# CareYaya Health

> CareYaya Health is a Durham-based health technology company connecting families with pre-health college students for paid, non-medical help at home. Its free registry supports companionship and family respite while giving students experience for future healthcare careers. It also develops caregiver education and AI tools.

- **Founded:** 2022
- **Headquarters:** Durham, United States
- **Founders:** Neal K. Shah (Co-founder and CEO), Gavry Eshet (Co-founder and CTO)
- **Products:** Student caregiver registry, YayaGuide, Yaya Bear, Counterforce Health
- **Notable:** Launched in 2022 after a campus-based pilot., American Heart Association reports more than 50,000 students in the network in 2025., Exhibited in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 in 2024.

## Products & services

- **Student caregiver registry** — Connects families with screened pre-health students for non-medical companionship, everyday help and respite.
- **YayaGuide** — Personalized dementia-caregiver education using AI and short learning modules; supported by Johns Hopkins AITC and an NIA Phase I SBIR award.
- **Yaya Bear** — Conversational AI companion that captures memories and helps families stay connected, described in the AHA 2025 portfolio report.
- **Counterforce Health** — Related patient-advocacy initiative helping prepare appeals of health insurance denials.

## Achievements

- Launched in 2022 after a campus-based pilot.
- American Heart Association reports more than 50,000 students in the network in 2025.
- Exhibited in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 in 2024.
- Received NIA Phase I SBIR support for YayaGuide in September 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — North Carolina’s FY2025-2026 year-end report lists a $75,000 YayaGuide grant commitment and $56,250 paid during FY2026.
- **2026-06** — Neal Shah argued for an AgeTech track in North Carolina small-business support and university workforce pipelines in a WRAL opinion article.
- **2025-11** — Co-founder Gavry Eshet presented the student companionship model to CEAL@UNC strategic advisors.
- **2025-09** — NIA awarded Phase I SBIR project 1R43AG094339-01 for YayaGuide.

## Links

- Website: https://www.careyaya.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/careyaya/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/WeAreCareYaya
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wearecareyaya
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearecareyaya/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreCareYaya/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/careyaya-health
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23