Impact Innovators at the Fireside
Impact Innovators at the Fireside
Podcast Description
How do ambitious innovators turn some of the world's biggest problems into tomorrow's breakthrough businesses?
Around a crackling campfire deep in the woods, tech founders share their journey from global challenge to game-changing solution. Host Arjé Cahn, who built his own startup into a unicorn before becoming an impact investor, digs deep into what really works. Raw, thoughtful conversations about building companies that matter.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show focuses on essential issues such as the role of artificial intelligence in solving world problems, digital distraction management, and the carbon credit market's intricacies, with episodes featuring Buster Franken discussing AI for humanitarian purposes, Caroline Cadwell exploring innovative methods to tackle digital distractions, and Kees van Santen examining transparency in carbon credits.
How do ambitious innovators turn some of the world’s biggest problems into tomorrow’s breakthrough businesses?
Around a crackling campfire deep in the woods, tech founders share their journey from global challenge to game-changing solution. Host Arjé Cahn, who built his own startup into a unicorn before becoming an impact investor, digs deep into what really works. Raw, thoughtful conversations about building companies that matter.
Looking for practical AI applications that actually make a positive impact on the world, I ran into Raphael Rubens, MemoMate’s CEO.
When Rafael realized his grandparents’ Holocaust survival stories might be lost forever, he built an AI to interview his grandmother. He found out that interacting with an AI was quite comfortable for her. So he decided to dig into the world of AI applications for elderly care.
To truly understand his users, Raphael was so bold as to move into an American senior living community for two months. As a 20-something startup founder, he ate breakfast with 80-year-olds, attended their lectures, and lived their daily reality.
Through this experience, he uncovered a deeper issue than he’d initially set out to solve. Sure, people loved sharing their life stories with AI, but the real problem was something else: caregivers drowning in so much paperwork they barely had time for actual human connection. Here was a clear market problem to go solve.
By 2040, nearly one-third of our population will be over 65, but we’ll have less than half the caregivers we need. That’s not a distant problem – that’s a crisis happening right now.
In this episode, Rafael shares how MemoMate evolved from a biography tool to an AI assistant that’s tackling one of society’s biggest challenges. This is exactly the kind of practical AI application we need – one that starts with the problem, not the solution.
- (00:00) – AI Tackling the Caregiver Crisis with Raphael Rubens of Memomate
- (02:13) – Personal story about grandparents and Holocaust survival
- (05:31) – Reflecting on Past Failures
- (05:41) – Facebook for dead people
- (06:49) – Grandmother’s ChatGPT
- (12:13) – Living in a Senior Community
- (12:49) – Moving there
- (13:57) – Living in the Community for Research
- (16:19) – Exploring New Use Cases
- (20:19) – Surveys
- (21:49) – Transition to Phone-Based Surveys
- (23:44) – AI Integration and Compliance
- (26:08) – Work life balance of inhabitants and staff
- (27:05) – Double edged nature of tech
- (30:34) – Future Vision and Expansion
- (31:31) – Advice for Entrepreneurs
Relevant Links
🤖 MemoMate (https://memomate.app/)
🔗 LinkedIn: Rafael Rubens (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelrubens/)
🔗 LinkedIn: Arjé Cahn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjecahn/)
Connect With Us
🔥 Podcast Website (https://www.impactinnovators.com)
Note: This episode was recorded in February 2025. Regulations and market conditions discussed may have evolved since recording.
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.