Glenn Shimkus spent years targeting a key demographic for his Naples-based startup company for digital storage of personal documents, and now his efforts to land more users are coming to fruition.
Prisidio, a digital vault for secure documents, announced Aug. 11 the launch of AARP Digital Vault — powered by Prisidio.
When joining or renewing an AARP membership — formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons — members can choose to add Prisidio as an optional service for $20 a year for the basic plan or $95 a year for the unlimited plan.
“I will tell you it’s taken awhile,” said Shimkus, who did a soft launch of Prisidio four years ago and began promoting it in 2023. “This space is a tough one.
“The digital vault, it’s a hard thing to do. It’s expensive to get the consumer’s attention. Such a big component of this is trust. It takes a while to establish rapport and do testing. It’s worth it in the long run.”
Identity theft and scams are on the rise, Shimkus said, and Prisidio can help prevent consumers from falling for them.
Prisidio provides a digital platform to store important documents, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, mortgage information, passports, accounts, wills, trusts and records of collectibles. It assigns trusted contacts with specific permissions for shared access. It provides context and guidance through video and written notes.
Glenn Shimkus, founder and CEO of Naples-based Prisidio, recently partnered with AARP to launch the AARP Digital Vault, a secure online platform for storing and sharing important personal documents. Credit: Prisidio
“One of the biggest stories right now is the great wealth transfer,” Shimkus said. “It’s $100 trillion that’s going to change hands over the next 100 years.
“There’s $70 billion in unclaimed assets held by the states today, and 29% of all 401K accounts are deemed inactive or lost. That’s $1.7 trillion.”
Using Prisidio as a tool to connect family members in the event of a natural disaster, serious illness or death will help prevent generational wealth from getting lost in the chaos, Shimkus said.
“Prisidio has one place of centralized information,” he said. “Ultimately, nothing is lost down the road when you’re not around.”
AARP Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy Sami Hassanyeh said in a news release: “A digital vault isn’t just about convenience — it’s about peace of mind and preparedness. Today, we offer the digital vault created by Prisidio as a solution that helps members protect what matters most in today’s increasingly digital world.”
Shimkus is spending part of this week at the Florida Innovation and Technology Summit, put on by the Florida Chamber of Commerce in Tampa.
Shimkus also received financial backing of Prisidio by the National Association of Realtors, the state-backed Florida Opportunity Fund and Deepwork Capital, an Orlando-based venture capital group.
With artificial intelligence scams beginning to rise, Shimkus said he’s further evolving Prisidio with assistance from Clear, which provides proof of identity.
“When you invite people into your vault, you need to make sure you’re inviting the right person,” Shimkus said. “I can invite you and verify your identity, not through just a log on, but by using Clear to validate your identity.”
