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Understood Care

YC S24

New York City, US · Founded 2025 · 7 employees · 13 known investors

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Understood Care provides patient advocacy services for older adults navigating healthcare, particularly Medicare benefits and care coordination. The company connects clients with trained advocates who help with claims, medication safety, transportation, and social services.

Also known as Ply Health Inc. · Inc · Ply Health · Ply Health, Inc, Ply Health

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechHealth TechHealthcareHealth InsuranceAIAI AssistantUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaPartly Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S24)

Understood Care was founded in 2025 by Samantha Wu and Kevin Bailey.

SWSamantha Wu
Samantha WuCo-FounderShe previously served as head of business operations at Finni, a Y Combinator company, and held positions at Cedar, SiteRx, Carlyle, and Evercore.
KBKevin Bailey
Kevin BaileyFounder
DZ
David Zhang
CS
Cherrie ShiBizopsformer

Investors · 13

Pioneerlisted by PioneerToronto, Ontario

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · pioneerfund.vc · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Tau Ventureslisted by Tau VenturesPalo Alto · $500K
Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

How we know: the Y Combinator directory · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

1984 Ventures Management, LlcreportedSan Francisco · $750K – $1M

How we know: a partner's Signal profile · funding news · finance.yahoo.com · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

468 CapitalreportedBerlin

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Andreessen HorowitzreportedMenlo Park · $500K – $50M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Pathlight VenturesreportedOld Bridge · $500K – $5M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Rethink EducationreportedWhite Plains

How we know: funding news · finance.yahoo.com · Not right? Tell us

Seraph GroupreportedMilton · $50K – $2M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Transpose Platform ManagementreportedSan Francisco

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Zeal Capital PartnersreportedWashington · $250K – $2M

How we know: a partner's Signal profile · funding news · finance.yahoo.com · Not right? Tell us

Also in the syndicate · 1

Ycombinator

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

The YC application· Summer 2024 batch

Alumni Q&A

What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?
The founders aim to lower non-medical barriers to care for Medicare patients by addressing both finding services and delivering them. They cite transportation for patients who no longer drive as an example, where relevant county, state, insurer, and non-profit programs are hard to find and have complex application paperwork. The company is building AI agents: an advocate agent that draws on collective advocate expertise and past patient encounters to recommend solutions, and a workflow agent that automates tasks like form completion and note-taking.

Summarized from the founders' answers on their Y Combinator profile.

Related companies · 8

Fairway HealthFairway Health provides an AI-powered solution for managing prior authorization processes in healthcare, helping payers reduce inefficiencies, delays, and costs.
Reliance HealthReliance Health provides healthcare services combining medical expertise with technology for individuals and corporate customers in growing economies. The platform aims to make quality healthcare accessible, affordable, and integrated into daily life through a network of health providers.
AARPAARP Services is the commercial arm of AARP that connects companies with the 50+ population through brand licensing, marketing, audience data, and innovation services. It helps organizations develop and market products and services tailored to aging consumers while leveraging AARP's trusted brand and member insights.
LoulaLoula connects families with doula care services covered by insurance, including Medi-Cal and commercial health plans. The company aims to improve perinatal health outcomes and maternal health equity for underserved communities.
Solace HealthSolace provides patient advocacy services that help individuals navigate healthcare systems and secure treatments and approvals. The company connects patients with advocates who manage care coordination, approvals, and quality-of-life support, covered by insurance nationwide.
Clicks HealthGoClicks deploys AI agents to automate revenue cycle and administrative workflows in healthcare operations. The agents integrate with existing healthcare software tools to improve efficiency without requiring system migrations or disruptions.
Rovi HealthRovi provides members with access to clinician guidance for navigating healthcare, finding quality doctors, managing benefits, and coordinating care. The platform connects patients with nurses and specialists to improve health outcomes and reduce costs.
ChapterChapter helps American seniors navigate and select Medicare plans by comparing options nationwide and recommending personalized coverage. The company serves retirees seeking clarity in health insurance enrollment to protect their health and financial security.

Companies working in the same space as Understood Care.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
Ply Health Inc.

In the news

Home Safety and Accessibility | Understood Careunderstoodcare.com · Apr 2026Understood Care Raises $8.4M to Scale AI-Native Infrastructure Layer for Patient Advocacyfinance.yahoo.com · Mar 2026Understood Care Raises $5M in Seed Fundingfinsmes.com · Mar 2026Understood Care: AI Powered Patient Advocacyycombinator.com · Aug 2025🍃 Ply Health: Get providers in network fasterycombinator.com · Jun 2024

Frequently asked questions

What does Understood Care do?
Understood Care provides patient advocacy services for older adults navigating healthcare, particularly Medicare benefits and care coordination. The company connects clients with trained advocates who help with claims, medication safety, transportation, and social services.
Who founded Understood Care?
Understood Care was founded by Samantha Wu, Kevin Bailey in 2025.
Who are Understood Care's investors?
Understood Care's investors include Informed Ventures Advisors, Llc, Pioneer, Tau Ventures, Y Combinator, 1984 Ventures Management, Llc, 468 Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Pathlight Ventures and 4 more.
Where is Understood Care headquartered?
Understood Care is headquartered in New York City, US.