The Longevity Economy: Inside the World’s Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market

Would-be entrepreneurs take note: the founding director of MIT’s AgeLab has a message for you about a severely underestimated, undertapped market. By 2050, people over 65 will be more than 16.7% of the world’s population—and more than 25% of the populations of some European and Asian countries. Yet “less than 15 percent of companies have established any sort of strategies focused on older adults.” Meanwhile, older women in particular are projected by economists to have a huge influence on the marketplace. Coughlin goes on to show in detail why Silicon Valley and other tech hubs are, in their bias toward the young and male as both workers and consumers, missing a huge opportunity. Coughlin even argues that, if American businesses could find ways to capture the productivity of an older workforce, they could improve America’s GDP. The author’s evangelism is contagious. Convinced that home sharing, grocery delivery, and online dating sites are examples of services that transcend age in their appeal, he makes a striking case for putting a new, less generically young and male face on entrepreneurship, product design, and marketing. His book should inspire entrepreneurs of all generations to dust off their best business plans and make products that are exciting for all ages and abilities. (Nov.)