Throughout the pandemic, one of the hardest hit communities across the country has been senior care and living facilities. And through it all, a local startup has been deploying its tech to help keep residents and their families connected.
With shelter-in-place orders separating families from their loved ones as the coronavirus began to spread in the U.S., feelings of loneliness increased for many. This has also caused an increased focus on the use of technology to help bring people safely together. Since its launch, Dallas-based senior-focused video storytelling SaaS startup OneDay has used videos to share stories and memories. And with the pandemic, the company has seen amplified need and usage of its technology.
“Due to the pandemic, these communities were left first and foremost to figure out the safety of their residents but also how to prevent isolation, loneliness and connectedness to their family members since they couldn’t visit anymore,” OneDay co-founder and CEO Clint Lee told NTX Inno. “Our mission is to connect people through stories, and we we’re just fortunate to have a really easy-to-use video platform already set up.”
Since March, OneDay has seen people create more than 100,000 videos on its platform across the thousands of communities it works with. Its software provides question-and-answer prompts for seniors living in communities to create videos and content related to their thoughts and memories to be shared with family and the community. However, OneDay is now seeing other uses for its technology. Lee said some senior living communities have begun using it to create virtual tours of their facilities for prospective new residents.
Lee said senior care groups have been slow to adopt video technology during the pandemic – something he sees continuing even after it passes. This can be seen in OneDay. Since around March, even with its about 35-member team working from home, the company has experienced 100% growth, doubling it number of community customers from about 2,000 to around 4,000.
He said OneDay’s video technology also helps to create more personalized care within a senior community, since it gives care providers more insight into the individual they are taking care of.
“There’s a reason that storytelling is a big buzz word right now… it’s because it works, it connects us. I think there’s a powerful thing that happens to somebody when they know their story is important,” Lee said. “If we can do that and capture peoples' stories so that we help everyone understand that their story is important and that they’re story maters to somebody, that’s a powerful thing.”
In early December, OneDay closed on a $5.2 million Series A funding round (bringing its total funding to about $6.8 million, since launching in 2012) led by Austin’s Silverton Partners. Spieker Partners and Dallas-based Green Park and Golf Ventures joined. This has helped OneDay roll out some new technology to help during the pandemic.
In June, the company announced the launch of a new software service called Reflect by OneDay. The technology helps families crowdsource personal videos after the passing of a relative. Since social distancing and other safety measures make traveling to and gathering at a funeral difficult, Reflect allows users to send a message to their friends and family after a passing and they can they record personalized messages, memories and condolences which can be compiled by the family or funeral home.
“We saw an opportunity to really crowdsource a video documentary of someone’s life really from all different perspectives no matter where you are,” Lee said. “It’s definitely a really tough situation. We feel that that context you can get through storytelling videos is so great. We doubled down and said, ‘this is where we're supposed to be at the right time.’”
As more senior communities adopt OneDay’s platform, Lee said the company is planning to roll out new features and continue expanding into new markets.
“At the end of the day, we always tell our team members… to give it their best because there’s going to be a ripple effect in the world… there’s a kid who is going to be able to meet their grandparent if they didn’t get to meet them before,” Lee said.
