GoodFellows, a unique firm
This is the age of startups. There are various technology and service startups in the country. But GoodFellows, a startup that is a little different in this range. Goodfellows is a companionship company. Goodfellows is a unique non-profit start-up that holds the umbrella for friendships between generations. Although loneliness can be felt at any age, the loneliness and psychological problems faced by a large section of the elderly in the country need to be specially assessed. Good fellows are coping with this loneliness.
Shantanu Naidu, Ratan Tata’s Business Assistant and Founder of Goodfellows, says his entrepreneurial journey began as a symbol of his intergenerational friendship with Ratan Tata and his love for the elderly.The intergenerational friendships offered by GoodFellows are a meaningful and authentic way to help older people living alone. Each goodfellow goes through several psychometric tests designed to measure empathy. Graduates up to the age of 30 are recruited as companions to alleviate the loneliness of the elderly.
Basically the sole purpose of these grandchildren is to eliminate loneliness from the lives of the assigned grandparents. They help with household and daily tasks to make the elderly life easier.Once paired, the goodfellow would do anything and everything that he/she would do for their own grandparents. Be it going on walks, watching movies, helping with grocery shopping, visits to the doctor, all the way to more utilitarian needs such as teaching technology, helping with paperwork and emails, or just spending time bonding with their grandpals.Goodfellow is someone who can be seen with the affection, enthusiasm and loyalty of a family member. The startup’s pilot program is currently being implemented in Mumbai. GoodFellows will officially launch next January after the pilot program is completed. GoodFellows will work on a monthly subscription model.
New ideas
According to the 2011 census, about 15 million elderly people in India live alone. According to various NGOs, there are about 25 million elderly people living alone in India. Although those who live alone may find ways to meet their needs on their own, depression plunges them into loneliness and isolation. Community health problems such as loneliness and isolation can have serious physical and psychological consequences. Various studies report that many senior citizens, especially those living alone, have been battling depression, anxiety, and exclusion since Covid’s inception. Loneliness is a condition that can be changed only by humanity, not by medicines. So if you have a grandparent who suffers from the pain of isolation or knows someone who would like to try out the pilot program for free, please contact us at www.theGoodFellows.in. Let different ideas take entrepreneurship to new levels.
