Ten innovators selected for solutions that help Canadians live longer, healthier, more financially secure lives

The challenge is an initiative of Manulife’s Longevity Institute, driving solutions for a longer‑living Canadian society

TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2026 /CNW/ — Manulife, in collaboration with UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s early-stage innovation initiative, today announced the winners of the ‘Shaping Canada’s Longevity Advantage Challenge,’ the third and final challenge in a multi-year partnership focused on advancing longevity innovation. Open to innovators from Canada and around the world, the challenge sought practical, near-term solutions that can improve health, financial resilience and social connectedness for Canadians while fostering purpose and opportunity across generations.

As Canadians live longerⁱ and more multi-stage lives, new solutions are needed to help people thrive across those additional years through better health, stronger financial resilience, meaningful social connection and a greater sense of purpose. The winning cohort showcases innovative approaches to helping Canadians navigate longer lives while supporting caregivers, families and communities.

The 10 winners of the ‘Shaping Canada’s Longevity Advantage Challenge’ are:

• Amical (Quebec City, Canada), which delivers an AI-powered companion through a familiar telephone interface to support older adults and people living with cognitive disorders.
• Childfree Trust (Mount Juliet, United States), which provides estate planning, fiduciary and emergency response services designed for childfree individuals and solo agers.
• Clay Financial (Toronto, Canada), which enables older Canadians to unlock home equity through Home Equity Sharing Agreements without taking on debt or monthly payments.
• Cosm Medical (Toronto, Canada), which uses AI, software and 3D printing to create personalized pelvic health devices that help people maintain active and independent lives.
• Idem (Montreal, Canada), which develops connected cognitive aids that support independence and care coordination for people living with dementia.
• LINK Plans (Calgary, Canada), which helps expand access to workplace retirement savings plans through financial institutions and payroll providers.
• MIMOSA Diagnostics (Toronto, Canada), which uses portable imaging technology to detect pressure injuries before visible skin breakdown occurs.
• Myant Health (Mississauga, Canada), which transforms everyday clothing into continuous health monitoring tools through smart textile technology.
• Pontosense (Toronto, Canada), which uses AI-powered wireless sensing technology to detect falls, monitor vital signs and support independent living without cameras or wearables.
• PragmaClin (St. John’s, Canada), which has developed an AI-powered neurological assessment platform for people living with Parkinson’s disease.

“Living longer is one of the greatest opportunities of our time, but it also challenges us to think differently about health and financial wellbeing,” said Patrick Graham, President & CEO, Manulife Canada. “The innovators recognized through this challenge are tackling some of the biggest questions that come with living longer: how we stay healthier for longer and how we build greater financial resilience. These are big challenges, and we need bold ideas to take them on.”

Nearly 40 per cent of Canadians are already over the age of 50ⁱⁱ, while many are balancing their own health and financial goals alongside caregiving responsibilities for aging parents and loved ones. At the same time, insights from the National Institute on Ageing‘s Ageing in Canada Survey, conducted by the NIA with support from Manulife, shows 43 per cent of older Canadians are at high risk of social isolation and only 29 per cent feel they can afford to retire, highlighting the need for innovative solutions that improve health, financial resilience and social connection. The challenge focused on three key areas: helping people plan for and navigate longer lives, supporting prevention and care coordination, and strengthening belonging and intergenerational connection.

“Longevity is reshaping how people work, save, care for others, and prepare for retirement,” said Paul Lorentz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management. “Canada has an opportunity to lead by advancing solutions that help people remain healthy, connected, and financially resilient throughout longer lives. This winning cohort demonstrates how innovation can turn that opportunity into meaningful action for individuals, families and communities.”

The winning ventures will gain access to UpLink’s global innovation ecosystem, connecting them with corporates, investors, policymakers and other partners that can help accelerate their growth and scale their impact.

“Through the World Economic Forum’s UpLink and Global Longevity Innovation Initiative, we are proud to partner with Manulife to source and scale early-stage ventures that empower people to lead healthier, more financially resilient and fulfilling lives,” said John Dutton, Head of UpLink, World Economic Forum. “With Manulife’s support, this new cohort builds on the progress of previous editions and highlights how breakthrough solutions can help drive transformation across Canada’s health, financial and care systems, strengthening people’s ability to plan for and navigate longer lives.”

The Shaping Canada’s Longevity Advantage Challenge builds on Manulife’s multi-year partnership with UpLink, announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in 2024. The partnership is designed to help identify and scale innovations that support healthier, more financially resilient and fulfilling lives as global populations age. This challenge follows the successful ‘Prospering in Longevity Challenge‘ in 2024 and ‘Innovating for Asia’s Demographic’ Future Challenge in 2025.

This initiative underscores the efforts of the Manulife Longevity Institute, a global research, thought leadership, innovation, advocacy, and community investment platform that is driving action to help people thrive at every age. To learn more about Manulife’s longevity efforts and the work of the Manulife Longevity Institute, visit manulife.com.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Anchored in our ambition to be the number one choice for customers, we operate as Manulife across Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice, insurance and health solutions for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment solutions, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2025, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 106,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 37 million customers with operations across 25 markets globally. We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

About Manulife Longevity Institute

The Manulife Longevity Institute is a global research, thought leadership, innovation, advocacy, and community investment platform to drive action that can help people live longer, healthier, and more financially secure lives. Underpinned by a $350 million signature commitment, its focus is on helping people extend their healthy years, promoting greater financial resilience for all. As a global insurer, retirement plan provider, and asset manager, Manulife is uniquely placed to help lead this change. The Institute’s work will support Manulife’s Impact Agenda strategy by investing in organizations that are growing the longevity economy, convening research collaborations with leading academic institutions and think tanks, and producing thought leadership to advance awareness and action on the issues impacting populations as they age. The Institute will be known as the John Hancock Longevity Institute in the United States. The actions of the Institute will be guided by a Steering Committee of members of Manulife’s Executive and Global Leadership Teams and in partnership with a robust ecosystem of partners and experts who champion longevity across Canada, Asia, and the US.

For more information, please visit Manulife.com/Longevity. 

About UpLink

UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s early-stage innovation engine, connects purpose-driven innovators with the partnerships, resources and capital they need to scale solutions for the markets and economies critical to a resilient, sustainable and prosperous world. UpLink envisions a future where profit and purpose go hand in hand — where innovation drives competitiveness, inclusion, and long-term value, where economic growth uplifts people while restoring the planet, and where resilience is the foundation of thriving, future-proof economies. For further information, click here.

Media contact

Manulife:

Emily English
Emily_English@manulife.ca
647-544-2800

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manulife-and-uplink-announce-winners-of-the-shaping-canadas-longevity-advantage-challenge-302914701.html

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation