When Helen Adeosun, 37, started a masters program in education policy and management at Harvard’s graduate school of education, she didn’t think of herself as an entrepreneur. But one eye-opening course–paired with her previous experience as a home-care worker–gave her, in 2015, the confidence she needed to start CareAcademy, which in six short years would become one of the fastest growing companies in America. Her Boston-based training business for care workers generated $33 million in funding, but navigating Covid has been anything but certain. –As told to Rebecca Deczynski
My idea for CareAcademy came together in a class cross-listed at Harvard and MIT called Development Ventures–it’s still offered today. The premise for the class is that you create a company for social benefit. Students share their ideas and everyone votes for their favorites. I nervously put my hand up and shared my idea.
Dispatches From The Front 