Ratan Tata backs Goodfellows, India’s first startup for senior citizen companionship

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons and a prominent supporter of startups, recently announced an undisclosed investment in a start-up that offers senior citizens companionship as a service. The newest investment by Tata has been disclosed in Shantanu Naidu’s start-up firm Goodfellows.

Naidu has been employed by Tata since 2018. He is a graduate of Cornell University’s Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and a general manager in Tata’s office. Ratan Tata and Shantanu both adore dogs and stray animals, and Shantanu founded a company called Motopaws to cater to them.

Naidu estimates that 50 million elderly people live alone and without someone with whom to share their life. Naidu refers to the 84-year-old industrialist as his boss, mentor, and friend.

Startup Goodfellows hires young people with emotional intelligence and sensitivity to serve as senior citizen companions. In order to make their days easier, they assist them with any task.

Presently, 20 senior citizens in Mumbai are being assisted by Goodfellows companions. They intend to provide services in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune. The senior citizens must be visited three times per week, and companions are expected to stay with them for about four hours each time. After a one-month trial period, the company charges Rs 5000 as the base subscription fee for a month.