My name is William Krell. I’m 21 years old and was born and raised right here in Austin, Texas. I love Austin and its amazing people, and love to give back to the community that raised me. I’ve interned with the City of Austin’s Youth Forest Council to help make our city a greener and healthier place, volunteered throughout the community, and currently work with Meals on Wheels to bring food and company to seniors in need. My dream is to make supporting the community of Austin my full time job.
My grandparents were asking me the same tech questions over and over. Sometimes, they’d wait weeks for family visits just so I could solve a problem in a few swipes. When I’d visit them again I’d find that they were experiencing the exact same problem—and they’d be frustrated that they couldn’t figure it out themselves.
That’s when I realized my grandparents didn’t just need someone to fix their devices; they needed someone to sit down with them and take the time to teach them how to navigate and become comfortable with their technology. Technology intuition is something my generation is basically born with in its blood, but requires lots of patience and explanation for theirs. When you understand your technology, you’re not only more comfortable with it, but you’re also much less susceptible to scams and fraud that target seniors who aren’t confident with technology.
I also noticed that bigger name companies—designed for more technical and complex problems than the average senior experiences—were overcharging for these simple fixes, often causing more confusion and trouble with upselling and complicated jargon.
I created Grandkid Tech to provide patient and personalized tech education and help at fair and affordable prices that will leave seniors comfortable with their technology. I want every senior in Austin to be as confident as possible with their tech.