55+ was born from a personal concern: the fear of what would happen to her father, a school director for decades, when he retired overnight. But it also stems from a broader frustration. "Almost all conversations about aging are negative. I always heard that it is a problem, a threat, a cost to society", explains Parras.
Her approach is the opposite: people who reach 55, 65, or 75 years old accumulate skills that no course teaches (responsibility, relational intelligence, the ability to solve problems already experienced), and many of them are not just looking for income, but to continue feeling useful.
The platform operates in two ways. On one hand, it connects these profiles with individuals, companies, or organizations that need their services. On the other hand, it collaborates with municipalities and social entities to mobilize its users towards unmet needs in the territory, generating what Elena calls a double impact model.
One of the most difficult barriers to break down, she acknowledges, is internal: internalized ageism. "After hearing 'you're too old for that' so many times, it seems we start to believe it ourselves," she laments.
