Burcu Demiray

As people live longer, they also tend to learn and work longer. Wiselearn is targeting a void in enabling this change. Today, many organizations do not focus or invest enough in the upskilling/reskilling of their mature workforce. Furthermore, there is a lack of targeted trainings for individuals who wish to become entrepreneurial or self-employed in the second half of life. Based on deep insights into the psychology and needs of 50+ adults, Burcu and her team has been building WiseLearn. It offers a learning and innovation hub that treat 50+ professionals as active learners with ambitions to contribute to society as entrepreneurs.

Wiselearn targets both professionals who are in transition (being laid off, considering self-employment, approaching retirement) and those who are retired with a strong wish to innovate and make an impact.

It offers a science-based, blended training on innovation and entrepreneurship co-developed with mature professionals. The training is designed for small cohorts of 10-12 persons and offers ~100 hours of training with e-learning, applied self-work, teamwork, meetings and coaching sessions. In addition, the participants join a community of on a membership basis.

With the support of the fellowship, Burcu has been collecting insights on the needs, wishes and pain points of 50+ professionals and validating the different target groups. She has started building the WiseLearn community, analyzing the B2B versus B2C potential of the business model, and clarifying the features of the offering.

Affiliation: Prof. Dr. Mike Martin
Start date: 1.10.25