Published in McKnight's Senior Living, March 2026
We have exciting news to share: Zemplee has been selected as one of nine companies in the inaugural cohort of AscendRural's Senior Care Innovation Accelerator — a program purpose-built to bring innovative senior care technology to rural communities across America.
The announcement was covered by McKnight's Senior Living, one of the leading trade publications in senior care, and we couldn't be more proud to be part of this milestone.
AscendRural, based in Staples, MN, is a tech-driven innovation hub with a singular focus: improving senior care in rural America. Their Senior Care Innovation Accelerator brings together early-stage technology companies and connects them directly with rural care communities that are actively seeking solutions.
Zemplee was selected from nearly 100 applicants — chosen, as AscendRural noted, for our "innovative solutions, strong impact potential and alignment with AscendRural's priorities."
Through the four-week program, cohort companies receive curriculum designed to improve rural readiness, mentorship from nationally recognized senior care experts, market insights, and direct opportunities to pilot solutions in rural communities — with pilot contracts worth up to $150,000 available for companies selected by community partners.
Rural seniors face a set of challenges that are easy to overlook from the outside, but impossible to ignore once you understand them. Compared to their urban and suburban counterparts, older adults in rural America contend with greater distances to care, fewer available caregivers, higher rates of chronic illness and disability, and deeper social isolation. The result, as AscendRural's Managing Director Melissa Kjolsing put it, is "higher rates of chronic illness, disability, isolation and premature mortality."
This is exactly the population GRACE was designed to protect.
GRACE — Zemplee's 24/7 AI care partner — works by learning the unique daily rhythms of each individual: their sleep patterns, activity levels, vital signs, and behavioral baselines. When something shifts, GRACE catches it early, notifying care teams and families before a small change becomes a serious event. That means fewer falls, fewer hospitalizations, and more time for caregivers to focus on what matters most — the people in their care.
In rural settings, where a care team might be managing more residents with fewer staff, and where a hospital might be 45 minutes away, early detection isn't just a nice-to-have. It's the difference that matters.
Being part of this cohort is an opportunity we are taking seriously.
Over the coming months, we'll be working closely with AscendRural's community partners to pilot GRACE in rural care settings — learning from the people who live and work there, refining our approach, and proving out what we've always believed: that the best technology should reach the people who need it most, not just those in well-resourced zip codes.
Our goal is not just to complete a successful pilot. It's to build a model that demonstrates how AI-powered monitoring can be deployed effectively, affordably, and sustainably in rural senior care communities — and to share what we learn with the broader industry.
To the team at AscendRural: thank you for creating this program and for the belief it represents — that rural seniors deserve the same quality of innovation as anyone else. We are honored to be in this cohort alongside eight other companies who share that conviction.
And to our partners, customers, and supporters who have walked this road with us: this recognition is a reflection of the work you've helped make possible.
We'll be sharing updates from the accelerator as the program progresses. Stay tuned.
Read the full McKnight's Senior Living coverage here.
Learn more about how GRACE works at zemplee.com.