Avanlee Care Partners with Health Plans to Provide Simple Tools & Big Outcomes for Seniors at Home

4 snips

Sep 25, 2025

Avanlee Christine, CEO and co-founder of Avanlee Care, dives into transforming senior care by integrating family caregivers into health workflows. She reveals how pivoting from fundraising to customer focus unlocked key partnerships with Medicare Advantage plans. Avanlee highlights the importance of caregiver communication, showing that 60% of members rely on informal help, and discusses strategies to boost health outcomes. Amidst sharing her experiences as a founder in Montana, she also reflects on balancing motherhood with entrepreneurial challenges.

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ADVICE

Pause Fundraising, Double Down On Customers

Stop fundraising temporarily and focus on customer development to find product-market fit.
Manage cash tightly and let traction attract inbound investors.

ANECDOTE

Fast Integrations With Walmart And Cost Plus

Avonlea used API integrations with Walmart OTC and Cost Plus Drugs to accelerate product features.
Those integrations shortened timelines dramatically and improved consumer offerings.

ADVICE

Prioritize Trust And Plan-Focused Features

Invest in trust-building fundamentals like SOC 2 compliance before scaling with payers.
Build product features that solve measurable plan needs (med adherence, AWV, CAHPS) first.

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Bridging Home, Family, and Health Plans: Avanlee Christine on Caregiver-First Health Innovation

StartUp Health community member Avanlee Christine, CEO & Co-founder of Avanlee Care, joins Unity Stoakes on StartUp Health NOW to share how a pivot from fundraising to customer development unlocked product traction, investor interest, and partnerships with innovative health plans. From Billings, Montana, Avanlee explains why integrating unpaid family caregivers into care workflows improves outcomes, raises satisfaction, and helps Medicare Advantage plans do more with less.

In this episode:

How shifting focus from pitching to building sparked inbound VC interest, including the first venture investor
Why 60% of Medicare Advantage members rely on informal caregivers, and how formalizing that communication closes gaps
Practical ways caregiver engagement boosts stars, adherence, annual wellness visits, and CAHPS
Lessons from scaling a health tech company in Montana, with support from mentors and investors like Esther Dyson
Real talk on resilience, motherhood, team building, and staying alive through tough cycles
What health plan leaders, quality and risk teams, and investor partners should know about Avanlee Care right now

Listen for:

Simple, structured steps health plans can take to bring caregivers into the loop
A founder’s playbook for surviving early years, finding product-market fit, and creating momentum outside traditional tech hubs

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