Entrepreneur Todd Pliss appeared on Shark Tank in 2012, pitching an unusual business idea: Rent A Grandma. His pitch? Grandmothers make better caregivers, are more attentive, less glued to their phones and even willing to bake cookies. He was seeking $150,000 in funding. “We charge between 12 and 15% of what the granny’s going to […]
Menej ako 1 min. min.
Entrepreneur Todd Pliss appeared on Shark Tank in 2012, pitching an unusual business idea: Rent A Grandma. His pitch? Grandmothers make better caregivers, are more attentive, less glued to their phones and even willing to bake cookies. He was seeking $150,000 in funding.
“We charge between 12 and 15% of what the granny’s going to get paid,” he explained to the skeptical panel. Investor Kevin O’Leary responded with his trademark hesitancy: “So you’re saying we’re only getting 15% of granny’s take?”
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The panel of famous investors — Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban and O’Leary — turned him down. But more than a decade later, the idea is thriving elsewhere. In Japan, a similar service called OK Obaachan, which translates to “OK Grandma,” says it is getting “lots of requests,” according to Japanese news site SoraNews24.
Run by Client Partners, a female-led handyman company, OK Obaachan launched in 2011 and now features a roster of about 100 women aged 60 to 94. Clients pay around 3,300 yen (about $22) to book a grandma for tasks like cleaning, babysitting, cooking or simply keeping someone company. Some even request a grandma to attend family gatherings, help with tough conversations or just offer a comforting presence.
The concept taps into ‘ikigai’
The service taps into two major trends in Japan: a rapidly aging population and increasing financial pressure on seniors. Roughly 25% of Japanese people over 65 are still working — one of the highest senior employment rates in the world, compared to 18.6% in the United States and 10.9% in the United Kingdom.
Many take on jobs ranging from restaurant staff to taxi drivers. For these women, the work is more than just a paycheck. It taps into “ikigai,” the Japanese concept of purpose — something that combines what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. Longevity experts like “Blue Zones” documentarian Dan Buettner suspect the philosophy contributes to longer Japanese lifespans.
Younger generations are also embracing the idea. A video from YouTuber PaolofromTokyo documented a day he spent with a rented grandma, making bento boxes, sharing a picnic and even seeking advice on raising his son.
One YouTube commenter noted how the business model is mutually beneficial.
“The grandma gets to spend time interacting with others, making her feel less lonely. Seems like a win win to both parties,” the commenter wrote. A Reddit user wrote, “I would love to hire a grandmother to come over. Help me with cooking, teaching my son Japanese … and life lessons that only come from wisdom.”
Rented families are a trend in Japan
In Japan, the idea of hiring family members isn’t entirely new. A Tokyo-based company called Family Romance has offered similar services for years, employing more than 1,200 actors to play roles like father, husband, wife or friend, filling social and emotional gaps in people’s lives in much the same way as a rented grandma.
Traditional Japanese culture places a strong emphasis on social obligation and conformity. There’s significant pressure to meet expectations, whether it’s being married by a certain age, maintaining a picture-perfect family or having an active social circle. In a culture where loneliness is a real issue, the growing demand for rental family services begins to make more sense.
Did the Sharks get it wrong?
So was Shark Tank wrong? While the original investors dismissed the idea, Pliss continued to grow Rent A Grandma. In 2020, he expanded services to include tutoring. As of 2022, more than 300 grandmothers across the U.S. were listed on the site.
At the time, Cuban had asked skeptically, “What happens if the granny quits or dies halfway through the assignment?” Pliss held his own: “The service includes a replacement guarantee.”
More than a decade later, that guarantee — and the general concept — seems to have staying power.
contributed to this report.
