Manulife and UpLink Name Winners of Asia Demographic Innovation Challenge

This challenge marks the second stage of a multi-year initiative designed to foster innovation in the longevity sector.

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HONG KONG, Sept. 6, 2025 – Manulife, in collaboration with UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s platform for early-stage innovation, and the Forum’s Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems, has announced the winners of the “Innovating for Asia’s Demographic Future Challenge.” This challenge, the second in a planned series of three focused on longevity, sought groundbreaking and scalable solutions to address financial resilience, promote healthy aging, and support lifelong fulfillment within the context of Asia’s rapidly changing demographic landscape.

From over 85 initial submissions, a select group of ten ventures has been recognized for their potential to drive significant positive change. Winners will gain invaluable access to networking opportunities, strategic partnerships, and enhanced global visibility through the UpLink ecosystem. Furthermore, three top innovators will receive a share of CAD $200,000 in funding to accelerate their market impact and scale their solutions.

The Winners: Addressing Asia’s Silver Tsunami

The selected companies represent a diverse range of technological and community-based solutions aimed at empowering Asia’s aging population. This reflects a growing recognition of the “silver tsunami” sweeping across the continent and the urgent need for innovative approaches to support the elderly.

• Agewhale (Hong Kong): Focusing on aging in place, Agewhale’s Care Compass app leverages digital technology to bridge the gap for elderly individuals and their caregivers, enhancing home safety and care management in Hong Kong. This is particularly relevant given the high costs of elder care facilities in the region and the cultural preference for family-based care.
• AqlCare (Abu Dhabi): AqlCare’s innovative approach transforms caregiver-patient video calls into structured cognitive screenings, enabling early detection of dementia and cognitive decline. The key here is leveraging existing interactions, minimizing disruption and maximizing compliance, which is crucial for early intervention and improved patient outcomes.
• DoctorTool (Jakarta): Revolutionizing primary care in Indonesia, DoctorTool digitizes clinics with AI-powered SaaS, eHealth apps, and IoMT, improving access, efficiency, and quality for vulnerable communities. This addresses a critical need in a country with a vast and dispersed population and limited healthcare infrastructure, and the AI component could lead to automation of some tasks.
• Happy60plus (Bengaluru): Addressing the social and emotional needs of seniors, Happy60plus offers tech-enabled wellness programs, fostering engagement, independence, and joy through virtual classes and community-building activities. This reflects an understanding that healthy aging extends beyond physical health and includes mental and social well-being.
• Infiheal (Pune): Provides hyper-personalized, AI-powered mental and sexual health support, tackling stigma and improving access to therapy for underserved populations. The use of AI allows for tailored approaches, increasing efficiency and potential for better patient adherence.
• Kinexcs (Singapore): Through AI-driven wearable rehabilitation platforms, Kinexcs enables home-based, personalized recovery for patients after joint surgeries, alleviating strain on healthcare systems and improving patient outcomes. This is particularly significant as orthopedic procedures are on the rise with aging populations.
• PINTAR’s (Singapore): The Berkala program focuses on supporting Asia’s returnee migrant workers with lifelong learning, reintegration, and social connection, utilizing digital and offline tools to bolster economic and emotional resilience. This initiative is essential given the significant contribution of migrant workers to Asian economies and the challenges they face upon returning home.
• Sav (Dubai): Leveraging AI, Sav provides an autonomous finance platform that transforms fragmented financial behavior into intelligent, outcome-driven money actions, optimizing savings, investments, and debt management. This addresses critical issues for older generations as they seek to maximize on their savings and reduce debt.
• Xandar Kardian (Toronto): Offering proactive, preventive healthcare for seniors aging in place, Xandar Kardian uses passive radar sensors for continuous, compliance-free health monitoring, reducing hospitalizations and improving overall well-being. Reducing hospitalizations is seen by investors as a key approach to tackle costs.
• YoungHappy (Bangkok): Empowers urban seniors in Thailand through a hybrid community platform, facilitating digital and offline engagement, learning, and work opportunities, promoting dignity, fun, and self-reliance.

“Manulife is proud to lead this initiative in partnership with UpLink, supporting innovative winners who are driving meaningful change across Asia to address the region’s demographic transformation,” stated Sarah Chapman, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at Manulife. “These startups are helping people live better for longer, including addressing financial security, physical wellbeing, and personal fulfillment and we’re proud to support their missions.”

The Demographic Imperative: A Region in Transition

The challenges addressed by these ventures come at a crucial time. By 2050, projections indicate that one in four people in Asia will be over the age of 60ⁱ, a demographic shift driven by increasing life expectancies and declining fertility rates. This means adapting current ‘school, work, retirement’ paradigmsⁱⁱ, as individuals transition more frequently between learning, working, caring, and recreationⁱⁱⁱ. Manulife’s recent Asia Care Survey highlight the importance of physical well-being, which further impacts both financial and mental well-being, and the rising healthcare costs is a constant concern for Asians. The challenge focused on Multigenerational Financial Resilience, Equitable Healthy Aging, and Lifelong Fulfillment.

“Early-stage innovation is vital to turning the challenges that come with Asia’s demographic shifts into meaningful opportunities for communities across the region,” noted John Dutton, Head of UpLink, World Economic Forum. “Through the Global Longevity Innovation Initiative, we are proud to partner with Manulife and the Forum’s Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems to build an innovation ecosystem that promotes healthier, more financially resilient and fulfilled lives for all generations.”

Looking ahead, the third and final challenge in this series is slated to launch in 2026, with a new, yet-to-be-announced thematic focus. Manulife’s partnership with UpLink is part of their global Impact Agenda. To learn more about Manulife’s Impact Agenda, visit manulife.com/impact.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is an international financial services provider, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Wealth & Asset Management provides global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services. More information is available at manulife.com.

About UpLink

UpLink is a World Economic Forum initiative designed to empower entrepreneurs in tackling the world’s challenges. UpLink builds ecosystems that enable purpose-driven, early-stage entrepreneurs to scale their businesses.

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i ADP: Adapting to Aging Asia and the Pacific
ii Stanford Center on Longevity
iii The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World