Helpper raises €1 million to bring the sharing economy to care services

Helpper, a Belgian sharing economy startup for care services, has raised €1 million in funding from Carevolution, a fund that backs care services.

The Antwerp-based startup said it is bringing the sharing economy model to the care sector where it connects the elderly and people with disabilities in need of help and support with people in their local community, for a small fee. The service is currently operating in Antwerp and Ghent with 400 helpers and 250 recipients and plans to invest the new funds in reaching more cities.

Founder François Gerard started the company after his father was diagnosed with ALS. Outside of the care provided by professionals, a number of daily tasks and to-dos went overlooked. Helpper is intended to pick up these daily tasks like shopping and driving people to appointments. The platform encourages a continuous relationship between users rather than one-off tasks.

Helpper takes a cut of rates as its business model. Users in need of support pay a €10 registration and then an hourly rate of €9.80. The helpers receive €7 an hour. The company also has partnerships with insurance companies Partena Ziekenfonds and OZ.

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