Before the pandemic set in, Cycling Without Age (CWAS), a charity organisation, brought almost 10,000 hours of happiness to the seniors through trishaw rides that allowed them to experience local parks and foster valuable connections.
However, when the nation-wide lockdown came on and nursing homes tightened their regulations, CWAS was likewise forced to suspend their operations despite their decade-long experience in the social sector.
During the lockdown, Jerome quickly realised that his elderly parents were deprived of opportunities to engage with the outside world. This thought extended to a wider concern for other elders in the community who were especially vulnerable and socially isolated due to their immobility. Then a spark of ingenuity crossed his mind, “Why not bring the parks to the seniors?”
Jerome Yuen, CEO of Cycling Without Age, preparing seniors for their novel VR experience.
Jerome and his team swiftly set their minds to find a best solution to alleviate seniors' isolation and the negative impacts of their lack of mobility. With that, their Virtual Generations, a virtual reality (VR) trishaw rides initiative, was birthed where they created digital worlds filled with real locations of where they had used to bring seniors to prior to the pandemic.
A senior immersing in the world of the VR trishaw ride.
Evoking nostalgia in a bedridden senior engaging in a whole new immersive VR experience.
Their solution turned out to be a hit with the elderly! During their pilot test, where the team brought their Oculus VR headsets to seniors who had restricted mobility or were unable to leave their homes, one bedridden elderly man started tearing up – the VR trishaw ride had reminded him of his younger days when his father regularly gave him a ride on a trishaw. Such feelings of reminiscence and nostalgia from the older man struck a powerful chord with Jerome. He was more determined than ever to refine his idea through continuous upskilling.
Jerome Yuen (third from left), with his teammates and Dr Yap Meen Sheng (first from left),
Dean of SUSS Student Success Centre, beaming with pride at DIVE Demo Day 2023.
Under the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) recommendation, Jerome was introduced to the SUSS Designing Impactful Ventures (DIVE) programme – formerly known as the Entrepreneurship Immersion Programme. It is a five-day entrepreneurial boot camp that allows seniors and representatives of non-profit organisations to be exposed to entrepreneurial concepts and tools under the guidance, training and mentorship of seasoned entrepreneurs.
Today, Jerome and his team are going strong in bringing their VR solutions to yet more elderly through additional funding. Grateful for the valuable takeaways from DIVE, he attributes his pitching confidence to his mentors, classmates and DIVE Demo Day, where he learnt to refine and structure his ideas to pitch to potential investors. With greater goals in mind, Jerome is keen to take his dream further by joining the SUSS Venture Builder programme.
His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? "Everybody has a good idea. The difference lies in if you are going to bring it to fruition. So, take the opportunity to test it in front of someone with the experience and capacity to help you achieve your ideas!"
Join the DIVE demo day on 19 March and check out other entrepreneurship opportunities!