The Founders Over 55 Club* is a collegial community of company founders in their encore careers. Our founders start and build thriving businesses where their age and lifelong experiences are an asset. We share best practices for success, celebrate each others professional and personal journeys, and champion an age-friendly business ecosystem.

Click Here to Enter Virtual Venture Café on 4/9/20, beginning at 3:00pm!

Join us for an informative conversation to explore the practical challenges and upside opportunities of encore entrepreneurship.

• We’ll kickoff with Professor Cal Halvorsen, PhD, MSW, at the Boston College School of Social Work, and Public Voices Fellow with Encore.org, with a foundation for what we know about plus-50 entrepreneurs, including entrepreneurship rates and motivations, social or “encore” entrepreneurship in later life, and the diverse set of people aged 50 to 70 who report a high level of interest in starting new businesses and nonprofit organizations.

• We’ll then have a robust panel discussion with current members of the Founders Over 55 Club including serial entrepreneur, Mary Cronin of Life-Notes, career-switch entrepreneur, Stephen Opie of SweetMobility, and cancer survivor turned social innovator, Dianne Austin of Coils to Locs.

• We’ll have plenty of time for your questions, facilitated by Danielle D. Duplin, co-founder AGENCY.

We look forward to your participation! — The F55+ Charter Team (Jerry Wolonsenko, Mary Cronin, Scott Guthery, Danielle D. Duplin) in collaboration with Venture Cafe Cambridge.

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About Us

*The Founders Over 55 Club is an inclusive member-led club that welcomes entrepreneurs of ALL ages, stages, and backgrounds. The F55+ Club is an initiative of AGENCY: Worldwide Innovation for Living Longer and Aging Better. AGENCY is equal parts coworking at CIC, programming, and an international community of innovators to make the aging journey better for all.

Join the F55+ Club to share ideas, raise issues, and connect with peers who are puzzling over key questions like:

• What motivates founders over 55? . . . is it all about the money? the life-purpose? the intellectual, creative and social engagement? mentoring the next generation(s)?

• What drives the success of our ventures? . . . is it lifelong experience and wisdom? renewed curiosity? blending the old with the new?

• What resources are most valuable/needed? . . . access to capital, markets, and partners? alternative sources of funding for encore founders who don’t “fit” the typical VC profile? tips for managing multi-generational teams?

• What are the practical challenges and best-practices? . . . balancing a healthy lifestyle with the rigorous demands of running a successful business in today’s hyper-competitive climate? balancing accumulated wealth with the risk of starting something new? getting visibility in the ecosystem? strategies to combat ageism bias ??

Send us a note at helloagency@cic.com to get involved!