CareYaya, a startup that connects people in need of caregivers with healthcare students, is revolutionizing the caregiving industry. Founded in 2022 by Neal Shah, the platform aims to provide affordable in-home support while helping students prepare for their future healthcare careers.

Shah's personal experience as a caregiver for his wife inspired the idea. He hired college students studying healthcare to care for his wife, and soon realized that many families were doing the same informally. This sparked the idea to create a formal system through a tech platform, which has now grown to include over 25,000 students from top universities.

CareYaya's platform performs background checks and video-based interviews with students, and matches them with families based on their specific care needs. The startup claims it can help families save thousands of dollars on recurring senior care, charging between $17 and $20 per hour compared to the average $35 per hour for at-home care in the US. With plans to expand beyond the US, CareYaya is also equipping students with AI-powered technology to track disease progression and provide better real-time assistance.