AURIENS ANNOUNCE CHAD, SIMPLE INTERNET NAVIGATION FOR LATER LIFERS AS WINNER OF THE UK’S FIRST EVER ‘LATER LIFE’ HACKATHON

Chad, a plugin which delivers simple internet navigation for later life, has been announced as the winner of the Auriens Hackathon, the UK’s first ever hackathon focused on creating new technology to solve the challenges of later life. Over 90 participants came together in London over the bank holiday to form 17 teams responding to the brief set by Auriens.

Although a magnificent resource for most people, the internet can be a daunting thing for later lifers, as there is an overwhelming amount of information on each webpage which can be difficult to navigate. A team of five came together to form Chad, a plugin which will place the most relevant information from a website at the user’s fingertips. The judges voted for Chad, as they felt it would have an unrivalled positive impact on the day to day lives of our older generations.

Storymate, an app designed to connect elderly people to new friends through nostalgic stories to alleviate loneliness and preserve a cultural heritage, was named the runner-up.

Eric Khilstrom, UK Ambassador at Aging 2.0 and Auriens Hackathon judge, commented: “There has been an abundance of excellent and highly innovative ideas at the Auriens Hackathon and the judging panel were in complete agreement that Chad was the clear winner. The technology developed will offer those in their advanced years a new lease of life, and increased connectivity while also finding a way for complex technology to be easily accessible for later lifers.”

Jevan Nagarajah, a member of the winning team of the Auriens Hackathon, said: “I’m delighted to have won the Auriens Hackathon and am really proud of the technology the team and I have created over the last 48 hours. Hopefully we will be able to work closely with Auriens to develop this idea further and make it a reality, which is accessible to later lifers across the world.”

Johnny Sandelson and Karen Mulville, Auriens co-founders, commented: “We are thrilled at the success of the Hackathon, the first of its kind in the UK. We felt confident that London’s dynamic tech community would bring some forward-thinking ideas and they didn’t disappoint! We’re looking forward to working with the Chad team to take this to the next stage and determine how we can incorporate this technology into Auriens Chelsea.”

In addition to the winning teams, there were a vast number of exciting suggestions which were demonstrated during the event, including a conversational chatbot, a socially integrated viewing frame and an AI care management system. Jan De Villeneuve, later life model and supporter of Auriens, attended the Hackathon and worked with the hacking teams to test their ideas and share insights and recommendations based on her own experience.

The Auriens Hackathon took place from 6.30pm on Friday 28^th April until 6pm on Sunday 30^th April at OXO2, London. 17 teams participated, with the winning team receiving a prize of £5,000 and the runners-up receiving a prize of £2,000. All participants received a £100 Apple gift card to thank them for their involvement.

For more information please contact The Communications Store via auriens@tcs-uk.net or visit www.auriens.bemyapp.com / www.auriens.com

- ENDS-

Note to Editors

Auriens Chelsea is a development of 55 luxury appointed apartment designed for later lifers, located on Dovehouse Street just off the King’s Road.

The apartments, have been specially designed to feature a first-class restaurant, a hydrotherapy pool, spa, gym, private members’ club, café, gardens, library, consulting rooms and cinema room.

Auriens has confirmed a partnership with London’s leading nursing and private care provider, Draycott Nursing & Care to offer bespoke care to suit residents’ individual needs in the privacy of their apartments.

Ground breaking will commence onsite in the summer and the build is due to be completed in 2019 when the development will open its doors to residents.

Studio Auriens, is set to open in mid-June. Located on Culford Gardens, Studio Auriens will offer prospective clients the opportunity to get a sense of the development, including details of the interiors designed by Richmond International prior to purchasing off plan. The Studio will also showcase new products and technology which will be incorporated into the apartments.