Family Proud CEO and co-founder Jaden Risner left active-duty Navy life to become the primary caregiver for his mother. With 16 years of military service —12 years as a Navy helicopter pilot and four years in the Reserves— he was motivated to create Family Proud after he saw a need for caregiver and family support as he settled into his new role.
“The inspiration for Family Proud is for us to transform how we serve our loved ones and help bring that peace of mind to families as they navigate caregiving. Family Proud is a community platform that helps ease the burden of caregivers and their families through technology,” says Jaden.
Often when our friends are hurting and going through hard times, we feel at a loss. What are tangible ways to help without overstepping or overwhelming the family in need? This is where Family Proud steps in. “The technology itself ultimately helps answer the question: ‘how can I help?’ … The platform actually makes smart recommendations of how you can be a stronger supporter based on who the family is and what they’re going through, and really focus on family-community aspect. There’s a lot in the clinical space which we certainly recognize, but we actually see value and : ‘how can we empower and strengthen the support network around the caregiver, the family, whether that’s emotionally, financially, or logistically?’”
Jaden was selected to be a Semi-Finalist for the Second Service Foundation’s Military Entrepreneur Challenge to have the opportunity to win social-impact grant money for Family Proud. Held in Austin, TX, Jaden pitched privately to a respected judging panel, and was chosen to move forward to the final round of live pitching in front of an audience. Jaden walked away with a $1,000 grant, which he plans to utilize to get more awareness for Family Proud, so he can reach and help more families.
“The ability to put that [grant] towards our marketing and our product delivery efforts is really where our focus is. How can we serve more families and then continue to keep the momentum, and building in that direction?”
