NEXT Venture Mentoring Service Mentee Greenville-based clothing company Authored Apparel was selected as one of 10 startups to participate in a business accelerator sponsored by Melinda Gates.
The Future of Longevity Accelerator, sponsored by Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures and Techstars, aims to empower startups that offer innovative caregiving solutions for aging adults.
Authored was selected for its stylish, thoughtfully engineered clothing options that feature discreet openings that adapt to different body needs and limitations.
Authored founder Brenda Wilton was inspired to create the adaptive clothing after spending four years in a corrective back brace that significantly restricted her ability to dress due to limited clothing options and mobility.
Years later, after working as a caregiver herself, Wilton said she wanted to reduce the stigma surrounding “old people clothes” by creating designer-quality styles that also provide ease in dressing and undressing to reduce injuries and prolong independence.
Wilton spent two and a half years as a part of the NEXT Venture Mentoring Service, and said she attributes her experience in the program as a key factor behind making her participation in the accelerator a possibility.
Tim Reed, founding member of the NEXT Venture Mentoring Service, called Wilton a “passionate entrepreneur” whose designs impressed him right from the start for their innovation and ability to meet an immediate market need.
For more information about Wilton’s company, visit AuthoredApparel.com.
