AI agents startup for the aged care and disability services raises $2.5 million Seed round

A Melbourne startup building AI agents for the disability and aged care sectors has raised $2.5 million in Seed funding. 

The round for Minikai was led by Tidal Ventures with participation from Antler.

Tigerspike founder Luke Janssen previously backed the startup with a six-figure pre-Seed investment nearly 12 months ago.

Minikai’s AI agents are hoping to save time and money when it comes to the administration for frontline workers in both sectors, which can take up between 30% and 50% of their work time.

The platform handles paperwork and compliance tasks, freeing up support workers to spend more time on direct care and human connection.

Minikai was cofounded in 2024 by Keoki Alexander-Chang, the CEO, who previously worked in Deloitte’s Forensic AI lab before striking out on his own to launch the startup, inspired by the challenges his mother faced navigating social services. 

Waiting on hold, filling in forms, processing applications, getting approval. It’s the busy work nobody wants to do. We’re going to get AI to do this work instead,” he said.

“Our goal at Minikai is to make AI useful so that every Australian can access better care and thrive. If we can help providers reduce the time they spend on admin, we are helping taxpayers, the government, providers, carers, and the people in need of care.”

The platform has already gained traction with major care providers who collectively support more than 150,000 vulnerable Australians annually.

His cofounder and CTO Ky Shera-Jones was inspired by his nephew, an NDIS participant. While Shera-Jones grew up as a dairy farmer, his subsequent career focused modernising complex backend infrastructure for the Australian government and leading high performance teams at Concentrix-Tigerspike. 

“When I received the title of ‘uncle’ at 15 years old, I didn’t comprehend the impact it would have on my life,” he said.

“My nephew Chase is fortunate to receive NDIS funding, but it’s clear the system we have can be better.” 

Tidal Ventures partner Georgie Turner said Minikai’s AI-powered platform is a step-change in how aged care and NDIS providers deliver and document essential services.

“The team’s deep technical expertise in AI and intimate understanding of the regulatory landscape position them well to transform workflows across the care sector,” she said.

“We are excited to back Minikai as they build what we believe will become the bedrock of improved care globally.”