With a TV box, a camera and a tablet disguised as a remote control, the start-up Zenaris brings the internet to the TV. Founders Tim Jefferys, Hakan Evcek and Manuel Kraus have developed a system that is specially tailored to the needs of senior citizens and people with disabilities. Their concept is as simple as it is ingenious: an ordinary television becomes an internet-enabled hub that makes everyday life easier and provides access to digital content.
Innovative, intuitive, inclusive – this is how Zenaris is entering a new era of digital participation. At the heart of the innovation is a modern TV box. With a simple camera and an intuitive remote control, the device transforms the TV into a versatile portal. Sophisticated software delivers important information directly to the user’s living room – from weather reports and news to video calls, photos and favorite shows. This makes the internet an integral part of the living room without complex operating concepts weighing down everyday life. “Many older people feel digitally left behind because they can’t cope with complex cell phone applications – they often can’t even find photos of their grandchildren in a messenger app,” says Zenaris co-founder Hakan Evcek, summarizing the problem. This leads to frustration and loneliness. “With Zenaris’ user-friendly system, we promote social contact and digital inclusion.”
Hakan Evcek, economist and co-founder of Zenaris
The central role of the remote control
The key role in this system is played by the remote control developed specifically for this purpose. This is basically a tablet – almost like a keyboard – that has been given a haptic surface. Unlike conventional touchscreens, users only have to press one button, which makes operation much easier. “Older people find it easier to press real buttons for various reasons,” explains Tim Jefferys, industrial engineer and co-founder of Zenaris.
“The highlight of our system is that apps can be individually stored behind the transparent buttons and replaced at any time.” For example, a sports app such as chair yoga can be stored instead of a traditional TV channel. Relatives or care staff can make these adjustments remotely.
Tim Jefferys, industrial engineer and co-founder of Zenaris
Pitch success and valuable feedback
The start-up has been winning one idea pitch competition after another for almost a year. They are constantly expanding their network through pitch events. At the HIGHEST club evening in March 2024, they discovered software developer Manuel Kraus, who is now CTO and co-founder of Zenaris. In addition, participation in the SDG contest of the Goethe-Unibator, the start-up center of the Goethe University Frankfurt, brought an office and, with the Hessen Ideen Stipendium, also financial support and valuable coaching, which further advanced the project.
Another milestone was winning the Senovation Award, an initiative of the Signal Iduna Group and the German Seniors’ League, in which 240 senior citizens voted for the system as potential users. “The fact that so many senior citizens voted us into the final of the Senovation Award confirms that we are on the right track,” says economist Hakan. The subsequent tests of the prototype – in which many of the Senovation Award judges were also active as testers – provided valuable feedback. “Since then, we have invited older family members to test our product after every pitch.” This feedback is important. It shows that an age-appropriate digital solution is needed.
Software developer and co-founder Manuel Kraus
Market opportunities and the challenges of old age
The founders know that the market offers great potential: Around 25 percent of Germans are aged 65 and over. “Quite a few of them are baby boomers and belong to the generation of the no-future and punk culture,” says Hakan. “They don’t want to belong to the ‘old iron’ and attach importance to remaining active in the digital age.
From around the age of 70, age-related cognitive limitations such as slower information processing, declining memory and reduced attention increase. These factors make it more difficult to deal with complex digital applications. This is precisely where Zenaris comes in: “We use the television as a medium. It is the largest screen in the household and the usual focus of our target group’s lives,” says Tim, explaining the business model. “Our system is intuitive and clearly structured to convey complex content in a simple and appealing way. The essentials remain easily accessible, without additional cognitive hurdles. We are convinced that we are closing a gap in the market with Zenaris.” An innovation that makes it easier for older people to access the digital world.
Zenaris founding team Tim Jefferys, Hakan Evcek and Manuel Kraus (from left to right)
The birth of an idea
The idea for Zenaris came about as part of a seminar in Prof. Dr. Carolin Bock’s Master’s degree course in Entrepreneurship at TU Darmstadt. The participants were asked to develop a business idea that solves a current problem. For Hakan and Tim, the idea came from Grandma Henny, the grandmother of Hakan’s wife. During the coronavirus pandemic, Henny felt increasingly lonely. She was not adept at using smartphones and the internet and was largely cut off from the digital world. The founders realized that older people who have not grown up with digital applications often find it difficult to navigate the digital landscape. This realization laid the foundation for the business idea of making digital participation easily accessible. “At the end of the seminar, there was a pitch in front of experts. Not only did they like our approach, but they also motivated us to develop a business case from the seminar idea with the help of the HIGHEST Innovation and Start-up Center and found a start-up,” says Tim. And Hakan adds: “This came in very handy, as it had been clear to both of us since we were young that we wanted to set up and run a company one day.
A look into the future
Thanks to the EXIST start-up grant from the Federal Ministry of Economics, which has been available to them since January of this year, Hakan, Manuel and Tim can now concentrate fully on the further development of their prototype. Over the course of the year, they want to complete the first round of financing, scale up their product and officially establish Zenaris as a company. The three founders are confident that they will be on the market in about a year.
With a combination of innovative technology, user-friendly design and a clear understanding of the needs of older people, Zenaris opens up new perspectives for digital participation. The vision of establishing the television as a central access point to the digital world could soon become a reality – and thus close an important gap in the market.
Author: Heike Jüngst
