Alive Live, our series of conversations on design and innovation for older adults, returns! Join hosts John Zapolski and Ayse Birsel with guests Alan Patricof and Abby Miller Levy of Primetime Partners in a live discussion on February 5th at 12pm PT.

Alive Ventures believes many of the next great billion dollar companies waiting to be built are businesses serving the 55 million+ older adults. Businesses offering great products, great experiences, and great brands. Businesses that are excited to serve older people because they have fascinating, multi-dimensional wants and needs that teach us unique things about what it means to live well.

Join us for Alive Live, in conversation with emerging voices and legendary figures in innovation, as we explore together how we can design great companies that help older adults -- and the rest of us -- live, love, and work better.

Alan Patricof

Alan is the Co-founder and Chairperson of Primetime Partners. With a 50-plus year career in venture capital, Alan has been instrumental in growing the venture capital field from a base of high net-worth individuals to its position today with broad institutional backing, as well as playing a key role in the essential legislative initiatives that have guided its evolution. Alan founded Apax Partners, leading global private equity advisory firm, and co-founded Greycroft, a venture capital firm focusing on investments in the internet and mobile markets. He has helped build and foster the growth of numerous major global companies, including, among others, America Online, Office Depot, Cadence Systems, Cellular Communications, Inc., Apple Computer, FORE Systems, NTL, IntraLinks, Audible, Axios, and Wondery.

Abby Miller Levy

Abby Miller Levy, a health and wellness executive, operator and former founder leads Primetime as the Managing Partner. Prior to Primetime, Abby has spent her career helping businesses and consumer brands grow as an operator, entrepreneur and advisor, most notably in the wellness sector. Prior to Primetime Partners, Abby was an executive at SoulCycle, where she oversaw business development and revenue growth outside the consumer studio business, with an emphasis on building new digital products as the Senior Vice President of Strategy & Growth. Abby has also been a Founder herself, teaming with Arianna Huffington to launch Thrive Global, a leader in employer wellbeing solutions. Abby served as President of Thrive Global and remains on the Thrive Board. Abby began her career at McKinsey & Company then led product development at OXO International. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.

John Zapolski

John Zapolski is the founder and CEO of Alive Ventures. After traveling across the country listening to groups of regular, middle class older adults talk about their lives and the types of products and experiences they wish existed, John realized that designers and entrepreneurs typically got it wrong. He created Alive Ventures to bring focus, creative energy, and new investment to the aspects of life worth looking forward to as we age.

As a serial social entrepreneur, John has long worked at the intersection of new ventures, philanthropy, design, and culture. He previously co-founded and led several new social purpose ventures, including Fonderie 47 and STEAM Carnival.

Ayse Birsel

Ayse (pronounced Eye-Shay) Birsel is Chief Design Officer at Alive Ventures. She applies her humanistic point-of-view in design and innovative thinking to the rich tapestry of possibilities in later life, drawing on her expertise co-designing with people of all ages and across all walks of life. Drawing on tools from her book, Design the Life You Love, Ayse has helped hundreds of older adults, designers, and entrepreneurs identify and express ground-breaking ideas for living, working, and loving better as we age.

Ayse is also the co-founder of Birsel + Seck, the award-winning design and innovation studio, and has consulted to Amazon, CVS, Herman Miller, GE, IKEA, Staples and Toyota, among others. Her work can be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Ayse has written more than 200 articles for INC.com and is on the faculty of School of Visual Arts (SVA). Fast Company named her one of the Most Creative People in Business in 2017.