Helen Adeosun: Exploring The Story of Founder & CEO of CareAcademy From Boston to the Boardroom
Helen Adeosun is the founder and CEO of CareAcademy, a company she created with one powerful idea: that caregivers, those who look after our aging parents, grandparents, and loved ones, deserve better training, support, and recognition. Her mission is simple but urgent: to give these essential workers the tools they need to succeed and the respect they have long been denied.
Learn How to Leverage Your Story through our Story To Asset Framework.
With a background in education and a deep passion for helping adult learners thrive, Helen saw an overlooked group caregivers who were doing some of the most important work in our society without the resources or training they needed.
So, she built CareAcademy to change that. Today, over 200,000 direct care workers have completed more than 1 million classes through the platform, and the company has set its sights on reskilling over 1 million more home-care workers.
This remarkable journey is why we are proud to feature her story today. With over 1,000 interviews under his belt on the Obehi Podcast, host Obehi Ewanfoh has dedicated his platform to amplifying the voices of people across the African diaspora.
He is deeply passionate about telling the stories of Africans who are making a meaningful impact in the world. Through his signature service, Life & Legacy Story, Obehi helps individuals document their personal histories, preserving their legacies for future generations to learn from and be inspired by.
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Before founding CareAcademy, Helen worked with leading organizations like Pearson Education, Teach for America, and Boston Public Schools. She’s been recognized nationally, including being named to the 2020 Fortune 40 Under 40 list. She also serves on the board of the Caregiver Action Network and is a passionate advocate for improving home care across the country.
But Helen’s story is about more than building a successful company. It’s about legacy. Her work is rooted in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, “I am because we are” which teaches that our humanity is shared and that we rise by lifting others. In a world focused on profits and numbers, Helen measures success by the lives changed and the communities empowered.
As the demand for skilled, compassionate caregivers grows, Helen saw an opportunity not just to meet a need, but to start a movement. One where caregivers are trained, respected, and seen. One where care isn’t just a job, it’s a calling.
Her journey reminds us that change doesn’t always come from the top it often begins with the people we trust most in our lives. By telling Helen’s story, we’re celebrating more than business success.
We’re honoring the power of care, the strength of community, and the kind of leadership that leaves a lasting legacy.
A Foundation of Family and Nigerian Resilience
Helen’s story begins in the close-knit world of her Nigerian immigrant parents in Boston, Massachusetts. Their decision to move to the United States was a courageous act of faith, driven by the desire to build a better life and pursue careers in healthcare.
Though she grew up in Atlanta, the values of her West African heritage were the air she breathed. She witnessed firsthand the quiet dignity and relentless hard work that defined her parents’ lives. Their community wasn’t just the place they lived; it was an extension of their family, bound by shared experiences and a mutual commitment to lifting one another up.
This environment instilled in Helen a profound respect for diligence and the noble calling of service. The saying among Nigerians, “Hard work is the antidote for poverty,” wasn’t just a saying; it was a living truth in her home.
This principle, combined with a deep sense of familial responsibility, shaped her identity. As a child, she was a keen observer, soaking up the lessons of her parents’ lives. This early exposure to the world of care and her father’s entrepreneurial spirit ignited a dual passion within her: a love for teaching and a vision for building something new.
Her educational path was a deliberate journey of self-discovery. While her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame was a significant achievement, her heart yearned for the world of education.
This calling led her to the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she earned a master’s in education policy and management. It was here, during her time as a direct caregiver and a teacher, that her two passions converged. She realized that the most impactful work she could do was at the intersection of education and care.
This realization, the merging of her Nigerian roots with her American education was the true genesis of her life’s work.
The Catalyst of Experience: Building an EdTech Empire
To truly learn about Helen, you need to see her journey to founding CareAcademy as a masterclass in turning personal experience into professional innovation. Her early career roles, from an Advocacy Assistant for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants to a teacher with Teach for America, provided her with a rich tapestry of skills.
She learned how to advocate for the voiceless, coordinate complex programs, and, most importantly, the profound impact of a great teacher. Yet, it was her time as a direct caregiver that proved to be the most crucial. She experienced the frustration of inaccessible training and the isolation that many caregivers face. This direct experience was the spark that ignited CareAcademy.
As she has often shared, the company was born out of a problem she herself had struggled to solve. In a stroke of serendipity, she partnered with co-founder Dr. Madhuri Reddy, and together, they envisioned a world where high-quality, continuous education for caregivers wasn’t just an option but a standard.
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Launched in 2016, CareAcademy’s mission was to empower caregivers through an accessible, online learning platform. The company’s innovative approach offers a flexible way for caregivers to acquire new skills, meet regulatory requirements, and advance their careers, all while providing exceptional care to senior patients.
Under Helen’s visionary leadership, CareAcademy has not only thrived but has also become a powerful force for social good. Her impressive list of accomplishments speaks for itself:
- Pioneering the e-learning model for caregiver training, making essential education accessible to a workforce that is often time-poor and resource-constrained.
- Securing over $33 million in funding, a testament to her ability to inspire confidence in a mission that is both profitable and purposeful.
- Empowering hundreds of thousands of caregivers and dramatically improving the quality of life for a growing elderly population.
- Creating impactful initiatives like the “Future of Work is Health Care” to provide stable, meaningful career pathways for displaced workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Receiving prestigious accolades such as being named to Fortune’s “40 Under 40 in Health” and winning the EY Entrepreneur of The Year New England Award, solidifying her status as a trailblazer.
Helen’s success is a living testament to the truth that a good head and a good heart are a formidable combination.
A Legacy of Dignity and Empowerment
Helen Adeosun’s impact extends far beyond the impressive business metrics of her company. Her true legacy lies in the dignity and value she has brought to the caregiving profession.
By creating a platform that recognizes and nurtures the skills of caregivers, she has elevated their status from “helpers” to professional healthcare providers. Her work has not only improved patient outcomes but has also created a sustainable career path for a historically marginalized workforce.
In a world that often celebrates the loud and the boisterous, Helen’s story is a powerful anthem for the quiet dignity of care. She inspires a new generation of entrepreneurs and leaders, particularly African American women, to trust in their own experiences as a source of innovation.
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Her life is a compelling narrative of persistence through adversity and the courage to build something new. As she continues to lead CareAcademy, she remains a fierce advocate for the direct care workers, ensuring their voices are heard and their contributions are celebrated.
The Unwritten Story: Our Collective Legacy
Helen Adeosun’s journey reminds us that our personal stories are our most valuable assets. They are not just records of the past; they are living blueprints for the future. Her story tells of a woman who saw a problem, drew upon her heritage and personal experiences, and built a solution that is changing the world.
It teaches us that our roots are not a limitation but a deep well of strength, and that the values passed down through generations like the principle of Ubuntu and the work ethic of her parents are powerful tools for navigating a complex world.
By celebrating and sharing her narrative, we are not just honoring Helen; we are reinforcing the idea that every life, every challenge overcome, and every act of service is a story worth preserving.
Her legacy is a call to action for all of us to recognize the stories in our own families and communities and to understand that their preservation is an act of empowerment.
Learn How to Leverage Your Story through our Story To Asset Framework.
