Modernizing Elder Care
The idea was born from Kaul’s personal experiences. As a child, he volunteered at a local nursing home in Livingston, N.J., with his father and brother. They’d spend hours playing bingo and keeping the residents company at meal times. “My dad wanted to instill an appreciation and respect for elders in us,” he says.
After graduating from Bucknell as an anthropology major, Kaul decided to attend medical school. But life threw him a curveball when he found himself in the position of being the legal guardian for a family member in a nursing home. “Juggling intensive care along with medical school was one of the most difficult things I had done,” he says. “I couldn’t imagine how overwhelming it could have been without professional familiarity with medicine.”
Motivated to ease the burden for others, in 2020, he decided to leave medical school to launch Unio. Through the mobile app, families can view vitals and medications, get an alert when there is a change in care and communicate with nursing home staff and health care providers.
Kaul needed help to fully realize his vision, and Bishop and Sprague were eager to join the venture. Bishop, who had double-majored in economics and computer science, brought his expertise in software development and design. Sprague, who studied political science and had built a career in real estate lending, became Unio’s chief operating officer.
With an initial round of seed funding from family and friends, Unio capitalized on a program with PointClickCare, a health care software company. It listed Unio’s app on its marketplace, allowing the startup to tap into the company’s established customer base and run a successful pilot program at a care facility in Maryland.
“Our technology is a relatively new idea to care communities, and there can be hesitancy about adopting new technology,” Sprague says. “However, the demand for innovative solutions like Unio will surge as younger generations take on caregiving responsibilities.”
It is gaining recognition: Unio was a finalist in the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s 2023 Tech 50 Awards. Now the company is in growth mode. “Unio is actively seeking partnerships with other tech and health care companies,” Sprague says. “We are also collaborating with patient and family advocacy groups to gain deeper insights into the needs of families and establish ourselves as a trusted solution within the long-term care community.”