Keerthi Busanaboyina
Ellyfe helps older adults detect hydration risk earlier through a non-invasive wearable.
Project
Ellyfe
URL
Year founded
2023
Business stage
Seed
High-growth sectors
Life Sciences
Sector
Health
Location
East of England
Funding
Funded Award Winner
The problem and opportunity
Older adults often do not feel thirsty even when dehydrated, so risk is missed until it leads to falls, urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney injury or hospital admission. Care homes still rely heavily on manual fluid charts and visual checks, which are time-consuming and often incomplete. Existing wearables are built for fitness, not fragile skin, low perspiration or care workflows.
The solution and innovation
Ellyfe is a hydration monitoring band for older adults that alerts carers via app. It was inspired by founder Keerthi Busanaboyina’s grandfather, who died after undetected dehydration, motivating her to prevent similar tragedies. Unlike sweat-based trackers, Ellyfe works without sweat for delicate skin, non-mobile users and UK conditions. Care-home pilots generated £11k in 2025, with £40k expected orders.
Market and ambition
Ellyfe is starting with UK care homes and family carers, where hydration support is a clear daily need. We have generated £11k from paid pilots and built an £851k pipeline. Over 2–3 years, we aim to scale care-home rollouts and prepare future NHS pathways.
Founder perspective
Keerthi Busanaboyina is an electronics engineer with an MSc in AI and Robotics. She founded Ellyfe after losing her grandfather to dehydration-related complications and is using her technical background and lived experience to build practical, compassionate technology for later-life care.
Women in Innovation Award
Recipient of an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award 2025/26, receiving funding, tailored business support, and access to specialist training and networks. View all winners and highly commended applicants from the Women in Innovation cohort 2025/2026.