Brazil is aging rapidly: in 2023, the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) recorded, for the first time, more elderly people than young people in the country. Between 2000 and 2023, the proportion of people aged 60 or over in the population almost doubled, rising from 8.7% to 15.6%. In this context, a startup that connects caregivers, nursing technicians and physiotherapists with families has been gaining scale – and funding.
Founded in 2022, Sanii has just received R$5 million in a follow-on round that had the participation of the venture capital fund Sororitê Ventures. Healthtech fuels the trend known as aging in place, which represents a logistical and security challenge for several Brazilian families.
In addition to the platform that uses artificial intelligence to connect the right caregivers to a family, the company focuses on professionalizing home care professionals. The most recent contribution brings the total raised by the startup to R$13 million, considering R$8 million pre-seed received in 2023 from international funds. The R$5 million will be used to finance the company’s expansion to the interior and coast of São Paulo and invest in technology.
The pain of aging at home
Renato Tilkian, co-founder of Sanii, explains that the startup’s room for growth “is enormous because the market is completely fragmented and informal”.
For families, finding a suitable caregiver is a very difficult task, as they need to have the availability and skills compatible with the patients’ needs.
On the other hand, caregivers live informally, are at risk of not being paid and may still be out of work for significant periods when a patient dies.
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To solve this pain, Sanii acts as a closed marketplace, selecting and recruiting qualified professionals to connect them with families with specific needs. Michael Kapps, one of the founders of healthtech, explains that almost 30 factors are considered to make the connection between families and caregivers, including the proximity between the professionals’ and the family’s homes, specific skills and compatibility between the professional’s availability and the patient’s needs.
The selection process is rigorous: The founders say thousands of people apply every month, but only about 3% are approved. Candidates go through a pre-screening (which already eliminates a large number of applicants), experience verification, criminal background checks and interviews.
All of this to have a greater level of stability, as the startup ensures payment and connection with another family in the event of the death of a permanent patient. “The majority of clients on permanent duty are due to death, they stay with us for between one and two years”, says Tilkian.Professionals can still refuse shifts, gaining more flexibility.
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To keep caregivers, nurses and physiotherapists updated and engaged with the platform, Sanii offers training, such as specialization in palliative care and handling specific tools, such as probes.
“Sanii solves one of the biggest challenges of an aging population, allowing seniors to remain in their homes with safety and quality of life. Our technology not only connects caregivers and families, but transforms the entire value chain of home care”, explains Angelina Clarke, COO and co-founder of the startup.
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Artificial intelligence and use of data
Capital from the new round of investment will also be used to increase the focus on technology. The company developed the Care AI system, based on Google’s Gemini, to refine the recommendation of caregivers to patients. Additionally, it uses AI agents in recruitment interviews and when surveying the needs of new customers.
“With half a million hours (of care) we know what worked and what didn’t work,” says Kapps, about the process of connecting a caregiver to a family. “In the beginning there were a lot of errors, now there are almost zero errors, we almost guarantee that it will work.”
Sanii still uses AI in WhatsApp as the main tool for caregivers during shifts. The bot creates reports on what the last professional did on the previous shift, notifies you about medication schedules and uses information about previous procedures to evaluate the necessary measures for the patient.
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Growth strategy
Sanii’s main objective is to dominate the sector and consolidate itself as the reference in the elderly care market in Latin America, which is still extremely fragmented and informal. The growth so far could be a sign that healtech is on the right path. Without opening revenue data, Tilkian says the company will grow 300% in 2025.
The startup plans to mix organic growth – in São Paulo, where it already has a strong presence – with mergers and acquisitions outside the state, where it has not yet reached. Acquisitions of already established local companies in home care and nursing can be important to quickly gain traction by accessing a new customer base and leveraging positive reputations in other regions.
The long-term plan goes beyond the connection between caregivers and families, including complementary services such as delivery of medicines and vaccines, dental care and the use of sensors and smart cameras for monitoring.
