Helping Older Adults Confidently Navigate Technology

When he was in high school, Abraham Flynn’s grandparents, family friends, and fellow churchgoers called him all the time with questions about their computer, phone, or printer. They needed help, and Flynn saw an opportunity.

He founded Techy Seniors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and made house calls to older adults to help them understand and troubleshoot their home technology and digital devices. He recalls one client who struggled to order basic food necessities for home delivery. Flynn realized that she needed to update her DoorDash app, and the problem was solved.

“If you don’t have someone in your life who can help with these types of problems, you can just get stuck,” Flynn said. “Older adults get these devices, maybe passed down from their kids or grandkids, and they are just thrown into this frustrating environment without any onboarding or help. I want older adults to maintain a sense of independence, no matter what their level of technological expertise.”

Now a second-year student in computer science at Northwestern Engineering with a major concentration in AI, Flynn launched Techy Seniors as a startup company focused on accessibility, digital safety, and everyday usability. The digital support platform is designed to help older adults confidently navigate technology using AI-assisted guidance and intelligent solution guides. In addition, the remote support functionality facilitates real-time, one-on-one human support by connecting users with Techy Seniors staff or a trusted friend or family member.

Building on the practice and feedback he’s gained from pitching to venture capitalists, Flynn recently won first place in the Pitch Competition at the National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) Fall Regional Conference in Cincinnati, OH. Flynn is advancing to NSBE’s 2026 Annual Convention Pitch Showcase in Baltimore this March.

Mentorship and guidance along the way

Although Techy Seniors is a solo venture, Flynn has benefited from strong mentorship and guidance. Through The Garage at Northwestern University’s Summer Startup Internship Program, Flynn joined San Francisco-based Campground Systems as a software development intern. Collaborating with Campground founder Sruti Bharat (Kellogg ‘19), he was able to see firsthand how a startup is run and maintained. He also gained practical training in full-stack development, product design, and user-centered engineering, which directly shaped how he built the Techy Seniors platform.

“On the one hand, I took things slow and made sure things didn't break and structured the implementation,” Flynn said. “But I also learned from Sruti and Campground’s senior engineer how to use tools like Cursor and Loveable to quickly mock-up versions and then build from that. Since I am a computer science student, I knew what would work and what's going to break, so I could detect and fix different bugs in the prototypes.”

Flynn, who plans to pursue the combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science, credits what he’s learned in COMP_SCI 348: Intro to Artificial Intelligence for piquing his interest in AI. He looks forward to taking COMP_SCI 349: Machine Learning in the winter quarter to dive deeper into machine learning. He also emphasized how the COMP_SCI 333: Interactive Information Visualization course guided his decision making for the Techy Seniors around the platform’s data visualizations, visual hierarchy, and navigation.

To his peers considering launching a startup or committing to an independent project, Flynn advises: “Just go after it. Don't ever limit yourself.”

“Get out there,” Flynn advises. “Connect with as many people as you can, meet developers in different types of companies, because you don’t know where it may take you. My first pitch to a VC investor was terrible. But because I had taken the step of cold emailing him on LinkedIn, that encouraged him to talk through my ideas and help me out.”

From build to beta testing

Flynn is now completing the final round of feature implementation prior to beta testing, which will include onboarding five senior centers as pilot partners to help him refine the platform before a broader release.

Starting from a simple, Google Search style interface, users type their question—for example, ‘my printer isn’t working’ or ‘my phone won’t connect to Wi-Fi’—or use the voice navigation feature to be routed to one of several solution hubs, including Tech Problem Solver, Health & Medical, Personal Finance, Smart Shopping, Notes & Passwords, and Scam Detection.

His next steps include building out a service connections feature that will sync Techy Seniors with clients’ Gmail and Google Drive to flag and delete spam and address storage limit issues. He is also working on a Tutorial Zone that will include video walkthroughs of iPhones and iPads, Android devices, and Windows and Mac desktop computers and a digital helper bot that will provide step-by-step assistance. Flynn also aims to use machine learning to ensure that the system learns from the needs of, and is personalized to, the unique needs of each user.

To learn more about Techy Seniors, visit techyseniors.org.