Richmond-based startup Naborforce has seen tremendous growth over the last year as their Uber-like platform connecting seniors with "Nabors" who meet up for companionship, errands and housework has taken off.
Then COVID-19 happened.
Naborforce has had to make immediate and significant changes to its services in response to the coronavirus pandemic and is already feeling the financial effects. Currently, all in-person visits have been suspended. However, elderly clients are able to connect with Nabors over the phone for a friendly chat and Nabors can still be put to use by helping with online grocery, prescription or restaurant ordering or even just dropping off a book or puzzle on the client's porch.
"We just could not run the risk of introducing this virus into the home of our at-risk senior clients," founder Paige Wilson told Inno. "It was very, very difficult and in some ways heartbreaking, not even just from the business side. We were founded on the mission of supporting seniors. Now, at the very time that in some ways they need us the most, we couldn't be there for them... at least in the manner that we had up until this point."
The previous services focused on providing companionship and help with everyday tasks to seniors who were not quite fully independent -- but don't yet require a full-time nurse or aid. As concerns around the spread of community transmission of the coronavirus intensify, Wilson said they needed to restructure the business to avoid direct contract between Nabors and their clients.
"I think in some ways this will elevate in the market the importance of connection and the toll that isolation takes on folks."
Nabors will still be allowed to use the platform to help with running errands for clients, but strict no-contact guidelines are put in place to ensure social distancing is maintained. Phone service to provide remote communication between Nabors and seniors will be available free of charge.
"Supporting our mission is really what we're focused on right now," Wilson said.
However, Wilson lamented the fact that this turn of events will severely hurt the booming business they had until this point. She expects revenue to drop 75% to 100% during the crisis, given that most revenue was generated from in-person visits. Luckily, the company is still riding on a round of funding they closed on in the fall, which they still have over half of in the bank. After re-adjusting their financial plan, Wilson anticipates being able to get the company to March or April 2021 without access to the capital market.
While the company has little overhead, as the Nabors are all contract workers, Naborforce's team has already felt the effects of the last few weeks. One position was eliminated, one was furloughed and another contract position was put on hold.
Just last week, Naborforce was voted into the championship round of Richmond Inno's Tech Madness Matchup. Until the first week of March, they were seeing double digit month-over-month growth and were gearing up to launch in two new markets. But Wilson said that will all be put on hold. Plans for expansion will hopefully be revisited in the fall.
For now, Wilson says they are continuing to work to fulfill their mission, despite the circumstances. Earlier this week, the company launched the #kindnessgram, a website where you can download a card to place on a neighbor's doorstep inviting them to call you if they need support of any kind. So far, people in five states have downloaded it.
"We know that there are seniors all over the country who are going to need support," Wilson said. "They're self-isolating and they're supposed to stay in their home and not put themselves at risk. I think in some ways this will elevate in the market the importance of connection and the toll that isolation takes on folks. All people, more than just seniors, are going to see it."
