After 20 years working with seniors, and an extensive background in researching service gaps in healthcare, Ana Jones realized that there was a need for more reliable and flexible home care for elderly people — so she founded Phlex65, a marketplace where caregivers and seniors are matched through the power of AI.

ICA Fund is thrilled to welcome Ana Jones to our Portfolio as the newest Seed Capital Fund recipient. Phlex65 is a graduate of the 2024 ICA Accelerator program, and this investment will fuel the continued development of the Phlex65 marketplace to expand its client reach. This investment was made using the ICA Impact Note, our innovative investment structure that partners with entrepreneurs to prioritize social impact – like good jobs, workforce diversity, and employee wealth creation – as they grow their business.

In this interview, Ana shares her insights on the rising demand for home care solutions, the crucial role of technology in meeting this demand, and how Phlex65 is uniquely positioned to make a difference. 

Why did you start Phlex65?

For over 20 years, I have worked closely with seniors, earning my Master’s in Gerontology and dedicating my career to researching aging trends, social determinants of health, and the gaps in our healthcare system. One of the biggest challenges I’ve witnessed is how fragmented senior care is—so many families struggle to find reliable caregivers, and even when they do, rigid care schedules make it nearly impossible to access the support they truly need. I founded Phlex65 to change that. My mission is to bring flexibility, ease, and peace of mind to families searching for care, ensuring that no one falls through the cracks in a system that should be there to support them.

‍As an expert in the field, can you talk about why there is an increase in demand for home care solutions, and why you think Phlex65 is uniquely positioned to address this trend?‍

As an expert in the field, I can speak to the growing demand for home care solutions, driven by the rapidly aging population. Seniors are the largest demographic, and they will continue to be for the next few decades. This shift is reshaping policy, advocacy, and consumer needs. To keep up with this demand, we must leverage technology—particularly AI—to streamline processes and improve outcomes. When I started Phlex65, I saw the gap in tech integration in the senior care industry. Today, with plans for development of AI-powered matching and workflow solutions, Phlex65 is uniquely positioned to meet the evolving needs of home-care agencies and seniors alike, delivering efficient, high-quality care.

How is the investment from ICA going to help you continue to grow Phlex65?

California is projected to have 40 million people by 2033, and 10 million of those people are going to be 65 and older, and potentially people who may need caregiving. That means that we are going to need 700,000 caregivers over the next 10 years. With this investment from ICA, we can continue to build out the Phlex65 marketplace and increase our capacity for AI matchmaking between caregivers and seniors.

‍Why did you join the ICA Accelerator?

ICA was the first in-person Accelerator I participated in. I joined because I wanted to connect with the community, and needed to network on a local level. Everyone around me deals with care, and I saw this Accelerator as an opportunity to build out a more extensive network. Even though ICA’s Accelerator had a lot of CPG businesses, I still really appreciated the connections I made with the other founders who were running service-focused businesses.

Not only was ICA local and provided networking opportunities, but they also have seed funding, so I figured, let’s explore this. I come from a nonprofit background, and I love the local impact that ICA has. Not only do they give back to their employees, but they also fund entrepreneurs so that we can give back to our own communities.

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Keep following along Phlex65’s journey on their website and Instagram. 

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ICA Fund accelerates great businesses through mentoring and investments to close the racial and gender wealth gaps. We support small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area led by founders of color and women by providing capital, coaching, and connections. ICA Fund helps entrepreneurs grow the value of their businesses and create wealth for themselves and their employees, driving toward our vision of an economy that works for all.