In a recent conversation with Thomson, he shared his thoughts on current trends in the tech and Internet industries, and opined on the next big things that we should be expecting in the next few years. Among these them, he talked about the untapped market potential in the Baby Boomer generation: While Boomers certainly didn’t grow up in the Internet age, they’ve aged alongside it. This brings about an awareness that technology can and will enable them to live their retirement years in ways much different from previous generations. Thomson predicts that, when coupled with our growing affinity towards and increasing development in the Internet of Things, there’s huge market potential in Baby Boomers; the Internet of Things will enable aging Boomers to live more easily at home, and startups should start focusing on products aimed at this Boomer market. Considering Thomson’s belief in this trend, the argument for cofounding a company with a Baby Boomer further solidifies; I mean, in order to better target a certain market, it makes sense to involve someone who actually falls within that market demographic. According to available stats between 1996 and 2013, Americans in the 55-to-64 age group started new businesses at a higher rate than those in their twenties and thirties. If indeed we see a shift towards tech products and solutions aimed at Baby Boomers, then we can expect to see this rate to remain pretty consistent. Founded in 2008 as a link shortener service that also provides business intelligence, Bitly has since grown into a company that’s beyond the realm of link shortening. According to Thomson, the company has moved beyond this initial role: Thomson went further and explained Bitly’s move into the omnichannel campaign industry, as well as discussed the company’s launch last month of its mobile deep linking feature. You can read more about Bitly’s new Deep Links here.
