Rising costs, a shortage of staff, and outdated infrastructure burden Britain’s home care system. Families face ongoing challenges securing reliable, quality care for their loved ones, while carers themselves are often undervalued and underpaid. This is the very issue Gladys aims to resolve.
Georgina Robinson, CEO and co-founder, explains, “We all know that Britain’s care system is broken. Re-arranging deck-chairs on a sinking ship will not cut it. People are dying unnecessarily, and brilliant carers are undervalued and underpaid. Gladys is using this investment to supercharge its technology and deliver the service that we would want for our loved ones.”
The AI-driven home care platform recently secured £1.5 million in seed funding to support its nationwide expansion. The funding round was led by Cornerstone VC, with backing from Exceptional Ventures, Embryo Ventures, Ufi Ventures, Houghton Street Ventures, and the Conduit EIS Impact Fund.
Ensuring everyone can grow old with dignity in the home they love
Founded by former barrister George Robinson and serial health-tech entrepreneur Alex Sorisi, Gladys was born from frustration with a system that fails both families and frontline carers. Robinson spent years in the legal sector before leaping into social impact, while Sorisi brings deep operational experience from building technology-driven businesses in healthcare.
Together, they built the company around one clear mission: to ensure everyone can grow old with dignity in the home they love, supported by well-paid, empowered carers. Their vision for tech-enabled, compassionate care stems from a drive to challenge the structural inefficiencies of legacy care agencies and digital platforms such as Elder, Cera, or SuperCarers.
Gladys leverages advanced artificial intelligence, including a unique, conversational AI interface, to transform the delivery of home care. Its platform uses smart agents to match those seeking care with trusted local carers, handling scheduling, payments, and communication seamlessly. The service cuts out intermediaries, offering fairer prices for clients and enabling carers to earn up to 65% more than with traditional agencies.
Gladys also automates complex logistics, from route planning to compliance, enabling delivery of support at scale: across a 20,000 km service area and already providing tens of thousands of hours of independent living assistance. AI-powered back-office agents take the burden out of managing care, letting carers focus on what matters most: supporting people where they live.
This technology-first approach gives Gladys a sharp advantage in the UK’s crowded care sector, where manual systems and slim margins hinder legacy providers. The platform’s seamless matchmaking, career development support for carers, and commitment to local community networks further distinguish it among competitors – Cera, Elder, and SuperCarers.
What’s next?
With new funding, Gladys plans to expand across the UK by the end of 2026, with an ambitious goal of delivering hundreds of thousands of hours of support to families nationwide. Investment will fuel further development of its AI infrastructure, scale community-building initiatives, and reinforce Gladys as the trusted network for local home care .
As Cornerstone’s Rodney Appiah notes, “Rising care costs, an overstretched social care system, and the demands of daily life can leave families feeling guilty and stretched thin as they think about their elderly loved ones. Their mission is close to my heart: giving families peace of mind and helping everyone grow old with dignity, in the home they cherish, for as long as possible.”
