ilarna
ilarna operates a digital marketplace platform connecting UK individuals and families seeking home support with a vetted network of self-employed Personal Assistants, handling matching, scheduling, payments, and wellbeing reporting. It also sells an enterprise version to NHS trusts and care organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What ilarna does
ilarna operates a digital marketplace platform that connects individuals and families seeking in-home support with a vetted network of self-employed Personal Assistants (PAs) across the United Kingdom, with early US operations via a Delaware-incorporated subsidiary. The platform handles the full care arrangement lifecycle, including an 8-step automated onboarding and DBS-verification workflow for PAs, intelligent location-based matching, session scheduling with GPS clock-in/out, integrated payments via Stripe and BACS, and an optional 8-dimension wellbeing reporting module (covering mood, eating, mobility, sleep, pain, social connection, skin integrity, and comfort). The technology stack is built on Microsoft Azure healthcare-grade infrastructure with FHIR/DICOM support, and the company holds Cyber Essentials certification with UK GDPR compliance while pursuing ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II for enterprise readiness.
ilarna serves three primary customer groups: individuals and families seeking home support (often following hospital discharge or managing chronic conditions such as MS, Parkinson's, or dementia), NHS and care organizations seeking scalable workforce solutions (with Buckinghamshire NHS Trust as the documented flagship reference), and self-employed Personal Assistants seeking work opportunities. The company explicitly does not act as a care agency; PAs work as independent contractors and PAs set their own hourly rates subject to a communicated £15.00 minimum, while ilarna earns a per-hour transaction commission plus VAT invoiced to the care recipient and a contingent £3,000 + VAT placement fee if a client bypasses the platform to engage a PA directly.
Go-to-market is hybrid: a self-serve product-led growth motion for individual consumers via the ilarna WebApp and content-led SEO through the 'Ask ilarna' resource hub, paired with a direct enterprise field sales motion targeting NHS trusts, hospital discharge teams, and community health services. Distribution is entirely digital (web and mobile applications) with no physical retail presence, and all care delivery occurs in-person via matched PAs. The business operates as a private company under ilarna Holdings Limited, with no disclosed institutional funding rounds, and has not publicly reported revenue.
ilarna firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ilarna
- Legal name
- ilarna LIMITED
- Website
- https://ilarna.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ilarna operates a digital marketplace platform connecting UK individuals and families seeking home support with a vetted network of self-employed Personal Assistants, handling matching, scheduling, payments, and wellbeing reporting. It also sells an enterprise version to NHS trusts and care organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ilarna industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Home Care Marketplace
- NAICS
- Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)
- SIC
- Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Care Navigation, Referral & Digital Front Door Platforms (HLALABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Independent Living Community Technology & Safety Solutions (Nurse Call/Monitoring/Access Control) (HLADAAAJ), Patient Self-Service Portal for Scheduling & Management (HLACADAK)
Keywords
Where ilarna is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ilarna business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Commission on Care Hours: A commission per hour fee is added +VAT and invoiced separately to the Care Guardian/Care Recipient for every hour or increment that the Caregiver/Carer delivers care within the care plan. Caregivers are not charged fees for services on the platform. Payment processing is handled through Stripe, BACS, Credit Card, Debit Card, and Pre-Paid Cards.
- Private Hire Placement Fee: If an account holder bypasses the platform to directly engage a Carer/Caregiver introduced through ilarna (as direct employee, self-employed contractor, through limited company or LLP), they are liable for a placement fee of £3,000 + VAT per Carer/Caregiver, payable within 5 working days plus 10% interest on debt.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | PA-set hourly rates with platform commission overlay |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Self-employed PA pricing autonomy |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
ilarna product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ilarna operates a cloud-based digital platform that connects individuals and families seeking in-home support with a network of vetted, self-employed Personal Assistants. The platform handles the full care arrangement lifecycle — matching, communication, scheduling with GPS verification, payment processing via Stripe/BACS, and post-visit wellbeing reporting — and charges a per-hour commission to the care recipient on top of PA-set hourly rates.
Product overview
ilarna operates as a unified platform connecting individuals and families seeking in-home support with a network of vetted, self-employed Personal Assistants. The core product is the ilarna Platform (webapp and mobile WebApp), which handles the full care arrangement lifecycle including matching, scheduling, payment processing via Stripe/BACS, and optional wellbeing reporting. The offering spans multiple segments: direct consumers (care seekers), the NHS and care organizations (Technology for Care Organizations / NHS Professionals), and the Personal Assistant workforce itself. Ask ilarna serves as the content and education resource arm. The platform is positioned as a self-management care model rather than a care agency.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ilarna Platform A cloud webapp-based connectivity and introductory technology platform for health and social care that connects individuals and families seeking in-home support with self-employed Personal Assistants. It facilitates matching, communication, session scheduling, payment processing, and wellbeing reporting.
- ilarna Technology for Care Organizations
- ilarna NHS Professionals
- ilarna WebApp (mobile application)
Quantifiable outcome
- 341,589 hours of home support facilitated across the UK
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ilarna
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ilarna technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability3 records
Feature7 records
ilarna partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Microsoft AzurecoreCloud infrastructure provider for ilarna's platform. Azure's native support for healthcare data standards including FHIR and DICOM enables compliance, security, and interoperability. US user data held on US servers.
- StripecorePayment processing platform handling transactions between care seekers and Personal Assistants. Supports credit cards, debit cards, BACS, and pre-paid cards.
- ilarna Holdings Limited (Parent)coreParent holding company of ilarna Limited. All intellectual property rights in the platform belong to ilarna Holdings Limited.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ilarna competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cera Care: UK-based technology-enabled home care provider using a platform and AI matching to deploy professional carers at home. Directly comparable to ilarna as a tech-led home care marketplace serving elderly and post-hospital discharge clients, with overlapping NHS enterprise customer base.
- Elder: UK live-in care marketplace connecting families with self-employed carers. Closely comparable to ilarna's self-employed PA model and live-in support use case, serving similar elderly and post-discharge segments.
- Care.com: Global online marketplace connecting families with caregivers across senior care, child care, and special needs. Comparable two-sided marketplace model and consumer self-serve GTM, although broader in scope than ilarna's UK home-support focus.
- Honor Technology: US-based technology platform powering home care agencies with workforce matching, scheduling, and care operations. Comparable technology stack and operating model in the home care space, focused on the US market where ilarna is attempting to expand.
Broad incumbents
- Home Instead: Large UK and global franchised home care provider offering hourly and live-in personal care to seniors. Comparable on service offering and customer segment, but operates a traditional agency-employed caregiver model rather than a self-employed marketplace.
- Helping Hands Home Care: Established UK home care provider delivering hourly and live-in support across England and Wales. Comparable in service scope and elderly/disability client base, but employs caregivers directly rather than operating an open marketplace.
- AlayaCare: Provider of cloud-based home care software for agencies, with scheduling, billing, and clinical documentation. Comparable in technology focus on home care operations but serves agencies as B2B customers rather than operating a direct caregiver marketplace like ilarna.
Emerging players
- Birdie: UK-based SaaS platform helping home care agencies digitize rostering, visits, and care management. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — Birdie sells tools to agencies, while ilarna operates a direct-to-consumer PA marketplace — but both target NHS and private home care demand.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ilarna social profiles
Digital presenceilarna compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
ilarna financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ilarna leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ilarna subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
ilarna funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ilarna M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ilarna
What does ilarna do?
ilarna operates a cloud-based digital platform that connects individuals and families seeking in-home support with a network of vetted, self-employed Personal Assistants. The platform handles the full care arrangement lifecycle — matching, communication, scheduling with GPS verification, payment processing via Stripe/BACS, and post-visit wellbeing reporting — and charges a per-hour commission to the care recipient on top of PA-set hourly rates.
Is ilarna a public or private company?
ilarna is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ilarna founded?
ilarna was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ilarna based?
ilarna is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does ilarna make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Platform Commission on Care Hours are the primary driver. The others are private Hire Placement Fee.
Who are ilarna's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cera Care, Elder, Care.com and Honor Technology. Broad incumbents are Home Instead, Helping Hands Home Care and AlayaCare. Birdie is listed as an emerging player.
Does ilarna have an API?
No public API is recorded for ilarna.
What industry is ilarna in?
ilarna's product category is Home Care Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALABAH, Care Navigation, Referral & Digital Front Door Platforms, with a secondary code of HLADAAAJ, Independent Living Community Technology & Safety Solutions (Nurse Call/Monitoring/Access Control). Its NAICS code is 624120 and its SIC code is 8082.