Stay-at-Home Order Gives Student Start-Up a New Direction

California Stay-at-Home Order Gives Student Start-Up Business a New Direction

Students currently offering technical assistance to seniors at no charge during test phase.

With mandatory stay-at-home orders and social distancing, people have come to rely heavily on technology for the delivery of food and supplies, entertainment, and to keep in touch with loved ones. 

Michael Viesca offers technical assistance while visiting a Veteran's Administration Center

Unfortunately, many senior adults who already own computers and smartphones are unfamiliar with those technologies that would allow them to place delivery orders or interface with their families. 

SDSU junior, Benjamin Shapiro, saw this situation over-and over-again while he worked as an independent tech consultant during his high school years. Another SDSU junior, Michael Viesca, noticed the same issue when he volunteered as a teaching technician at his local Veteran’s Administration center. When the two met at SDSU’s Lavin Entrepreneurship Center, they formed a team with two other students and built a start-up company to address this issue. 

“Michael and I both recognized there was a lack of accessible and affordable senior-tailored tech support,” said Shapiro who is a management/entrepreneurship major in SDSU’s Fowler College of Business. “We also met Jasmin Villa and Naveed Gorgani through the Lavin Entrepreneurship program and we bonded over our shared passion for solving this problem.”

A Prize Winning Idea
In October 2019, the four students formed a start-up company, Fresh Tech, which would provide what Shapiro describes as “an Uber-like platform that connects seniors with tech-savvy college adults who provide on-demand, hands-on tech support and training.” A few weeks after they formed their company, the team presented their idea to a panel of judges at the Lavin Center’s VentureStart Competition and they walked away with the first place trophy. 

Shortly after they won the VentureStart Competition, the four founders changed the name of their company to TekMate and they entered into the beta-test phase of their business plan. Earlier this year, they started the process of incorporation with the assistance of the Lavin Center’s legal team, but in early March, the process stopped when all SDSU classes went online and students were instructed not to come to campus due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

COVID-19 Changes TekMate’s Business Strategy
On March 2, 2020, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, issued a mandatory stay-at-home order for everyone in the state and the mandate significantly impacted the way TekMate was doing their beta-testing. “Early on, we found the best way to help our target market was one-on-one instruction during home visits,” said Shapiro. “But with social distancing, we’ve had to work hard on building a service that doesn’t put senior and older adults at risk while still being able to address the technical needs and problems they’re facing.” 

With this in mind, the company will be launching their updated website that offers a blog and database section with articles, walkthroughs and other resources geared toward seniors and their families which is free of charge. However, if more detailed assistance is needed, TekMate will offer one-on-one audio or video chat sessions that specialize in helping seniors set up Zoom meetings, food and supply delivery services and other technical assistance for $30 per session. 

While Shapiro says the TekMate team hopes to continue in-person technical assistance soon, the stay-at-home mandate has forced them to re-evaluate the best way to offer services once the company launches. “Our mission within TekMate is to empower seniors to live healthier, happier and more productive lives through technology,” he explained. “We aim to bridge the digital and generational divides through our one-stop sessions that connect older adults and seniors with accessible tech support, tutoring and a friendly community that values everyone’s impact on society.”