BrightStar Care

What BrightStar Care does

BrightStar Care is a privately held home healthcare franchise organization founded in 2002 by Shelly Sun and headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois (operating entity: BrightStar Franchising, LLC). It sells and supports franchise rights to entrepreneurs who operate independently owned home care locations under the BrightStar Care brand, with a network of 420+ franchise locations across 41 states supported by 15,000+ caregivers and 5,700 registered nurses. The franchise operates three service brands: the core BrightStar Care home health franchise (companion care, personal care, skilled nursing, and medical staffing), BrightStar Care Homes (8-12 suite residential assisted living/memory care), and BrightStar Senior Living (~40 suite boutique assisted living and memory care communities). End customers include seniors aging in place, children with special needs, and healthcare facilities, served either directly or through a 180+ national account partner referral network comprising large insurers, hospitals, and healthcare systems.

The franchisor's proprietary technology stack centers on the ABS Business Management Platform, an exclusive web-based system that automates scheduling, payroll, billing, and caregiver mobile workflows, paired with a Clinical Data Hub that tracks patient outcomes for sharing with referral partners, and a Business Intelligence Dashboard monitoring qualified leads, caregiver utilization, and revenue streams. The CSO (Dean Ulizio) oversees multi-million-dollar annual technology investment; no AI/ML capabilities, patents, or model disclosures are present in the data. Revenue mechanics for the franchisor combine a $50,000 initial franchise fee with ongoing royalties of 5.25% of monthly net billings (non-national accounts) / 6.25% (national accounts), a marketing fee of $500/month or 2.5% of net billings (greater of), and a technology fee of $250/month or 1% of net billings. Initial franchisee investment ranges from $127,754 to $220,186, and 2025 average unit revenue for first franchise locations was $2,413,076 (top quartile $4,770,311) per the 2026 FDD. Recent strategic activity includes 30+ new locations and 20 new franchisees in 2025 and a March 2026 strategic partnership with Care@Home 4 Life to add home equity-backed financing for seniors.

Name

BrightStar Care

Legal name

BrightStar Franchising, LLC

Website

https://brightstarfranchising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

BrightStar Care is a privately held home healthcare franchise organization operating 420+ locations across 41 states. It sells franchise rights delivering companion, personal, and skilled nursing care, plus medical staffing, to seniors, children with special needs, and healthcare facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home Healthcare Franchising

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331), Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (623)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Care Franchise Network Staffing & Placement (HSABAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Duty 24/7 Nursing (RN/LPN) In-Home Care (HSABAHAJ)

Keywords

• Home healthcare services
• Franchise opportunities
• In-home senior care
• Skilled nursing care
• Medical staffing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Companion Care Services: Non-medical assistance with daily activities including transportation, general well-being support, and companionship for clients in their homes.
2. Personal Care Services: Dressing, grooming, and mobility assistance for seniors and individuals requiring help with daily living activities.
3. Skilled Care Services: RN-managed medical services including wound care, medication management, infusion therapy, and other skilled nursing procedures that require clinical oversight.
4. Medical Staffing: Provides personnel to hospitals, nursing homes, doctors' offices, labs, and other healthcare facilities. Creates additional revenue opportunities while providing caregivers with more employment options.
5. National Accounts: Referrals from 180+ healthcare organizations including insurance assessments, IV infusion therapy, home health services, and flu clinic services for corporate, commercial, and retail patients.
6. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Initial franchise fee of $50,000 plus ongoing royalty fees (5.25% of monthly net billings for non-national accounts, 6.25% for national accounts) and marketing fees ($500/month or 2.5% of previous month's net billings).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BrightStar Care is a home healthcare franchise organization that sells and supports franchise rights for delivering the full continuum of in-home care, ranging from non-medical companion and personal care to RN-led skilled nursing and medical staffing. Franchisees are equipped with a proprietary ABS business management platform, Joint Commission accreditation, and access to 180+ national account partners. The franchisor generates revenue through an initial franchise fee, ongoing royalties, marketing fees, and technology fees.

Product overview

BrightStar Care operates as a franchise organization with three distinct service brands under its umbrella: BrightStar Care (core home health care franchise offering companion care, personal care, skilled nursing, and medical staffing with access to 180+ national accounts), BrightStar Care Homes (small residential care communities with 8-12 suites), and BrightStar Senior Living (boutique assisted living and memory care communities averaging 40 suites). The company also provides franchisees with access to its proprietary ABS Business Management Platform for operational management. Revenue streams include companion care, personal care, skilled care, medical staffing, and national accounts programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BrightStar Care Homes: Senior care franchise offering either assisted living or memory care services in a small, residential setting with 8-12 suites on average
• BrightStar Senior Living

Products and services

• BrightStar Care Franchise (Home Health Care) Home health care franchise offering companion care, personal care, skilled nursing, and medical staffing services delivered in clients' homes. Franchisees are equipped with proprietary technology, Joint Commission accreditation, and access to 180+ national account partners.
• BrightStar Care Homes Franchise Senior care franchise offering assisted living or memory care services in a small, residential setting with an average of 8-12 suites per home.
• BrightStar Senior Living Franchise Senior care franchise offering both assisted living and memory care services in boutique communities with an average of 40 suites.
• ABS Business Management Platform Proprietary web-based integrated business management system provided to franchisees for scheduling, payroll, billing, and client care management across the franchise network.
• Medical Staffing Service Franchisee-provided supplemental staffing service placing caregivers, CNAs, and nurses in hospitals, nursing homes, doctors' offices, and labs.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Care@Home 4 LifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Strategic partnership to deliver nationwide premium in-home care services. Care@Home 4 Life uses a home equity-backed financial model to help seniors afford in-home care without selling their home or taking on debt. BrightStar Care's network of 420+ locations and clinical expertise will support Care@Home 4 Life's mission to provide senior care through its Care@Home Guarantee policy. Services include hands-on day-to-day care, assistance with daily activities, medication management, and wound care.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Synergy HomeCare: Franchised in-home care provider with a personal care, companion, and skilled nursing continuum plus a dementia program. Direct competitor to BrightStar in the same franchise buyer demographic and service mix.
• Home Instead Senior Care: Operates the largest global franchise network for personal care, companionship, and home helper services for seniors. Most direct competitor to BrightStar Care's core in-home senior care franchise model with comparable multi-revenue-stream positioning.
• Comfort Keepers: Franchised provider of in-home care, personal care, and specialized dementia support for seniors and adults needing assistance. Directly comparable franchise model targeting the same Joint-Commission-style accreditation and skilled care adjacencies as BrightStar.
• Visiting Angels: Franchised home care provider offering companion, personal, and respite care across hundreds of U.S. territories. Closely comparable national franchise system competing with BrightStar in the same SMB owner-operator segment.
• ComForCare: Franchised in-home care provider with a non-medical and skilled care continuum plus dementia programs. Direct competitor with a similar franchised continuum-of-care thesis and Medicare-certified skilled services in select locations.
• Senior Helpers: Franchised senior home care company offering companion, personal, and specialized dementia and Parkinson's care. Overlaps BrightStar's core franchisee buyer profile and senior-focused service mix.
• Right at Home: Franchised provider of in-home care and assistance for seniors and disabled adults, with specialty programs in dementia, Parkinson's, and hospital-to-home transitions. Compares directly to BrightStar's care continuum and transition-of-care national accounts program.
• Interim HealthCare: Franchised home health, hospice, and medical staffing organization with both skilled Medicare-certified and personal care branches. Comparable franchise structure and broader clinical scope than BrightStar's non-clinical dominant mix.
• Amada Senior Care: Franchised senior care company providing in-home care and assisted living placement advisory services. Adjacent comparability given BrightStar's franchise positioning and expansion into care placement-adjacent adjacencies.

Broad incumbents

• BAYADA Home Health Care: Large private (non-franchised) home health and pediatric home care provider with skilled nursing, therapy, and assistive services. Comparable clinical capabilities and referral positioning to hospitals and payors but operates a single corporate footprint, not a franchise system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLtLm4izUfQzwQUNS66Hm6nU5T0V0ArleL
• Facebookfacebook.com/brightstarcare
• Xx.com/brightstarcare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brightstar-care

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 BrightStar Care