careCycle is a company that provides a comprehensive suite of voice AI teams for medicare advantage and ACA distributors. Pulse 2.0 interviewed careCycle founder and CEO Alex Doonanco to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Alex Doonanco’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Doonanco said:
“Before founding careCycle, I spent years building technology-driven solutions in regulated markets, always gravitating toward complex problems that impacted real people. My work in healthcare highlighted a stark reality: even with the best intentions, many seniors struggle to navigate the Medicare system, especially during moments when human help isn’t readily available.”
“This realization sparked a mission: to create technology that doesn’t just automate but meaningfully connects. At careCycle, we’re not just digitizing Medicare; we’re reinventing how seniors experience healthcare using AI that’s deeply empathetic, personalized and regulatory-compliant.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Doonanco shared:
“The idea for careCycle came from a simple, frustrating truth: Medicare agencies were drowning in repetitive tasks, and seniors were stuck with disconnected, often cold customer service. We asked, ‘What if AI could recreate the warmth and familiarity of a local insurance agent but do it at scale, around the clock?’”
“We began designing AI voice assistants not just to answer questions, but to build relationships by remembering each member, speaking in a familiar voice and offering continuity across every touchpoint. What started as a tool to handle after-hours calls has evolved into a full-stack AI engagement platform for Medicare distribution.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Doonanco reflected:
“One moment that stands out was listening to a call between one of our AI agents and a senior who, at the end, cheerfully said, ‘Thanks, sweetie—have a blessed day!’ That’s when it clicked: we weren’t just improving workflows; we were creating relationships.”
“It was a powerful reminder that trust doesn’t come from sounding human; it comes from being helpful, respectful and consistent. Seeing our AI agents provide that experience, especially in a space as sensitive as healthcare, makes all the challenges worth it.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Doonanco explained:
“careCycle’s platform acts as the operating system for modern Medicare agencies. Our AI voice teams manage every non-licensed task, including pre-sale qualification, post-sale onboarding and 24/7-member support. These agents don’t just follow scripts; they maintain full context, recall prior interactions and build rapport over time.”
“Agents receive prioritized, ready-to-close leads through a human-in-the-loop dashboard, while our AI handles callbacks, compliance workflows and multi-touchpoint engagements. This drives retention, improves conversion and enables agents to serve more seniors without sacrificing quality.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Doonanco acknowledged:
“One of the biggest challenges has been balancing innovation with regulation. Medicare is highly complex, and deploying AI in this space demands rigorous compliance from CMS and HIPAA to TCPA and FCC rules. Rather than seeing regulation as a roadblock, we built our product with it as a core design principle.”
“This meant developing multi-factor identity verification, ethical voice cloning and opt-out mechanisms into the foundation of our system. We’ve also focused on transparency and fairness, ensuring every conversation is appropriate, respectful and beneficial for the member.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Doonanco noted:
“When we launched, our AI focused on solving specific use cases like welcome calls and appointment reminders. Today, we orchestrate full conversations across the entire care journey, handling prescription verifications, plan renewals and even navigating sensitive enrollment questions.”
“We’ve shifted from automating tasks to creating entirely new interaction types that wouldn’t be possible with human-only teams. Our voice agents now operate as memory-rich collaborators who empower licensed advisors with precision, continuity and scale.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Doonanco cited:
“Since October 2024, we’ve facilitated over 400,000 conversations with Medicare beneficiaries and increased member retention rates by over 10%. During peak enrollment, our technology generated millions in renewal revenue for partners and saved thousands of agent hours.”
“We’re proud to be backed by Y Combinator and recognized by leaders in insurance innovation. But what excites us most is seeing independent agents who once struggled to keep up thrive with tools that let them scale service without losing their personal touch.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Doonanco highlighted;
“One standout story came during the 2024 Annual Enrollment Period. A Field Marketing Organization using careCycle’s AI agents wrote over $2 million in renewals while saving more than 3,000 hours of agent time. Even more impressively, their 90-day retention rate improved by 37%.”
“Another example: an independent agent with a 2,500-member book was on the verge of burnout. By deploying careCycle’s AI for post-enrollment check-ins and card receipt confirmations, they reclaimed their time while delivering better service without hiring a single new employee.”
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Doonanco revealed:
“While we’re not disclosing revenue specifics at this stage, we’re proud to be part of Y Combinator’s current batch and to have scaled conversation volume rapidly over 500,000 interactions in early 2025 alone. Our revenue growth is closely tied to performance-based outcomes, especially member retention and renewal metrics.”
“Much of our success stems from long-term partnerships with Medicare agencies and FMOs. These clients see not just short-term ROI, but durable, compounding value as AI improves retention and enables operational scale.’
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Doonanco assessed:
“The Medicare Advantage market is massive, with more than 40 million beneficiaries and over $15 billion lost annually to member churn. careCycle is building infrastructure for the entire Medicare distribution lifecycle which is an opportunity we estimate in the tens of billions.”
“And this is just the beginning. As Baby Boomers age into Medicare, digital expectations are rising. We’re positioned not just for today’s needs, but for the next decade of AI-first healthcare engagement.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Doonanco affirmed:
“Most voice AI platforms chase human-likeness or try to serve every vertical. We take a different path, designing for helpfulness over humanness and going deep into a single, highly regulated space: Medicare.”
“Our secret sauce is domain specificity and relationship continuity. Seniors feel recognized and respected because our AI knows their story. Agencies benefit from workflows built for compliance and scale. And agents get to focus on what only humans can do—delivering expert, empathetic advice.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Doonanco emphasized:
“Looking ahead, we’re doubling down on personalization, predictive engagement and proactive care. This means building AI that not only responds but anticipates. We want to help agents know which members are at risk of churn, which plans might better fit changing needs and how to reach out at the right moment.”
“We’re also exploring partnerships in adjacent healthcare verticals, always with one mission in mind: to ensure every senior, no matter where they live or what time it is, receives world-class service from someone, or something, that truly knows them.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Doonanco concluded:
“We’d love to shine a light on the human stories behind the technology. It’s easy to get lost in metrics and models, but at the heart of careCycle are people—seniors who deserve better, agents trying to serve them and a team that believes AI can make healthcare more human, not less.”
“We’re also passionate about thought leadership in voice AI. Many companies will fail chasing the wrong benchmarks. Our bet is simple: design AI that delivers the kind of service people remember—reliable, recognizable and always ready to help.”
