Stories · Wisdom · Connection

Every elder carries a library. We make sure it is read.

Tether is a storytelling platform that helps older adults share their lived experiences as short-form video, preserving culture, wisdom, and truth across generations.

Get early access → See how it works
Senior validation
95%
of senior residents we interviewed said sharing their stories would directly reduce loneliness
Gen Z demand
83%
want a dedicated space to hear their grandparents' stories
The crisis
11 hrs
a day, the average time nursing home residents spend in social isolation
The disconnect
18%
of Americans live in a multigenerational home, a sharp drop within the last century

How it works

Six tools that turn one conversation into a lifetime archive.

The premise Older adults rarely become content creators. So we built a platform that meets them where they are: voice-first, AI-guided, and dignified by default.
01 / AI Interview

An interviewer that asks the right next question.

Open the app and an AI-guided interviewer walks elders through podcast-style questions about pivotal moments (immigration, marriage, career, family) and adapts with thoughtful follow-ups that go deeper.

  • AConversational, not transactional. Like talking to a curious grandchild
  • BCustom themes ("life lessons", "the move", "how we met")
  • CVoice-first UX, designed for users who'd rather talk than type
9:41•••
Rec · 12:38
Tether AI · asking
Who came to visit you in that first apartment?
Pushpa · live transcript
"My sister, with a casserole, every Sunday. She always brought the news from home"
02 / Free recording

For storytellers who already know what they want to say.

Skip the interview, hit record, and just talk. No prompts, no script. For elders who've been waiting years to put a memory into words on their own terms.

  • AUp to one hour per recording
  • BPause and resume across days
  • CVisual waveform, so they can see they're being heard
9:41•••
Rec · 07:24
Free mode · no prompts
Just press record and talk.
Frank · live transcript
"I never told this part to my kids. I think I was waiting for them to ask. But maybe they're ready"
03 / Auto-clipping

An hour of memory, surfaced as the moments that matter.

Our clipping agent listens to the full recording, identifies the most compelling moments, and turns them into short-form videos ready to share. No editing skills required.

  • AAutomatic chapter and highlight detection
  • BCaptions generated and family-editable
  • CStoryteller approves before anything goes public
9:41•••
Auto-clipping · 58:14
04:12 · 0:42
"The night the lights went out"
12:38 · 1:08
"Why I named her Pushpa"
28:55 · 0:36
"The letter I never sent"
41:02 · 0:55
"Sundays at the lake"
04 / Discovery feed

A scrollable feed for the next generation.

Younger viewers open Tether to a vertical feed of authentic elder stories. No public likes or follower counts, so the focus stays on real storytelling, not performance.

  • AVertical and full-screen, meeting Gen Z where they already are
  • BRecommendations by theme, era, geography, language
  • CNo vanity metrics, just listening
9:41•••
Now playing
Rosa · 81 · Havana → Miami
"The bakery that fed our whole block."
Live transcript
"Every Sunday she would make pan dulce, and the line went down the street. I was eight, and I thought we were famous"
05 / Conversation

Listening that turns into a real exchange.

Viewers can comment, ask deeper questions, or request new stories. Storytellers reply with new short videos, turning every elder into a living, interactive archive.

  • AStory requests from grandchildren, students, strangers
  • BAn inbox built for older adults, no DM mazes
  • CReply with a short video, not a wall of text
9:41•••
Inbox · 3 new requests
Maya, 19 · NYC
My grandma also crossed the Atlantic in '62. Could you tell us what you packed?
You · video reply
"I'll do this one tomorrow. Made me laugh remembering."
Daniel · journalism student
Would you tell the story of starting your bakery? For a class on small business.
Sara · Sacramento
What did Sundays look like before TV?
06 / The Archive · family-only

Every story your loved one ever told, searchable forever.

An AI agent that has listened to every story your loved one has recorded. Ask "show me Nana talking about moving from Jakarta" and it finds, clips, and plays that exact moment.

  • ASearchable by topic, person, place, year, emotion
  • BPermission-gated, storyteller and family only
  • CBecomes more useful as more stories are recorded
9:41•••
Pushpa's Archive · 47 stories
"Show me Nana talking about Jakarta"
"The boat to Surabaya"
Recorded Mar '26 · 1:24
"Leaving Jakarta, what we packed"
Recorded Apr '26 · 2:08
"The day we landed in San Francisco"
Recorded Apr '26 · 0:52

A two-sided platform

Built for the people telling the stories, and the people who need to hear them.

For storytellers

Older adults with stories the world hasn't heard yet.

  • Choose AI-guided or free-form recording, whatever feels natural
  • Record up to an hour; the platform handles the editing
  • Share to a public feed, or keep it private to family
  • Reply to comments and questions with new short videos

For families & the next generation

Grandchildren, students, curious listeners.

  • Free, scrollable feed of real elder stories
  • Recommendations based on what resonates with you
  • No likes. No follower counts. Just listening.
  • Search your own family's Archive by topic or moment
  • Ask follow-up questions and get a video reply

For senior living

Bring Tether into your community.

A facility license gives every resident access to Tether plus a community-wide Archive. Activities directors and life enrichment teams use it as a premium engagement program; families use it to stay close.

We're running pilots with LA-area facilities right now. There's no commitment after the pilot, just feedback and a chance to shape the product.

Schedule a demo →
$2,000–$4,000
per month · per location
Under 100 beds$2,000
100–200 beds$3,000
300+ beds$4,000

Get in touch

"Every laugh, every lesson, and every moment lived; preserved and passed down to the people who come next."

If you run a senior living community, work in elder care, or just have a story you want to make sure isn't lost, we'd love to hear from you.

Get in touch → Contact at 510-693-0245