Deval Delivala helped start Uber in international markets heading Uber’s supply growth for India and started multiple initiatives around safety, vehicle financing, and leasing. She was an initial investor in GetSetUp and saw its potential, so joined as a co-founder. Now she’s leading international growth for GetSetUp and helping to expand to new markets such as India, Australia, and beyond.
Please tell us a little bit about your business – what is GetSetUp all about?
GetSetUp is on a mission to help those over 55 learn new skills, connect with others and unlock new life experiences. Our social learning platform helps over 4.6 million older adults in 160 countries stay mentally and physically fit, creates economic opportunities through jobs and reskilling, and provides a community where people find meaning and purpose by sharing their knowledge and passions and forming new connections.
Classes are taught by older adults on a highly interactive, custom-built video platform where older adults can connect during and in between classes. Classes are taught in English, Spanish, Hindi, and Mandarin.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company.
I was born in India and studied engineering at the University of Mumbai. After graduating, I realized that engineering wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I switched gears and got a job at JP Morgan in stock and equity research. That is where I first became passionate about tech. It was 2005, and Google and Youtube were doing some innovative things. I wanted to be in the middle of the action and was determined to go to grad school near Silicon Valley. I went on to get an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley focused on startups. My big break was joining Uber when they first launched, where I led Uber’s expansion and supply growth for eight years.
I first connected with Neil Dsouza, another co-founder of GetSetUp, while taking a sabbatical from corporate life. We both worked in the non-profit space, and he told me about his work to empower older adults through an online peer-to-peer learning platform. I was immediately intrigued by what he was doing, so I joined as an angel investor. Once I saw the impact and opportunity I joined as a co-founder and am now in charge of expanding our global reach.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
Curiosity, boldness, and dedication.
- Curiosity is what keeps you trying new things and learning from your mistakes. When you’re curious about something, you’re eager to learn more about it—and then you can apply what you’ve learned to new situations or problems.
- Boldness is where curiosity meets action. It means that you’re not afraid to try new things or go beyond where others have gone before. It isn’t about being reckless or foolish; it’s about being brave enough to take a chance on something new, even if you don’t know exactly how it will turn out.
- Dedication is the fuel that keeps us going when we encounter setbacks along the way. If something doesn’t work out exactly how we’d hoped it would, a dedicated person will keep working towards their goal until they achieve it—or find another way there!
What are your plans for the future, and how do you plan to grow this company?
I want to continue to grow and expand GetSetUp’s offerings. This means continuing to offer classes in new languages and expanding our reach into more markets. I also want to continue improving our platform so that it continues to meet the needs of older adults by bringing them new and engaging experiences.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
The pandemic was a time of great upheaval and change. Many paradigms shifted when it came to how older adults used technology, and those who were once considered uninterested in it found themselves using it in new ways.
Classes on GetSetUp help older adults learn technology skills, but they also provide much-needed socialization based on common areas of interest. Our classes have helped a lot of older adults stay engaged, create connections, and reduce feelings of loneliness by providing opportunities for connectedness that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
We’re changing the way people think about tech and older adults.
We know that older adults often face the digital divide—they don’t have the access or the knowledge they need to learn new technology. We help provide it!
We offer an easy-to-use and understandable community for older adults that provides them with the information they need, the answers to their questions, and the means to be and stay empowered.
We’re unique because we’ve created an experience built on community. Our platform is designed so that Learners feel comfortable asking questions and sharing their thoughts with each other.
GetSetUp offers technology customized for older adults to have a highly interactive experience where they can connect during and in between classes. For example, we’ve enhanced our video features by creating the Lounge, which enables Learners to join classes directly without launching Zoom for those who are new to technology, or want to view classes from the browser.
We offer job skills training. For many older adults, an encore career is necessary because of financial needs. We help train our Learners in new technology, how to create a resume, and how to interview for a job. For some, their job post-retirement is working as a GetSetUp Guide and sharing their expertise. Our latest initiative is the Startup Accelerator Program where entrepreneurs over 55 competed for a chance to win money to start or grow their own business. We had five winners who received $2500 each. They’ll also receive ongoing mentoring from GetSetUp.
We empower the community not only to learn but to share their passions and skills with the community. They are able to host Community Sessions on topics of interest to them— embracing elderhood, growing up with the Beatles, living healthy, and more.
Through the GetSetUp Club, an interactive social platform, we’ve created a safe, fun, place for community members to interact before and after classes. This is especially important for those who may face social isolation or mobility issues and gives them the opportunity to interact with their peers at any time on any topic.
All of these are keys to preventing cognitive decline, finding purpose, and engaging in community which help people to stay healthier and happier as they age.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
Mistakes are opportunities to learn. We test new things, fail fast, and learn from our mistakes. I wouldn’t say there are a top three mistakes. I think what is most impactful is what we have learned. Here’s what we’ve learned:
Customization is essential- We adjust to meet the needs of different countries and partners. For example, right away we realized we would need a different strategy for India based on Whatsapp and text communications instead of only emails like we did in the US.
Listen to your users – We customize our technology to really meet the needs of older adults. We learn from our users, so based on their feedback we made a customized platform, the Lounge, so they didn’t have to download Zoom and can participate right from the browser.
Make the product global – We adjust for Learner diversity by adding classes in different languages such as Hindi and Mandarin. We also make our platform accessible with closed captioning. Plus we adjust for region-specific topics.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
We believe that creating an excellent user experience is the best marketing you can do. We find that our Learners are our best source of marketing—they spread the word about what they’ve learned from us to friends, family members, and community members!
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
We’re growing fast, and that means we need to find the right people for the right roles. The good news is that we have the capacity to grow fast—the bad news is that it can be hard to find people who share our passions, culture fit, and skills.
One of the most important things I’ve learned about finding these good people is not being in a rush. Don’t hire someone just because they are available. It’s important to do your due diligence, rely on your network for good referrals, and always check references. This pays off in the long run even if it means that the position remains vacant for a while longer than you’d like!
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- I’m a huge fan of Calendly, and I think it’s one of the best tools for managing appointments. It’s especially helpful when I’m focused on recruiting and scheduling interviews. It saves me, as well as my potential candidates, a lot of back and forth especially since people are increasingly working remotely from multiple locations.
- I’ve tried many productivity and note-taking apps, but my favorite is Notes. It’s simple but powerful and it syncs with all my devices, and it keeps me organized.
- Notion is my favorite project management tool. It makes it easy to plan, organize, and collaborate on projects with colleagues. You can create a calendar of events, add tasks and subtasks, manage your team’s schedule in one place, and more—all in one app.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
I’d create a meal delivery service like DoorDash or Uber East and call it “Cooking for Seniors.” The food would be healthy, and companies and organizations could donate food to those in need. It can be hard for seniors to get out of their houses and eat well. They might not have the strength to cook or get around well enough to go grocery shopping. This service would take care of that problem by bringing nutritious food right to their door.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
It’s so fulfilling to be able to offer something we’re passionate about and see it used by our audience. It’s amazing to see people use what you’ve created, especially when they feel empowered by it.
Our goal is always to make the lives of our Learners easier, and when they come back and tell us that they’ve learned something new, or found a solution to a problem they were having—that feels great!
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
Take the time to build the right team. The foundation of any company is its people, and that’s true for all companies from startups to established corporations. And regardless of where you are in your business’s growth cycle, it’s important to have the right people on your team—people with complementary skills, motivations, and work ethics.
How can readers get in touch with you?
I can be reached personally at deval@getsetup.io, or for press inquiries, they can write to press@getsetup.io
