Aya Care is a Canadian health and wellness company driven by the mission of eliminating financial barriers for individuals seeking health and wellness. Aya Care provides innovative health and wellness spending accounts to all Canadians. Unlike traditional insurance, Aya Care allows employers to allocate funds to employees through a Visa card, enabling them the freedom to choose how to utilize the money without burdensome paperwork. This streamlined process, tax-free for both employer and employee, saves over $1,000 per employee annually compared to traditional models. Aya Care’s method not only ensures financial savings but also grants employees the flexibility to manage their healthcare needs
how they see fit.
Tell us about yourself?
As the founder of Aya Care, I am passionate about championing healthcare financial inclusivity in Canada. With over 10 years of experience in payments, I am now channelling my financial expertise and applying it to healthcare to change people’s lives. Beyond my professional achievements, I am passionate about driving impactful change and enjoy activities like working out, yoga, and playing guitar!
My professional background is rooted in significant roles at Karmic Labs and PwC, where I specialized in legal, compliance, and fiscal operations. During my tenure as an associate in the capital markets innovation team at Fisher Investments, I analyzed extensive datasets to identify market trends and reported on the performance of a $60B portfolio.
Transitioning into the role of interim CFO at Karmic Labs, I managed legal, compliance, finance, and risk, showcasing my expertise across various dimensions of business operations. My involvement with the Capital Projects and Infrastructure team at PwC further enriched my experience, encompassing retail strategy, risk management, and process development.
My professional journey took an unexpected turn with a personal injury that impacted my ability to work. This experience fueled a desire for a more passion-focused endeavour. Motivated by the aspiration to contribute to accessible and affordable healthcare that goes beyond geographical boundaries, I founded Aya Care.
The driving force behind my transition was a yearning for a more profound impact on the world and a desire to reshape the barriers surrounding healthcare access. This fusion of professional expertise and a personal commitment to transformative healthcare solutions led to my current line of work.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Looking back, I’d advise myself that over-communication is key to any successful venture. It’s crucial to consistently reiterate essential aspects to the team, investors, and stakeholders to ensure everyone is aligned and on the same page. Aya Care’s focus on Team Alignment came from this reflection and was fundamental in helping us get to where we are today.
What problem does your business solve?
Aya Care addresses the pressing issue of unequal access to healthcare. In a world where there’s sufficient funding, it’s disheartening that it sometimes doesn’t reach those who need it most. Our mission is to bridge this gap by enabling equitable access to healthcare.
Additionally, we aim to alleviate the burden of worrying about healthcare expenses and insurance paperwork, allowing individuals to focus on their well-being without the stress of financial constraints, enabling them to prioritize what is meaningful to them.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
The inspiration behind Aya Care stems from personal challenges navigating traditional medicine, doctor visits, and insurance complexities. I underwent significant hurdles dealing with these systems and aimed to initiate change that liberated individuals from these burdens. My vision is to bring about transformative change in a way that simplifies healthcare access for everyone. By broadening our focus, we stay motivated to accomplish this lifelong goal. Aya Care aims to solve the problem of individuals who face barriers in accessing healthcare due to financial constraints, striving to ensure that everyone can receive the care they need without undue financial worry. Our solution, which is sold to employers for the benefit of employees, provides this relief.
What is your magic sauce?
Aya Care’s ‘magic sauce’ lies in our ability to customize health and wellness spending accounts specifically to any business or individual needs, while providing real-time reporting capabilities. Our strength lies in customization; we can assist businesses in creating plans tailored precisely to their requirements because we understand that each business and individual is unique. This adaptability and personalized approach sets us apart, ensuring that our solutions resonate with and address the distinct needs of each client. Moreover, our investment in cutting-edge technology and the integration of modern AI solutions enable us to focus on building automation, which, in turn, allows us to scale efficiently while keeping our costs low, making our services cost-effective and accessible.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Over the next five years, Aya Care’s primary focus is to secure government contracts, recognizing the potential impact on citizens’ lives. For instance, initiatives like the one proposed by the Government of Alberta, providing each Albertan with $350, present an opportunity for us to facilitate efficient distribution, ensuring these funds swiftly and effectively reach citizens’ hands. Our goal is to streamline the process, ensuring these allocated funds significantly impact healthcare accessibility for all citizens. We are dedicated to driving value specifically to Canadians by working closely with government initiatives.
How can people get involved?
Engage with us by championing innovative solutions like Aya Care in your workplace. Your advocacy can drive meaningful change. Encourage your employers to explore our offerings; it could make a substantial impact. Employers keen on discovering more about our solutions can visit www.ayacare.com. Learn how our programs can save thousands of dollars per employee annually and grant employees the freedom to utilize their healthcare benefits according to their needs.