The Helper Bees

What The Helper Bees does

The Helper Bees is an Austin, Texas-based InsurTech company founded in 2015 that operates a B2B2C platform connecting payers, vetted in-home service providers, and older adults seeking to age in place. The company describes itself as operating the nation's largest network of in-home care providers, with 25,000+ vetted provider agencies and access to 7M+ eligible members through 43 of the largest U.S. payers, including Prudential, State Farm, MassMutual, CIGNA, and Jackson Howard. Its modular platform comprises configurable digital nurse assessments for LTCI eligibility, a digital invoicing claims pipeline, an aging-in-place marketplace for nonmedical services, a nationwide provider network, human care concierge support, and the helpful™ flexible benefit card built in partnership with fintech provider Lynx.

The platform serves three payer verticals — Long-Term Care Insurance, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid (the latter entered in 2025) — and quantifies outcomes including a 43% decrease in facility admissions, 16% savings on per-hour IHSS costs, 98.7% IHSS member retention, and 12.7% reduction in per-meal prices. The Medicare Advantage entry was executed via the 2021 acquisition of healthAlign. The company generates revenue through subscription/platform fees from payer partners and transaction fees on services coordinated through the marketplace, with a direct-to-consumer self-pay option for care concierge services. The go-to-motion is enterprise field sales targeting payer executives, with end-user member access flowing through those payer relationships and self-serve member portals.

Leadership is headed by CEO Char Hu, PhD, and COO Andy Friedell, alongside co-founders Eric Corum (CPO) and Danny Lynch (CTO). The company has raised approximately $47.8 million+ in disclosed venture funding across Series B and Series C rounds, was recognized on Forbes' America's Best Startup Employers list in 2025 for the second consecutive year (ranked 115 of 500), and operates with a team where 78% of employees have personal caregiving experience — a positioning claim that anchors its brand in the aging-in-place category.

Name

The Helper Bees

Legal name

The Helper Bees

Website

https://thehelperbees.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Helper Bees is an Austin-based InsurTech company that operates a B2B2C aging-in-place platform connecting Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Long-Term Care Insurance payers with a 25,000+ provider network serving older adults aging at home.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aging-in-Place InsurTech Platform

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Care & ADL Assistance (bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility) (HLADAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safety Check-Ins, Wellness Calls & Monitoring (Non-Clinical) (HSABAAAG), Senior/Accessibility Concierge & Companion Errands (HSACAIAO)

Keywords

• Aging in place services
• Insurtech platform
• Home care coordination
• Supplemental benefits
• Long-term care technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Platform/SaaS Fees from Payers: The Helper Bees charges payers (insurance companies, Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid MCOs, LTC insurance carriers) for platform access and service coordination. Payers pre-load allowances onto the helpful™ card for eligible products and services.
2. Transaction/Service Fees: Fees for services rendered through the marketplace including home care, home modifications, meals, transportation, and other in-home services coordinated through the platform.
3. Care Concierge Services: Direct-to-consumer self-pay model for care concierge services, also funded through insurance carriers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Helper Bees operates an aging-in-place technology platform that connects payers (insurance companies, Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid MCOs, LTC carriers) with vetted in-home service providers to deliver non-medical support services to older adults. The platform includes digital nurse assessments, digital invoicing and claims processing, a nationwide provider network of 25,000+ vetted agencies, a self-serve marketplace, care concierge services, and the helpful™ flexible benefits card that integrates payments for OTC products, groceries, healthcare expenses, and in-home services.

Product overview

The Helper Bees offers a platform-plus-modules architecture for aging-in-place services. The core Platform connects members, providers, and payers through integrated modules including Nurse Assessments (for LTCI eligibility), Digital Invoicing (claims processing), the Aging-in-Place Marketplace (OTC products and services), a Nationwide Provider Network (25,000+ vetted agencies), Care Concierge (human guidance), and the helpful™ Card (flexible benefits payment card). The platform serves three solution verticals: Long-Term Care Insurance, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid. The company operates as a SaaS product (per Terms of Use) and uses technology to match seniors with vetted caregivers and coordinate in-home services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• helpful® Card: A flexible benefits card for support services, OTC items, utilities, and rent/mortgage payments, built primarily for Medicare Advantage with optional access for others. Integrates OTC products, groceries, healthcare expenses, and in-home services.
• helpful™

Products and services

• The Helper Bees Platform Core technology platform that connects products, providers, and plan admins, giving members one place to get support and payers one place to manage it. Improves fulfillment, simplifies administration, and enhances data visibility for aging-in-place services across LTC insurance, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid verticals.
• helpful™ Card Flexible benefits card integrating OTC products, groceries, healthcare expenses, utilities, rent/mortgage payments, gym memberships, and in-home services through multiple digital purses. Built primarily for Medicare Advantage with optional access for others, and works at 60,000+ retail locations while connecting to 20,000+ vetted SDoH providers.
• Long-Term Care Insurance Solution Tailored solution for LTC insurance payers and insureds, modernizing claims with configurable digital assessments, concierge support, vetted providers, and digital invoicing to improve accuracy and reduce fraud.
• Medicare Advantage Solution Solution for Medicare Advantage plans to lower the cost and complexity of deploying supplemental benefits while boosting member engagement, satisfaction, and retention, including the helpful™ flexible benefits card.
• Medicaid Solution Solution to strengthen network stability and meet state and local compliance requirements while delivering consistent HCBS (Home and Community-Based Services) support for high-needs populations.
• Family Support Consumer-facing solution providing family caregivers and older adults with tools, resources, and access to trusted in-home services to navigate aging at home.
• Care Concierge Human guidance service in which Care Managers improve the member experience, support benefits navigation, and reduce friction across all populations. Helps educate and connect members with services they need to age in place, available as a direct-to-consumer self-pay option or funded through insurance carriers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 43% decrease in facility admissions
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LynxcoreTechnology or IntegrationLynx is the preferred provider for the helpful™ flexible benefit card. Lynx is an API-first healthcare fintech platform that provides integrated e-commerce experience and payment processing. The partnership enables The Helper Bees to offer OTC products, groceries, healthcare expenses, and in-home services through a single card.
• healthAligncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Helper Bees acquired healthAlign to enter the Medicare Advantage market. This acquisition enabled expansion into Medicare Advantage solutions.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Papa: Papa connects older adults with vetted 'Papa Pals' for companionship, transportation, and in-home support, paid largely through Medicare Advantage and other health plan partnerships. Directly comparable B2B2C aging-in-place companion care model targeting the same payer channels.
• Homethrive: Homethrive offers a family caregiver support platform plus in-home helper services for older adults, sold to health plans and employers. Closely matches The Helper Bees' Care Concierge + marketplace combination targeting MA and employer populations.
• CareLinx: CareLinx operates a nationwide digital marketplace matching seniors with in-home caregivers, with payer and health-plan partnerships. Direct competitor on the caregiver network and aging-in-place marketplace side.
• Honor Technology: Honor runs a tech-enabled home care network and care platform acquired by Help at Home, serving older adults with non-medical in-home support. Comparable in-home care network model with similar payer-channel exposure.
• Wellthy: Wellthy provides family caregiver support and care coordination as a benefit, sold to health plans, employers, and government programs. Comparable in pairing a care concierge/coordinator layer with payer-funded benefit access.

Broad incumbents

• A Place for Mom: A Place for Mom is the largest senior care advisory service in North America, referring families to senior living, home care, and in-home services. Adjacent and broader incumbent operating across the same aging-in-place referral category at scale.
• Help at Home: Help at Home is one of the largest U.S. providers of personal care and in-home support services, primarily serving Medicaid HCBS populations. Larger incumbent that competes for the same Medicaid waiver and in-home care dollars that The Helper Bees is expanding into.
• Optum / UnitedHealth Group: Optum (part of UnitedHealth) operates a massive MA, Medicaid, and care services franchise that increasingly bundles in-home and supplemental benefits. Represents both a potential payer customer and a major in-housing threat.
• CVS Health (Aetna): CVS/Aetna is one of the largest MA payers and is actively building out aging-in-place and supplemental benefit capabilities via Oak Street Health and Signify Health. Existing named payer partner (CIGNA-related) is in this competitive orbit.

Emerging players

• DUOS: DUOS is an emerging tech-enabled aging-in-place platform connecting older adults with support services, often through MA partnerships. Smaller emerging player pursuing the same payer-funded aging-in-place opportunity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thehelperbees
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-helper-bees
• Xx.com/thehelperbees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Helper Bees