Nepos | Overview

The tech startup Nepos provides seniors access to the advantages of digitalization. The first product is a tablet with a user interface that everyone can understand.

Our lives are shifting to the digital realm, but an entire generation is being left behind. According to the D21 Digital Index 2017/18, 16 million people are left out of the digital world in Germany alone. Not even half of the 65-year-olds participate in the digital world. However, the Internet can provide a new way of participating in social and community life, especially in old age.

The problem: Those who have hardly participated in the digital development so far are confused and overwhelmed by today's diversity and inconsistency of the applications. After each "update" and after each click on a new Internet offer, the previously learned structure seems useless. Together with gerontologists, usability experts, software architects, and designers, Nepos developed the world's first universal user interface, called UI+ (short for Universal Interface Plus) in a three-year development process with more than 300 test users from the 65+ generation.

The UI+, combined with the high-quality hardware designed by star designer Werner Aisslinger, is the simplest tablet in the world. What's special: Users always access applications such as email, online banking, shopping or video calling with the same menu logic. In the future, all digital content can even be automatically integrated into the UI+ display, eliminating the need to relearn.

The market-ready prototype is ready for serial production. At the end of the year, the tablet is to be launched at a sales price of EUR 449 or a subscription model for EUR 29.99 per month. The market volume in Germany alone amounts to EUR 4.5 billion.

Nepos profits from the sale of the tablets and from royalties on the pre-installed offers. The scalable business model has met with great interest among media companies, banks, and mail order companies. Renowned business angels such as Florian Heinemann, Christian Vollmann, Rolf Schrömgens, and Udo Schloemer have already recognized the social relevance and enormous economic potential and have invested in Nepos.

Many older people have the impression that they are not capable of mastering new technologies. Paul Lunow experienced this with his great-aunt and therefore founded Nepos. He is convinced: "Older people are not too dim-witted for the digital world - it is the technology itself that is not optimized for them."

The heart of the first Nepos product is a newly developed user interface. All content available on the web can be easily displayed on the tablet. The user interface, Nepos Universal Interface Plus (UI+ for short), is clearly structured and makes all content accessible in a consistent, easy-to-learn format.

In collaboration with award-winning product designer Werner Aisslinger (A&W Designer of the Year 2014, Compasso d'Oro, Deutscher Designpreis, and works in MoMA New York), Nepos developed an ergonomic hardware design that is both functional and modern: The 10-inch screen, which permits a user-friendly font size, separate displays for receiving emails and viewing the battery charge state, a volume control knob, and the stable base facilitate daily use.

During setup, Nepos takes specific user interests into account and configures individual settings. Automatic updates, a closed system that protects against virus attacks, and a maintenance hotline are added to the target group-oriented product development.

The tablet is ready for the market. A Swiss partner will be responsible for production in China and subsequent scaling.

The heart of the Nepos tablet is the world's first universal user interface. We call it UI+.

Here we have developed a logic with which the knowledge learned once can be used for all applications. Whether it be writing an email, shopping or online banking.

Writing Emails

In three years of development work, over 1000 individual tests, and three long-term studies, we developed the basic principles that make it so easy to use the tablet. The test results prove us right. The stringency of the interface allows our users to discover new content and feel safer to use than on any other device.

Online Banking

Operation is based on our basic principles:

• Each operating element has exactly one function - the user cannot accidentally cause any actions.
• The user is guided in many ways - sound, language help, description, shapes, and colors guide the user to the goal
• A solution - there is a solution for every demand so that we achieve consistency in all accompanying explanatory materials and all communication.
• Aesthetic appeal - clarity and minimalism lead to a visually appealing design

Online Shopping

As part of the development, we created various application examples, such as booking hotels, shopping online, streaming music and much more, to ensure that the UI+ is able to display all content. All data must be delivered via interfaces so that we can guarantee reliability. These are the same interfaces used by Android or iOS to display content. Our easy-to-understand user interface makes a digital world accessible to everyone.

Nepos enables millions of people to use digital content and services. The tablet company also offers access to a previously unattainable target group of over 16 million people in Germany alone for the first time.

Nepos earns a share of all bookings and orders placed via the tablet. The first 5,000 devices will be delivered with a number of already available partner offers. Additional content can be integrated thanks to automatic updates.

Banks, clinics, online retailers and media companies are extremely interested in interacting with the 65+ target group. Their services can be integrated into the Nepos interface quickly and they only pay if the services are successful.

Thanks to the absolute stringency of the user interface (UI+), the integration of partners into the interface will be fully automated as of 2020.

Another source of revenue is the sale of tablets. Nepos also offers various subscription models, which include a fee-based customer hotline and additional booking options for services such as back-ups, storage capacity, and insurance. The sales price is EUR 449, subscription models are planned starting at EUR 29.99 per month. User surveys have shown that the interest in service and maintenance services is very high.

Nepos is also negotiating with several B2B partners to purchase larger quantities of tablets with exclusive offers for their customers to ensure rapid market penetration.

No competitor allows users to experience and access the digital world with a uniform user interface.

During several years of cooperation with the target group, Nepos discovered that the variety of offers and their complexity is particularly overwhelming for older people. Different operating concepts, crowded App stores, error messages, and virus warnings confuse inexperienced users. Even once they have gained access to providers such as WhatsApp or Skype, the next app or update is likely to overwhelm them once more.

Younger generations who have been socialized digitally find it easy to intuitively grasp different usage logic. Many older people have no experience with the "systematics" of computer-controlled applications, no trial-and-error experiences, and no mental model that they can transfer to the bandwidth of the applications.

Even supposedly optimized "senior citizens" tablets offer no solution, as they either completely block access to third-party applications (e.g. Grandpad) or cannot prepare and control the services of others. Thus, offers such as Asina or Media4care promise "entry into the digital world" and offer supposedly relevant content on large tile symbols in their app. However, they barely scrape the surface because even their own applications can be used in different ways and the knowledge one has learned for one application is not applicable to that of a third-party at the latest.

The universal user interface UI+ from Nepos has been registered as a combination of software and hardware and the Nepos word/picture mark is also registered at the German Patent and Trademark Office.

Several partners already work with Nepos:

Integration of Partner Content on the Nepos Platform

Every company can integrate its digital offer on the tablet free of charge. This increases the likelihood of doing business with wealthy seniors. Demand is correspondingly high. The mail-order company Klingel, the tourism company HRS, the classic streaming service Idagio, and one of the largest food delivery services have already been integrated.

B2B Sales Partnerships

More and more companies have a high interest in interacting with their older customers digitally, also for cost reasons. Banks are interested in secure terminal solutions, while a senior citizens' residence may want to use  the tablet to provide access to meal plans and event calendars. Nepos is currently negotiating exclusive solutions for the purchase of larger quantities of tablets with the largest German financial service provider, Rosenhof senior citizens' residential complexes, and Helios clinics, among others.

Research and Development

Nepos works together with the Fraunhofer Institute and YOUSE. The Nepos Lab controls the research activities so that digital applications for the 65+ generation can also be tested and simplified in the future.

Potential users of the tablet include not only seniors but all "digital outsiders," i.e. all people who have problems using computer technology. According to the D21 Index 2017, this includes 16 million people in Germany alone and around 127 million in the EU. Most of them are over 60 years old. In the long term, international markets such as China and Japan are also interesting for Nepos due to their demographic structure.

Marketing and sales focus on:

Already achieved

In the last three years, the tech startup developed the consistent menu logic, the universal user interface UI+, in which all applications of the digital world can be integrated. The product design of the tablet has also been completed on both the mechanical and electronic fronts. Nepos has a production partner and production plan and has a strong network of partners.

Next steps

The tablet is ready for serial production, for which preparations are ongoing. The production of a pre-series of 100 tablets is planned by September 2018. Subsequently, the CE marking of the devices is to take place so that the production of the first edition can be commenced with 500 units. Production will be expanded to more than 5,000 units by December 2018.

The vision

Companisto Investment Level 1: EUR 200,000

• Preparation of follow-up financing
• PR & marketing activities to convey the social relevance of the topic

Companisto Investment Level 2: EUR 500,000

In addition to the measures from level 1

• Commissioning of serial production, production of die-casting tools
• Production of the first 100 units for certification and market entry through pilot projects

Companisto Investment Level 3: EUR 1,000,000

In addition to the measures from level 1 and 2

• Production of 2,500 units
• Marketing through tech influencers
• PR campaign about technology and an aging society

Companisto Investment Level 4: EUR 1,750,000

In addition to the measures from level 1 through 3

• Production of 5,000 units
• Marketing Christmas sales 2018

Companisto Investment Level 5: EUR 2,500,000

In addition to the measures from level 1 through 4

• Conversion of the automatic generation of applications for the UI+
• Development of the platform API

Additionally:

• Florian Heinemann, founder of Project A
• Udo Schloemer, founder of Factory
• Rolf Schrömgens, founder of Trivago
• VC ProSiebenSat.1 Digital GmbH

Pictured:
Mo, Florian, Luise, Giuseppe, Istvan, Daniel, Pascal, Julius, Miro, Chia, Leland, Philipp, Christian, Umer, Bob, Tabita, Guillermo und Paul.

Not pictured:
Akram, Jaecy, Werner, Sebastian, Stefan und Leo.

Nepos GmbH

Office: Bessemerstr. 2 - 14, 12103 Berlin
Headquarters: Auguststr. 16a, 12209 Berlin

Phone: +49 30 12 08 60 72
E-Mail: hallo-crowd@nepos.de

Website: https://www.nepos.de