Company: Kalgera
Founder: Dexter Penn and Ivona Wolff
Website: kalgera.com
Business: A platform helping to safeguard the finances of those most vulnerable.
About Kalgera
Founded in 2017, Kalgera helps to protect the financial wellbeing of vulnerable people. It does this by safely monitoring users’ bank accounts, and alerting their carers or loved ones when detecting suspicious activity.
The startup was inspired by UCL dementia researcher Dr Dexter Penn, who found through his work with vulnerable people a major point of concern for both carers and loved ones. Dr Penn claims that:
‘An increasing number of older or vulnerable people are cheated by fraudsters and financially abused and I wanted to put a stop to it. As a physician, I felt powerless to help my patients and their families struggling to manage financial vulnerability. Despite addressing their medical concerns I saw how financial worries seriously impacted the mental and physical health of my patients and their carers. In the spirit of justice and fairness, I embarked on the journey to create a solution to protect them and that’s how Kalgera was born.’
Joining forces with dedicated professionals in the finance and tech industry, Kalgera then became a reality, helping to give the vulnerable, and those who care for them, peace of mind about their financial security.
Through Kalgera, specified carers and loved ones of vulnerable individuals will be trusted with monitoring their bank accounts. When Kalgera detects suspicious activity, it will then send alerts out to those who monitor the account, and helps them to take action, fast.
Since its launch, the startup has already gained a lot of attention; receiving a £100,000 award as one of the 15 Open Up finalists “revolutionising money” in 2020, as well as listed number 1 in Which?’s “Best apps to manage money and mental health during coronavirus lockdown”.
