CHARLOTTE, North Carolina—Carefluent, a startup in-home care provider, has been selected as a participant in the 2023 Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator. The accelerator is run in partnership with Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates. The 13-week startup accelerator program is aimed at addressing the unmet needs of older adults and their caregivers.
Americans are not only living longer, with diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's expected to continue afflicting millions in the coming years, but the number of employees working in the larger care sector (nursing and residential facilities) has plummeted since January 2020.
Carefluent's proprietary algorithm matches care seekers to caregivers, taking into account the care seeker's needed services as well as the cultural, lifestyle and linguistic preferences of both parties. Founder and CEO Daphney Vick was inspired to create the company when her father became ill with a rare cognitive condition that required a more personalized caregiving approach. Before launching Carefluent, Vick worked in the health care industry for over 20 years, serving in various executive leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group/Optum as well as startup companies like CityBlock and Vatica Health.
"A care seeker and caregiver end up spending a lot of time together," Vick said. "We created Carefluent to match the care seeker with an ideal caregiver, one they could feel comfortable and at ease with."
Founded in 2022, Carefluent works closely with companies via the implementation of employer-sponsored personal in-home care benefits for their employees. Employees who take time off to care for loved ones cost employers an extra $13B in healthcare expenses annually.
