# Char Hu

> Char Hu is the Austin-based co-founder and CEO of The Helper Bees, an aging-in-place platform that coordinates non-medical services for insurers, plans, and the people they serve. Trained in electrical engineering and molecular biophysics, Hu shifted from computational research to hands-on care operations, founded specialist senior-living and home-service businesses, and in 2015 built The Helper Bees with longtime collaborators Eric Corum and Danny Lynch. The company announced a $35 million Series C in January 2025 after growing its network to more than 20,000 providers serving 43 major payers.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at The Helper Bees
- **Organizations:** The Helper Bees, Georgetown Living, Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, Alzheimer’s Texas, AustinUp, Family Eldercare
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, PhD in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine
- **Known for:** Co-founded The Helper Bees and grew it into a national platform with more than 20,000 providers serving 43 major payers by January 2025., Raised a $35 million Series C led by Centana Growth Partners in January 2025., Received a 2018 SXSW Community Service Award.

## Career timeline

- **2003-2010** — Completed doctoral work at Baylor College of Medicine, using supercomputers to study protein folding and biological mechanisms.
- **2009** — Co-founded Georgetown Living, a specialist senior-living business in Central Texas.
- **2013** — Served on the Austin Mayor’s Task Force on Aging while directing Georgetown Living.
- **2015** — Co-founded The Helper Bees with Eric Corum and Danny Lynch.
- **2017** — Appointed by the Texas lieutenant governor to the Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders.
- **2018** — Received an SXSW Community Service Award for his work using technology to support older adults.
- **2020** — The Helper Bees raised a $6 million Series A and scaled from roughly 20-23 employees to about 200 during the year.
- **2022** — The Helper Bees announced a $12.8 million Series B.
- **2025** — The Helper Bees announced a $35 million Series C led by Centana Growth Partners to expand into Medicaid and payment products.
- **2026** — Hu promoted company research examining how non-medical support can affect Medicare Advantage quality measures.

## Achievements

- Co-founded The Helper Bees and grew it into a national platform with more than 20,000 providers serving 43 major payers by January 2025.
- Raised a $35 million Series C led by Centana Growth Partners in January 2025.
- Received a 2018 SXSW Community Service Award.
- Was appointed to the Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders in 2017.
- Co-founded and operated Georgetown Living and helped build a Medicare-accredited home health agency before launching The Helper Bees.
- Contributed a chapter on nonpharmacologic approaches to a 2016 Elsevier volume on neurodegenerative disorders.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Hu shared The Helper Bees’ continuing research series on the relationship between non-medical in-home support and Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, citing 3.3 million delivered services as the company’s evidence base.
- **2026-07** — Hu promoted a survey of 1,480 older adults and argued that representative data should complement individual stories in public discussion of aging in place.
- **2025-01** — The Helper Bees announced a $35 million Series C led by Centana Growth Partners, with plans to expand into Medicaid and develop payment infrastructure.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thehelperbees.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charhu
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/charhu
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHelperBees/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/char-hu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28