Editor's note: Each year, DC Inno and the Washington Business Journal spotlight some of the region’s top young innovators under the age of 25, and this year we’re featuring a diverse group of nine disruptors, philanthropists and venture capital enthusiasts determined to shake up the status quo. Click here to read the other profiles.
Marie Brodsky, CEO, co-founder, WISE Cities
- Age: 21
- Hometown: Rockville
- College: University of Maryland, class of 2024
- Major: Mathematics
- First job: My childhood startup, “Kids Consult!,” reviewing education companies’ materials for kids
Tell us a bit about your business: WISE Cities connects older adults to their local communities to allow for healthy aging at home. We’re a social impact startup envisioning a future without social isolation and with an integrated network of support for older adults.
What was your inspiration for the idea? My grandpa moved in with my family and I noticed how isolated he was, lacking any avenues for community engagement. I began to think about the gap in community infrastructure that existed to support the older generations.
Who are your customers? We offer a multisided platform, so the answer is a bit complicated! Older adults and family members use the platform to discover local opportunities and resources. The listings come from organizations ranging from senior centers and libraries to businesses that want to inform more older adults of their offerings.
How does the business generate revenue? Businesses pay a monthly subscription fee to be listed on the platform, giving them a tailored channel for gaining visibility among older adults in the local area.
What funding have you received to date? We [Brodsky and co-founders Katherine-Aria Close and Richard McHorgh] have gained approximately $60,000 in funding. This has come from a combination of competition awards and accelerator program stipends as well as our city grant [from the city of Fairfax].
What has been your biggest challenge so far? Since our platform relies on both the participation of organizations and individual users, we need to be quite tactical about how we launch in any given region. Our work also lies in a very fragmented field of various services for adults, so bringing them together in a thoughtful way is not straightforward.
Proudest accomplishment? The fact that we have stuck with WISE Cities with such dedication and passion over time means so much more to me than any single award or milestone we have reached. If I had to pick one, I would say being chosen as the venture with most potential at the U21 RISE International Showcase [earlier this year] was most motivating.
Where do you see yourself five years from now? I feel that I am perpetually overflowing with ideas for how I would love to expand WISE Cities, so I hope that five years from now I will have had the capacity to, at minimum, explore some of those more creative ideas and satisfy my curiosity for how pursuing them might go. Of course, I hope that five years from now I will have the chance to observe many individual older adults experiencing a greater quality of life as a result of their access to WISE Cities. I hope that I will still be pushing this venture forward, and if all falls apart and that is no longer the case, I know that I will be working on another.
Favorite book? “How To Make Enough Time To Read” would probably be my favorite if it existed! That said, one of the most deeply moving books I read was the memoir “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi.
What do you do to unwind? My favorite mental break activities are climbing and acroyoga (look it up, it’s a very playful trust exercise!). I also sing in choir and at home, much to my brothers’ dismay.