Waterlily

High-Level Overview

Waterlily is an AI-powered fintech startup that predicts individuals' and families' future long-term care (LTC) needs and costs, generating personalized care plans analyzed against financial data, insurance, and healthcare trends to safeguard savings.[1][2][3] It serves financial advisors, insurance carriers (e.g., Prudential), distributors like Financial Independence Group, independent agents, and plans a direct-to-consumer launch, solving the gap in LTC planning where traditional tools rely on national averages amid rising aging population costs.[1][4][5] Since its March 2024 public launch, Waterlily has secured paid contracts with major clients, achieved 58% average month-over-month MRR growth (now 22x initial levels), and raised $7M in seed funding, fueling rapid expansion.[1][5]

Origin Story

Waterlily was founded in 2024 by CEO Lily Vittayarukskul and COO Evan Ehrenberg, both prodigies driven by personal experiences with healthcare financial burdens.[1][2][3] Vittayarukskul, who started college at 14, interned at NASA, holds a UC Berkeley degree in Genetics and Data Science, and led product/engineering at startups, pivoted after her aunt's terminal colon cancer exposed LTC cost challenges for her first-generation immigrant family.[2][3] Ehrenberg entered UC Berkeley at 11, earned a bachelor's in Cognitive Science and Computational Modeling by 16, pursued a Ph.D. in Computational Neuroscience at MIT using machine learning, then founded Clara Health for clinical trial patient recruitment.[2][3] The idea emerged from these backstories, launching publicly in March 2024 with early traction via contracts with Prudential, Financial Independence Group, and a major Midwest LTC provider, plus recognition at Davos and Insurance Tech Connect awards.[1][2]

Core Differentiators

• AI Engine Precision: Processes over 500 million proprietary data points from private, government, academic, and provider sources for unbiased, demographically representative predictions of LTC needs, costs, family caregiving hours, and care plans decades ahead—via a simple 3-minute intake form.[1][2][4][6]
• Personalization and Integration: Analyzes user financials, insurance, and trends to generate holistic plans (financial, care, family logistics); breaks down products simply without recommending or earning commissions, aiding fiduciary discussions.[1][4][6]
• Proven Impact: Achieves 100x higher conversion rates for insurance/annuity purchases in trials; SaaS model at $250/month per advisor seat, with unbiased educational tools transforming sensitive advisor-client talks.[2][5]
• Developer and User Experience: High-speed, easy-to-use platform for enterprises and independents; no comparable AI-native LTC tool exists.[4][5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Waterlily rides the convergence of AI in fintech/healthtech and the global aging crisis, where LTC costs strain families amid insufficient traditional planning tools.[1][4][5] Timing is ideal as baby boomers age daily into a "massively growing problem" underserved by funding (its $7M seed is unprecedented for LTC startups), with market forces like rising healthcare expenses and fiduciary duties for advisors favoring data-driven solutions.[1][4] It influences the ecosystem by empowering insurers, advisors, and families—e.g., via Prudential and Fortune 100 partnerships—potentially reshaping LTC insurance uptake and reducing bias in predictions, while bridging finance-health divides highlighted at Davos.[2][5]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Waterlily is poised to dominate LTC planning as the first AI-native tool addressing America's largest aging need, with plans to scale engineering, data science, enterprise teams, AI models, data partnerships, and sales/marketing using its $7M SAFE round.[1][5] Trends like AI advancements, aging demographics, and insurtech growth will propel it, potentially expanding to full DTC access and broader wealth-health integrations, evolving from startup to marketplace game-changer as MRR surges and client base grows.[2][5] This positions Waterlily to protect millions from LTC financial pitfalls, fulfilling its mission to transform health and wealth challenges through compassionate tech.[3]