
We’re seeking startups developing solutions that:
Strengthen senior care systems and workforce capacity
Enable meaningful social connection and engagement
Support safety, daily living, and aging in place
Application window: December 1, 2025 – January 9, 2026
FAQs for startups
About the program
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The AscendRural Accelerator is a four-week, cohort-based program designed to empower promising technology companies to successfully enter and thrive in rural markets. The program equips early-stage tech companies with insights, mentorship, and partnerships necessary for rural adoption.
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Our goal is to accelerate innovations and technology that measurably improve health outcomes, well-being, and quality of life in rural communities. We help companies refine their value proposition and go-to-market strategy specifically for the rural context.
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AscendRural is currently seeking applicants for the Senior Care Accelerator, focused on technologies that address critical challenges facing rural senior care.
Eligibility and benefits
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We are looking for forward-thinking products and solutions that help (but not limited to):
Strengthen care systems and workforce capacity
Enable social connection and engagement
Support daily living, safety, and aging at home
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Participants receive a comprehensive package of support, including:
Non-dilutive support: Startups may be eligible for paid pilots up to $150k upon successful matching with community pilot partners post-accelerator. This funding would be paid in the form of a services agreement with pilot deliverables and timeline for execution. Successful pilots leading to sustained contracts may be subject to a small administrative fee.
Pilot opportunities: Potential rural pilot site(s) through our Pilot Matching Program post-accelerator
Expert guidance: Subject matter expert advisors specific to your use case and rural markets
Exposure: A Demo Day with key community partners looking to pilot solutions similar to yours
Rural adoption playbook: Specialized support for storytelling and trust-building for rural adoption
Rural network for scaling: Access to AscendRural’s network of over 50,000 organizations and agencies to scale innovations after successful pilots
Program structure and next steps
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The Accelerator is a four-week, cohort-based program. It blends tailored rural programming, expert feedback through practice pitches, and it includes a valuable in-person experience designed to deepen understanding of rural communities.
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No, relocation is not required. Sessions are facilitated virtually, with the exception of in-person summit events that will be held in person. Details about required in-person events will be discussed during interviews.
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The program is designed to lead directly into real-world opportunities. Post-accelerator support includes:
Pilot opportunities: Access to real-world pilot opportunities with rural providers, public agencies, and community organizations
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Founders typically spend between two to four hours per week on accelerator deliverables.
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You can apply directly to the open Senior Care Accelerator through the application link on the website. If you are not eligible for the current pilot but are interested in future programs, you can also sign up for updates to be notified about new opportunities.
For Rural Communities: Join the Community Cohort
Bring innovation home
Rural communities play a critical role in shaping and testing new ideas. The AscendRural Community Cohort is a select group of communities that will explore, test, and adopt solutions that strengthen rural senior care.
As a cohort partner, your community will gain:
A pathway to participate in real, funded pilots with vetted technologies
A meaningful voice in shaping the direction of national technology sourcing
Tools, templates, and frameworks designed specifically for innovating in rural contexts
A peer network of organizations facing similar challenges and opportunities
Does this fit your community’s vision for the future?
FAQs for community partners
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Eligible organizations must:
Be a non-profit or government agency
Actively serve the defined population in a rural region in the United States
Have problems that they’re seeking to solve connected to one or more of the cohort's focus areas
Be open to exploring new tools, approaches, and technologies
Have team members who can commit a small but consistent amount of time
Have the desire and ability to adopt and pay for solutions that show clear value
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No, participation in a Community Cohort is free. AscendRural covers:
Program facilitation
National technology sourcing
Access to tools, templates, and learning materials
Evaluation support
Initial technology costs, implementation support, and measurement for selected pilots
If a pilot demonstrates clear value and you would like to continue, your organization would assume ongoing costs to sustain it.
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Not automatically, but the primary goal of the cohort is to create strong, sustainable matches between rural organizations and high-potential technologies. When a strong match emerges, our intent is for it to lead to a pilot.
Participation in the cohort gives organizations:
A direct pathway into pilot opportunities
Early exposure to promising solutions
A meaningful role in shaping which technologies are sourced and evaluated to solve an organization’s greatest needs
While a pilot cannot be guaranteed for every participant, the cohort is designed to maximize the likelihood of strong matches that lead to successful, sustainable pilots.
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AscendRural provides:
Facilitation of all cohort activities
Expert guidance on problem discovery
National technology sourcing
Evaluation and innovation frameworks
Access to experts and mentors
Pilot design and implementation coaching
Potential pilot facilitation and measurement
Opportunities to share learnings nationally
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Depending on fit, organizations may:
Be matched with technologies for a facilitated pilot
Enter the pilot readiness queue for future opportunities
Continue learning through AscendRural networks
Connect with tech partners for direct conversations
Receive updates on future cohorts
Even if you don’t find a strong fit for a pilot, your participation positions you strongly for future pilot opportunities.
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The cohort is hosted on the AscendRural collaboration platform (Mighty Networks) and supported through:
Live virtual collaboration workshops
Asynchronous activities
Peer connection spaces
Pilot readiness tools + templates
Insights
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![Senior Care Pilot]()
Press release (for technologies)
With new program, AscendRural invites tech startups with ideas for senior care to get “rural ready.”
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Press release (for community collaborators)
AscendRural launches new innovation program for senior care entities in central Minnesota and other rural communities across the country.
