Sheila Lirio Marcelo
Sheila Lirio Marcelo is a Philippine-born entrepreneur, founder and former chairwoman and CEO of the U.S. online care marketplace Care.comCare.comCare.com is a U.S. online care marketplace that helps families find child care, senior care, pet care and other caregivers. Founded by Sheila Lirio Marcelo in 2006, it went public in 2014, was acquired by IAC in 2020 and was sold to an affiliate of Pacific Avenue Capital Partners in 2026.Open the full entry, and co-founder and CEO of the family AI assistant company Ohai.ai.
Contents11 sections
Key facts
1998–1999Harvard MBA and JD
Marcelo was raised in Manila, graduated magna cum laude in economics from Mount Holyoke College, and earned an MBA and a JD from HarvardHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private research university in Massachusetts, established by the Massachusetts Bay Colony legislature in 1636 and named in 1639 for early benefactor John Harvard. Its principal campuses are in Cambridge and the Allston and Longwood neighborhoods of Boston. It includes Harvard College, graduate and professional schools, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Two governing boards share oversight. Alan M. Garber was president as of October 2026, and the endowment stood at $56.9 billion at the end of fiscal 2025.Open the full entry in 1998 and 1999 respectively.[1]
2006Founds Care.com
As a working mother, Marcelo started the online caregiver marketplace Care.com when she needed help caring for her two sons and her dogs.[2]
One trigger for the company was her father falling backwards on the stairs while carrying her son.[1]
2006–2020Leads Care.com
Her biography says she founded Care.com in 2006, took it public in 2014 and was chairwoman and CEO until early 2020, when the company was sold to IAC.[3]
2014Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award
In 2014 she became the youngest recipient of the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, and in 2015 Mount Holyoke College gave her an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.[3]
March 8, 2016Distinguished Filipino Women 2016
The Philippine Consulate General in New York held its “Distinguished Filipino Women 2016” event at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall, where Marcelo was one of three women honored.[4]
2021Co-Founds Proof of Learn
In 2021 Marcelo co-founded the online education platform Proof of Learn and became its CEO.[5]
2022Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award
She received the 2022 Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award, presented at the 43rd Simmons University Leadership Conference.[5]
January 2024Launches Family AI Assistant “O”
Her company Ohai launched “O,” an AI virtual assistant for families, in January 2024 after raising $6 million in seed funding; it costs $25 a month. She said: “Not all families are comfortable outsourcing care, but all families must coordinate care.”[6]
As of October 2026: CEO of Ohai.ai
Marcelo is co-founder and CEO of Ohai.ai, a company using AI to improve the lives of families.[7]
Ohai.ai’s team page lists her as founder and CEO, and her introduction says: “These experiences led me to found Care.com with a great team, serving millions of families and caregivers for over 14 years.”[8]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Personal website: Public link: https://sheilaliriomarcelo.com/ (opens in a new window)[7]
X: Public account: https://x.com/smarcelo (opens in a new window)[7]
LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilamarcelo/ (opens in a new window)[7]
Care.com: Official website: https://www.care.com/ (opens in a new window)[9]
Ohai.ai: Official website: https://www.ohai.ai/ (opens in a new window)[8]
Sources
- Filipina one of Harvard Business School’s outstanding alumni (opens in a new window)
- Online solutions for real-life hassles (opens in a new window)
- About – Sheila Lirio Marcelo (opens in a new window)
- NY BALL (opens in a new window)
- 2022 Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award Recipient (opens in a new window)
- This company designed an AI assistant to help families manage their calendars and childcare (opens in a new window)
- Sheila Lirio Marcelo – Sheila Lirio Marcelo is a Co-Founder and CEO of Ohai.ai and the Founder former Chairwomen and CEO of Care.com (opens in a new window)
- Ohai.ai | About Us (opens in a new window)
- Company Overview - Care.com Corporate (opens in a new window)