Peter Dowds

Peter Dowds, 30 years old, left his life as a corporate lawyer to realise his vision to change the crumbling social care model and shape a more positive later life experience for a rapidly growing elderly population.

He co-founded Elder Live-In Care in 2016 with university friend, Tom Brooks. Elder is a home care marketplace that matches customers with professional carers for a fair price (30% cheaper than traditional care homes) whilst being flexible and personalised.

Pete and the Elder team understand that care is not a commodity – it’s a relationship. This is why the tailored matching service of carers to care recipients is fundamental, taking into account the background of the person who needs care, their personality, what they used to do for a living and what their hobbies and interests are. And Elder’s process is working – they get 96 percent of matches right first time.

Elder’s live-in care is a revolution in the elderly care industry, allowing people to stay in their own homes, be independent for longer, and enjoy real quality of later life. This is extremely important for the growing numbers of people living with dementia in particular, who are far more sensitive to their environment and for whom unfamiliar settings can increase their symptoms.

As the success of the service relies on the quality of their carers, Pete and his team still meet every single carer. When they find the best talent, they ensure they retain them, by paying a highly competitive wage.

Elder is available across the UK and currently operates in over 60 towns and cities. Early team members have joined from Google, Graze, JustEat, Shazam and Ocado, and some of Europe’s leading VC investors have invested $5 million in early funding.