Meet These Two Chennai-Based Founders Who Built an Affordable Senior Care Startup for Daily Assistance, Now at ₹1.2 Crore ARR

India, which once housed the youngest population in the world, is now slowly undergoing a demographic transition that seems inevitable. India also seems under-prepared for it. 

As per the India Ageing Report 2023, about 1 in 5 Indians would be above the age of 60 by 2050. This will place immense pressure on housing, healthcare, and the social support system of India. 

Thus, the senior living industry, which was often an afterthought, is emerging as a serious economic and social necessity. 

Various reports and industry estimates suggest that India’s senior living and assisted care market is poised to grow strongly, especially in the coming decade. Reports suggest double-digit CAGR growth owing to rapid urbanisation, the rise of nuclear families, and migration of people for work. 

Yet, despite such positive numbers, the sector remains one of the riskiest to operate in. The risks are structural and financial as this sector sits between the connective tissue of real estate, healthcare, and social welfare. This is also a fairly unregulated market, so far. There is less institutional framework, fewer stakeholders, and high expectations of emotional and reputational service. 

This is the tumultuous landscape into which Redle Care ventured. 

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The Founders and Their Converging Motivations

Redle Care was founded and conceptualised by Satheesh Kumar and Sharan Rajavel. Both of them have come together after years of operating and scaling different businesses across various sectors. 

Their professional journeys were a bit different, but their motivation to work around and in the senior living industry was what brought them together and joined hands for this cause. 

However, their inclination towards this industry was not random or strategic; it was emotional, heartfelt, and almost like a calling. 

Satheesh grew up very closely observing the care and old age needs of his ageing relatives, having been raised in a joint family. His relatives needed nursing and social support when their kids moved abroad for studies or work. 

Sharan, on the other hand, was exposed to conversations that took place in his extended family about the poor and unsuitable conditions of the elder care industry that could strip people of dignity in the late stages of their lives. 

“When you’ve seen people who lived with self-respect for 60 years reduced to a system that doesn’t care, you don’t look at this industry as a business alone.” Satheesh Kumar explains Startup Pedia in an interview. 

Therefore, what began as parallel thinking eventually turned into a joint venture when both founders realised they were independently exploring assisted living as a solution.

About Redle Care

Founded in late 2024 and operational since 2025, Redle Care is a new-age assisted living and assistive healthcare startup focused on a segment most providers overlook: India’s vast middle and upper-middle-class seniors who need daily assistance and non-medical support but cannot afford any of the premium facilities charging upwards of ₹80,000–₹1,00,000 per month.

“We saw two extremes: either underfunded homes with poor maintenance and lack of dignity, or premium offerings designed for NRI and affluent families. The Indian middle class was being forced to choose between affordability and respect,” said Founder, Sharan Rajavel, in an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia.

Priced at INR 20,000 a month, Redle Care operates a flagship assisted living home called ‘The Haven By Redle Care.’ It is designed around three principles: 

1. dignity

2. affordability

3. clinical reliability 

This model aims to prioritise assisted independence and not institutionalisation, while also embracing strategic healthcare partnerships and incorporating standard care protocols into the daily working of the assisted living home. 

Redle Care is exclusively designed formiddle-class and upper-middle-class customers who require assistance for daily living, non-medical care, and continuous monitoring without compromising on an individual's dignity and respect, offering the best value for their money.

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Challenges faced by founders

Long before Redle Care started operations, the founders were battling a very different set of challenges in this emerging industry. These challenges went on to define the philosophy of business and the pace of growth. 

1. The first challenge was acquiring the property to build their first senior care home. 

The thing with senior living places is that it needs to meet a host of parameters, ranging from: 

• Safety

• Accessibility,

• Medical readiness

This combination of real estate is expensive and hard to scout for.

Thus, expansion had to be planned months before. Even as Redle Care prepares for the launch of its second facility, comprising 50 rooms and 100 beds, the location has already been locked in and is scheduled to launch in 4 months with bootstrapped capital.

2.  The next challenge was the deeply ingrained social stigma

Many Indian families still associate senior living with abandonment of parents and do not look at it as a viable option. 

“There’s a silent guilt families carry, even when they’re doing the most responsible thing for their parents,” said Sharan Rajavel. “We realised very early that we’re not just building rooms and care systems, we’re also undoing years of conditioning.”

3.  Then comes the lack of awareness around this category 

Most families begin exploring options only after a medical crisis, often mistaking assisted living for traditional old age homes, despite significant differences in care intensity, staffing, and medical oversight.

On a personal level, both founders left stable, well-paying careers to enter an untested, emotionally intensive sector, becoming the first in their families to pursue full-time entrepreneurship.

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Early Traction

The first property under Redle Care comprises 18 rooms, with a dynamic room-booking system that supports single or same-gender sharing. Since its inception in July 2025, the property has served 36 senior citizens through this facility and has already achieved operational profitability

The second property, set to be operational soon, will increase the number of rooms by around 30, totaling 48 rooms with the potential to serve 80 more senior citizens.

From a business standpoint, Redle Care is still early, but the fundamentals are deliberate:

• Room-based recurring revenue model

• Conservative occupancy thresholds for breakeven

• Partnerships with hospitals and clinics instead of building in-house, capex-heavy medical infrastructure

“This is not a blitz-scale business. It’s about building stable unit economics first; only then does scale make sense.” Sharan Rajavel highlighted this while explaining the business to Startup Pedia. 

The battle of building a senior living startup in India

Operating in the senior living space is not forgiving, and the early experience of Redle Care has been no exception.

1. Acquiring properties and obtaining zoning approvals was the first significant hurdle. Such facilities with safety, accessibility, and medical readiness in place are hard to come by, and more so in the affordable lease or buy category.

2. Employee acquisition has been another challenge. It takes time, money, and effort to recruit caregivers who are not only medically competent but also empathetic. Employee turnover, burnout, and training are thus operational challenges that need to be addressed.

3. Building trust with the family is perhaps the toughest. Unlike consumer startups, the emotional intensity of this space is high, and one mishap can set back the goodwill built over six months. Redle Care has had to spend significant time and effort on this front.

“In elder care, you earn trust slowly, and you can lose it instantly. That reality shapes every decision we make.” Satheesh Kumar explained. 

What Comes Next

In February 2026, Redle Care clocked an ARR of INR 1 crore and projects a strong growth to INR 3 crore in the coming Financial Year. 

With its second property launching and more in the pipeline, Redle Care is now entering a phase of cautious expansion. The focus is not aggressive growth, but replicable quality, ensuring each new home maintains standards while improving cost efficiency.

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