Tampa startup has an answer to caregiver burnout
Nia Jackson and ShellyAnn Tommy drew on their years of experience caring for older adults to create Goldn, a family care management application designed to take some of the burdens off of caregivers.
Nia Jackson, co-founder and CEO, Goldn
Goldn hopes to tap a part of the $108 billion U.S. home care industry by making it easier to schedule and coordinate services, Jackson said during Tampa Bay Wave’s TechWomen Rising Pitch Night last month. Goldn is one of 13 women-owned companies in the inaugural TechWomen Rising cohort.
The app is aimed at the 48 million Americans who are unpaid caregivers, including 1.6 million women under the age of 50.
“Many caregivers find the process of scheduling services and coordinating care for their loved ones to be time-consuming, stressful and lacking in price transparency,” said Jackson, who is co-founder and CEO of Goldn. “Caregivers have to make several phone calls, repeatedly explain their loved ones needs, and jump through hoops to get pricing.”
That can lead to caregiver burnout. One in four caregivers has said their own health has suffered as a result.
ShellyAnn Tommy, co-founder and COO, Goldn
“We have developed a cross-service intake questionnaire and simple pricing module to make scheduling services easy. The core features also include a care team message center for family and friends, support group chat and bill pay,” Jackson said. “These key features offer users the benefit of coordinating care and hiring help on on one platform without having to make multiple phone calls.”
Goldn only deals with accredited institutions, she said.
“Businesses can reduce call and customer acquisition time and be introduced to an emerging market of family caregivers,” she said.
Goldn monetizes its platform by taking 7 percent from each sale of a service booked through the site. The company’s goal is to earn $42.1 million in annual revenue in five years.
Jackson said she has 10 years of caregiving experience in her own family. Tommy, co-founder and chief operating officer, has a degree in gerontology and a decade of experience working with geriatric populations as a licensed vocational nurse and licensed master social worker.
