Picture this: you’re juggling a high-stress job while bending backward to care for a loved one—constantly Googling, calling insurance, scrambling for answers, feeding your own stress and guilt.
That’s the painful reality millions of people face every day in the U.S. Enter Cariloop, the Dallas–based platform that pairs a secure, digital case-management portal with licensed healthcare coaches to guide overwhelmed caregivers through medical, financial, and legal complexity. Why now? Because caregiving has exploded: over 70% of employees are balancing care duties, and burnout, absenteeism, and stress are skyrocketing.
Employers are finally taking notice. Supporting employees with holistic tools is no longer a “nice-to-have” perk. It’s mission-critical.
With Cariloop’s $20 million Series C funding round in April 2024, the company is scaling nationwide, embedding caregiver support into corporate benefit packages and aiming to impact millions. For the first time, caregivers can access real-time guidance—via chat, call, or video—from licensed professionals as a benefit of their employment.
This isn’t just a startup. It’s a movement. A shot at rewriting what it means to “balance work and life”—where you don’t just make it through, you thrive.
👤 The Origin Story
In 2007, Michael Walsh, a Purdue University graduate, was working as a consultant at Protiviti. During the post-2008 downturn, he found himself overwhelmed with professional demands. Then came the family crisis: his grandfather suffered a brain aneurysm. The emotional and logistical chaos that followed was life-altering.
At the same time, childhood friend Steven Theesfeld was going through his own caregiving nightmare—navigating paperwork, coordinating care, and making critical decisions without a guide.
The two friends realized a harsh truth: millions of families were suffering in silence. No roadmap. No coaching. No safety net.
In July 2012, they launched Cariloop with one mission: No one should go through caregiving alone. After completing the Health Wildcatters accelerator program in 2013 and securing $30,000 in seed money, Cariloop introduced its first platform—one that would evolve dramatically over the next decade.
Together, Michael’s consulting background and Steven’s personal caregiving experience laid the foundation for a company built on empathy, structure, and bold innovation.
🧠 The Problem
Every day, nearly 50 million caregivers in the U.S. operate in the shadows—excluded from the formal healthcare system and stretched beyond capacity.
The crisis is silent but brutal. Caregivers often manage medications, navigate insurance policies, handle logistics, and make medical decisions—frequently while holding down full-time jobs. Discharge instructions are confusing. Financial options are opaque. Support is nonexistent.
Despite the growing scale of this problem, most employers have historically ignored it. Caregiving wasn’t part of benefits conversations, HR policies, or wellness budgets. Meanwhile, stress-related absenteeism and turnover soared.
This is not a niche issue. It’s a national emergency disguised as a personal inconvenience. For millions, caregiving isn’t a chapter—it’s a defining part of life. Without support, it becomes an emotional, financial, and professional collapse waiting to happen.
🛠️ Product + MVP Launch
Cariloop’s first product, launched in 2013, was built around a simple idea: match caregivers with senior care providers. Think of it as a digital marketplace with search tools and filters—useful, but transactional and difficult to scale.
By 2015, the founders realized the model wasn’t sustainable. The economics didn’t work. The emotional labor required more than algorithms.
So they pivoted. Cariloop evolved into a hybrid platform combining secure digital case management with real human support. Each user was paired with a licensed coach—a nurse, therapist, or social worker—who guided them through everything from selecting care facilities to understanding Medicare to coordinating home modifications.
This change was transformative. Feedback from early employer pilots and healthcare systems confirmed that the platform wasn’t just helpful—it was essential.
By 2016, with the help of user experience experts, Cariloop had built a user-friendly, enterprise-ready platform that could scale. Their value proposition was now crystal clear: human care meets tech-driven structure.
💸 Fundraising Timeline
- 2013 – Health Wildcatters Accelerator + $30,000 Seed
- 2014 – $400,000 Seed + $50,000 National Angel Summit Award
- 2015 – Additional $180,000 Seed
- 2020 – Series A: $6 Million
- 2021 – Series B: $15 Million
- 2024 – Series C: $20 Million
Cariloop’s fundraising journey mirrors its growth—from bootstrapped roots to multi-million dollar institutional backing. Each round has been tied closely to major product improvements and enterprise adoption.
📊 Business Model
| Segment | Revenue Model | Channels & Partners |
|---|---|---|
| Employers (Core B2B) | Per-employee SaaS subscription + usage | HR integrations, benefit brokers, enterprise |
| Individuals | Direct memberships (tiered pricing) | Online marketing, referral, organic press |
| Education & Content | Licensing + white-label training | Employers, healthcare systems |
Cariloop primarily monetizes through per-employee software subscriptions sold to employers. These contracts often include white-glove onboarding and usage-based coaching services. The company also offers direct-to-consumer memberships and licenses educational tools to partners.
Their distribution strategy hinges on HR teams and benefits brokers, making them a true B2B2C company.
📚 Tactical Lessons
1. Start With Lived Pain
Michael and Steven built Cariloop because they lived the caregiving crisis firsthand. That authenticity grounded their mission and resonated with users.
Apply it: Build something you deeply understand. If the pain isn’t real for you, it won’t be real in your product.
2. Pivot When Economics Don’t Work
The original provider-matching model failed. Instead of forcing it, the team pivoted to a coaching platform with better retention, margins, and real outcomes.
Apply it: Obsess over your unit economics. If something’s breaking, don’t double down—shift and rebuild.
3. Marry Tech With Human Empathy
Cariloop fused automation with healthcare coaches. This balance created trust and outcomes that software alone couldn’t achieve.
Apply it: When tackling emotional or high-stakes problems, human support isn’t optional. It’s the differentiator.
4. Leverage Accelerators Strategically
Early results from pilot programs helped them win investors and credibility.
Apply it: Use accelerators not for hype but for traction. Real-world results matter more than pitch decks.
5. Ride Macro Tailwinds
Cariloop scaled just as COVID, remote work, and mental health entered the benefits conversation. Timing wasn’t accidental—it was strategic.
Apply it: Map your product to larger societal trends. Be ready when opportunity knocks.
6. Scale Through Benefit Integration
Their go-to-market isn’t aimed at individuals—it’s embedded in employer benefit stacks, giving them massive leverage.
Apply it: Find the channel that scales fastest and plugs into existing systems.
7. Cement Mission Into Governance
Cariloop became a Public Benefit Corporation in 2021 and earned B-Corp certification in 2022. Their values became part of their legal DNA.
Apply it: Let your mission drive not just your story—but your structure.
🔥 The Call to Arms
Here’s the truth: building something meaningful is hard. Really hard.
You’ll second-guess every decision. Investors will ghost you. Users will cancel. But if the mission runs deep—if it’s built on something you’ve lived—then you’re building more than a company.
You’re building a movement.
Cariloop didn’t invent caregiving. They transformed it—because they dared to care when no one else would. They created clarity in a chaotic system, dignity in moments of darkness, and support for millions who had none.
You can do the same.
Solve the problem that haunts you. Build something where empathy isn’t an afterthought—it’s the foundation. Think like a systems architect. Move like a wartime founder. And never let go of the people you’re building for.
The world doesn’t need another pitch deck. It needs a solution.
Cariloop started with two friends and a laptop. What’s your excuse?
Hell yes. Let’s build something brave.