Ed. Note: Dallas Innovates teamed up with MassChallenge Texas to highlight entrepreneurs and their high-impact companies in the current Texas cohort. Find them here.

There are more than 35 million senior citizens who are aging in place, away from any kin or direct family. Several suffer from multiple chronic conditions and many can’t lead their own independent lives. That’s where Frisco-based Briocare comes in.

Founded in 2018, the startup uses smart voice technology that connects and empowers caregivers to help older adults age in place. The voice-first platform solves parallel challenges—senior loneliness and caregiver stress—that allows seniors to be independent and caregivers to have peace of mind.

Briocare is built on providing care, companionship, and connection. According to Founder and CEO Shaun Mitra, more than 90 percent of seniors would prefer to age in place. He and his team of five hope their solution will positively impact those seniors’ quality of life.

Briocare Founder Shaun Mitra

“As voice technology becomes more pervasive and frequently used, new use for our platform will be unlocked. Especially with healthcare moving more to the homes and away from acute settings like hospitals, Briocare will be a great platform to offer new health services along with other partners,” Mitra told Dallas Innovates. “Our growth marketing efforts are on to onboard several thousand customers within the next one year.”

The team initially planned a launch for this past April, but COVID-19 forced them to delay until June. From here, Mitra expects Briocare’s revenue traction to significantly accelerate over the next three to four months.

He is currently seeking strategic partners in the senior care and health plan industries. He expects to add employees for customer support and sales as the startup continues to progress.

“Briocare is uniquely positioned vis-à-vis competition: leveraging voice AI technology with an integrated mobile app, designed for vitality and scale,” Mitra says. “Our AI framework allows us to move towards more proactive and personalized interventions for happier and healthier lives.”

Dallas Innovates teamed up with MassChallenge to highlight the entrepreneurs and their high-impact companies in the current Texas cohort. You can read about Articulate Labs here.

Learn more about Briocare and what’s next in our Q+A with Mitra below.

Meet Briocare

Why did you start Briocare?

I got inspired after reading the book “Being Mortal” by Dr. Atul Gawande, who is a Harvard professor and until recently was the CEO of Haven, an Amazon healthcare venture.

Also, in the past, I have been a caregiver to my mom, who was diagnosed with cancer. I fully understand the challenges of being a family caregiver with our busy lifestyle.

How did you name it?

Brio in Italian means “Life.” We decided on Briocare as we help bring energy into peoples’ lives.

What are you most proud of in terms of your startup?

In 2019 we were selected by AARP Innovation Labs as one of the top four voice tech companies in the country. We are very proud of it and it allowed us to interact with top industry leaders to better understand issues around aging in place for seniors.

What do you wish people knew about Briocare?

Briocare is simply the best at providing improved quality of life for older adults by allowing personalized care with round the clock connection and engagement, thereby addressing the selfcare, independence, and safety needs of the seniors at a very low price.

How do you expect that being accepted to the MassChallenge summer cohort can make a difference to your team?

Getting advice, mentorship and connections with experienced business leaders is what we are looking forward to by being part of the MassChallenge cohort.

How are you funding your startup?

Bootstrapped and self funded. We are raising our pre-seed round now.

What mentors, partnerships, or deals have been pivotal to your initial traction?

Carol Marak based in Dallas has been very helpful. She is an expert on solo aging.

We were selected by XLerateHealth in Lousiville last year. Through them, we met with some of the top insurance companies, senior housing companies, and long-term care companies. That has helped us a lot with our product market fit.

What sector trends are you most excited about?

The fast adoption of Amazon Alexa and Google Hub is definitely helping Briocare as our solution works on these devices.

Has the pandemic and social environment shifted your plans this year?

Yes a little bit. Everything got pushed back by 3-4 months. We had to cancel participation in three industry conferences and it is a bit more difficult to convince customers for pilots as we are dealing with seniors who are the most affected with this crisis.

We are now operating virtually with calls every other day to collaborate.

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