The Sentai Story

Sentai has gone through extensive development since its initial creation.

Through years of research and development, Sentai has evolved into a service that provides peace of mind for families who look after an independent older person.

Keep reading to learn how caring for an older loved one led to the creation of our technology:

Phil, the creator of Sentai

Sentai was founded by Phil Marshman after discovering his passion for noticing problems and finding solutions. According to Phil, “Sentai was the answer to solving a natural problem.”

An inventor at heart, Phil , had acquired a range of skills from his previous business experience which helped shape and develop his ideas, despite facing the usual start-up challenges along the way.

Speaking of the challenges, Phil said: “Doing a startup is hard. Everything finishes with you and you have to develop a real thick skin and have the tenacity to keep going.”

Recognising an issue to be solved

The original idea for Sentai revolves around Phil’s own experience of caring for his parents, specifically his dad.

Phil disclosed: “My dad was 87 at the time and massively independent. He was a full-time carer for my mum for over two years. When my mum passed away, my dad started losing the independence he previously had; cutting social ties, staying indoors and changing his lifestyle completely.

“I thought I was alone on this care journey, not knowing what to do and who to turn to. But I soon realised that this is a very common problem.

During an important meeting, my dad was ringing me and fearing the worst, I had to step out to answer the call.

I asked what was wrong and he told me he was out of milk. Then I realised there was a real difference between what each of us considered a problem, and I wanted to resolve that challenge.”

After caring for his parents and recognising issues that needed to be solved, Phil created ‘Sentai’, merging the Japanese word meaning ‘guardian’ with ‘AI’ to create a name that fully reflects the product.

Phil added: “Using the collective years of AI experience in the team, we’ve now created a product that is in the homes of older people, helping them live independently for longer.”

The development of Sentai

Our software itself was a brainchild of Covid. After coming up with the idea, it remained on the sidelines to be explored — that is, until the pandemic hit.

“In March 2020, I caught Covid and began to get worried. My dad was constantly on my mind; I couldn't go and see him, and when I rang, he didn’t always answer. I didn’t know if he was out of bed in the morning. I didn't know if he took his medication.

I lay in my bed and decided that if I could make it through the pandemic, I would create Sentai because when everybody was locked down, we could see the value.

A week later I was feeling better and we set out on the journey to pull in some people and start growing Sentai from there.”

After creating Sentai, Phil shared that it helped him find peace of mind whilst caring for his dad. Sentai could show him that his dad was up and about, what he was doing and if he needed anything, reinforcing how much this technology could benefit others.

The future of Sentai

Discussing the future of Sentai and how it can continue to help those caring for older loved ones and individuals, Phil shared that he wants the Sentai experience to be tailored to the user, linking them to others with the same interests.

He also stated: “The vision of the company is to positively affect the lives of a billion people, and we already have plans to move this into family units..

Worrying about an older independent loved one is a problem that affects families all over the world, not just in the UK. In five years we hope to help solve these worries and offer families and carers a peace of mind when it comes to the happiness, comfort and health of their loved ones.”

Phil finishes by sharing: “This is the first business I've been involved with where it’s about what we’re doing. We believe in Sentai as well as who we’re helping and the community we’re serving, and we will continue to carry on because of this.”

For more information on what we offer at Sentai, please take a look at our website or contact a member of our team.

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