SEED SPOT is profiling SEED SPOT alumni that are part of InvestSW’s Venture Madness. Venture Madness is the premier investment competition in the Southwest and the top 64 companies compete for investment dollars. We are proud to support our alumni that are participating in the competition and the growing startup ecosystem in Arizona. As part of the competition, the world gets to help select the companies that advance. We sat down for a quick chat with Jacob Hamman the founder of Zenjoi. Let’s learn a bit more about this SEED SPOT alumnus participating in Venture Madness!
Venture Name: Zenjoi
Justin (left) and Jacob Hamman (right) with their mom
What is Zenjoi’s Mission?
To improve the quality of life for people caring for and living with dementia.
Tell us a bit about why you started Zenjoi?
Two years ago, my Mother was officially diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. I have been witnessing the slow degradation in her ability to remember, communicate, perform activities of daily living and ultimately to function independently. My younger brother and I have made significant life changes to move back home to help care for our Mom and in our new jobs as caregivers, we have striven to help our Mom have the highest quality of life. Our situation is not unique and there are currently over 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. We started Zenjoi to help improve the quality of life for all families and individuals affected by this horrible disease.
What do the next 12 months look like for you?
Over the next 12 months we plan to conduct several pilot studies and continue developing our technology offering, with a target launch in Mid 2017.
What is one piece of advice would you share with a future entrepreneur?
Focus on something that you are very passionate about.
How can the SEED SPOT community help you succeed?
The SEED SPOT community can help by sharing our mission and connecting us to families and memory care communities who will benefit from our solutions. We are also seeking connections with researchers studying the benefits of therapy for persons with dementia.
As part of the Venture Madness competition the world gets to vote on the companies that proceed in the competition!
Be sure to vote for Jacob to help Zenjoi progress to the next round of Venture Madness: bit.ly/zenjoi
