Tech TO CONNECT

Scott Lien ’87 is named Entrepreneur of the Year for his senior-friendly GrandPad mobile device.

ago. His mother, Marlys (Wilkens) Lien ’57, was the initial customer inspiration for GrandPad.

Lien describes his mother as a brilliant lady who ran the Once Upon a Time Book Shop in Decorah. But when she was about 80 years old and Lien lived in California, he says, “she was extremely frustrated with technology to the point where she just said she was too busy for it.” Marlys had hearing loss, which created additional frustrations with technology and made it difficult for her to stay in touch that way.

large buttons and enhanced sound. Soon users will be able to play games like chess and checkers with family and friends remotely.

His son, Isaac, knew there had to be a solution to the problem. The two then recruited two computer science students from Chapman University, which Isaac attended, and they all sat around the kitchen table and started designing. They came up with a mobile device that allows people challenged by computers to talk and email with family, teleconference with doctors, view photos and videos, and more by using a simple navigation system with

GrandPad has grown into a worldwide business that is being used to connect more than 1.4 million seniors, families, friends, and caregivers in 120 countries. Lien credits his team for him being named as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner for 2022.

“GrandPad is going to help all of the generations, and it’s going to have great positive economic benefits,” Lien says. “It’s a big, bold mission that we’re on.”

—Ellen Modersohn