Spotlight on Deval Delivala GetSetUp's Senior Vice President of International Markets

Liz Miller

Spotlight on Deval Delivala GetSetUp's Senior Vice President of International Markets

Deval Delivala was an initial investor at GetSetUp and also one of the first twenty employees at Uber and was there for eight years. She helped start Uber in international markets. In her most recent role she was heading Supply growth for India and started multiple initiatives such as safety, vehicle financing, and leasing business. She first met GetSetUp Co-Founder and CEO, Neil Dsouza, as co-members of a board of education non-profit. They got to know each other through that program when he shared his idea for GetSetUp with her.

“Over the past few years, I have known Neil to be an exceptionally dedicated and bright entrepreneur. When he explained his idea of helping upskill seniors to me, I was keenly interested. I recognized the need and scope of such a service and was confident that Neil and Lawrence were the right people to do it.”

GetSetUp is the fastest growing social learning and engagement platform for older adults and now has Delivala as Senior Vice President of International Markets and co-founder.

Why do you want to build GetSetUp?

“My husband and I would joke that almost all our visits to our parents were turning into tech support sessions. I worked at Uber for 8 years so anyway was the default support person (still am) for any app issues.

The problems faced by the 50+ generation are real and calls for an immediate solution. Not only is the range of apps overwhelming, but the lack of awareness of tech could lead them to further issues and scams.

I want to help build GetSetUp as a global platform for older adults to learn, socialize, get fit and contribute to our communities. I'd like it to be a safe space for seniors to be curious and learn without judgments and build an empathetic community. New tools have opened up a world of possibilities for anyone to be an entrepreneur or a creator.

Why should older adults be left behind? Why not empower them?

By teaching them classes on Shopify, Canva and digital marketing, we bring them into the creator economy.”

What parallels do you see, if any, with GetSetUp and your past work with Uber?

“At GetSetUp, much like with Uber, we solve a real problem affecting a large section of the population. There is a natural product-market fit. At the heart of it, we have a robust product that is scalable and relevant across geographies. In both cases, the first to market advantage is crucial for our mission to service larger populations.”

What motivates you in this industry?

“It's fulfilling. To offer a product to our audience, see them use it, appreciate it and grow from it. Seeing them feel empowered by it is deeply gratifying.”

What are your goals for GetSetUp?

“Empower older adults to embrace technology, come online and create with us anywhere in the world.”

Who do you think should be interested in partnering with GetSetUp and why?

“The pandemic has really brought to light the need of the hour to offer elder care services like we offer child care in so many companies. We see a lot of companies very eager to offer elder care benefit programs to their employees' parents. We also see these services becoming essential health and well-being services through technologies so many healthcare providers are taking the first step to be innovators in their field. Plus, government programs to support the aging population and even insurance firms see a real need for the work we are doing.”

Why do you think education is essential for older adults?

“Education is essential for everyone at every life stage. In this context, older adults already have their rich experiences and wisdom from a long life. Once they learn some of the newer tech tools available to them, they can express better and continue engaging with their communities. It’s about empowerment and relevance. In fact with tech on their side, it is the younger generations that would benefit from their collective wisdom.”

What areas do you see yourself expanding for GetSetUp in Asia?

“I would like to expand the countries we offer classes in, with that naturally will come classes in new languages. I then of course will continue to assure that our product is advancing to meet the needs of older adults and that we continue to offer new, engaging, and diverse classes to our learners.”

Why did you choose to invest in GetSetUp initially?

“We are witnessing a shift in our immediate senior generations. With better medical and infrastructure support people are living longer and better. Hence they are active well beyond the conventional retirement age of 65. My father works over 80 hours a week at 67. He is constantly buying new gadgets and learning advanced Excel to stay on top of what he needs for work. My grandfather-in-law oversaw his company, multiple non-profits and his school till the age of 90. We really need to build technology and tools for this generation and it is the fastest growing demographic too. No one is building for this demographic - which is the largest fastest growing and richest generation in most parts of the world.”

GetSetUp was founded to create economic, social and educational opportunities for older adults, and in the 15 months since its founding, has achieved significant growth in partnerships and platform usage, including more than 1.2 million users in 160 countries and multiple partners, particularly in the health and wellness industry. During the past three months, GetSetUp users around the globe have logged more than 4 million active minutes on the platform by accessing the 500-plus hours of programming available each week. GetSetUp has localized sites in Australia and India, as well as in the U.S., and will soon launch sites in Singapore, Canada and the United Kingdom.

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Spotlight on Deval Delivala GetSetUp's Senior Vice President of International Markets
Spotlight on Deval Delivala GetSetUp's Senior Vice President of International Markets
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Spotlight on Deval Delivala GetSetUp's Senior Vice President of International Markets
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