A former soap star and entrepreneur from Rochdale is preparing to make waves in the United States with his latest business venture, YourHippo.com, following its success in the UK.

Jamie Sarsfield, 47, who grew up above a pub in Littleborough and is a former director of Rochdale AFC, co-founded the online health and social care platform in 2017 with his partner, Deanne Taylor.

Deanne helped establish the platform after Sarsfield sold his previous business, Orchard Rock Training, for a seven-figure sum.

Your Hippo, which specialises in e-learning and management for the health and social care sector, has quickly grown into a major player.

With offices in Preston, India, Kenya, and Morocco, the platform is valued at over £20 million. It serves 250,000 care professionals annually, generating over four million activity logs per quarter across more than 600 care groups, including some of the largest names in the industry.

Jamie identified a gap in the market following the sale of Orchard Rock, which he founded in 2006. He said: “All care professionals have to keep up to date with their training so they can work safely. But where is that information all logged?

“We came up with the idea of an easy-to-use online platform which can be accessed by employees so they can complete courses. Their employers also have all this information at their fingertips, meaning they are reassured their staff are upskilled, CQC compliant and legally safe to work.”

Sarsfield believes the timing of the platform’s launch, a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic, gave it a significant advantage. “Because we launched pre-Covid as well, we were in front of other care providers who just delivered face-to-face training. They didn’t have the infrastructure in place to carry on when lockdown happened,” he said.

The entrepreneur, who played Nick the Builder on Brookside for two years, is now turning his focus to the American market. The platform will officially launch at the Senior Living Executive Conference in Tampa, Florida, this May.

Jamie said: “I don’t want to give too much away at this stage as the care sector is a very competitive market, and we have already started two further software companies in the UK. But the health and social care market in the US is huge, and we want to tap into it.

“The hardest part will be getting it off the ground, but once we are known to the market, I believe we will do very well.”

Reflecting on his own entrepreneurial journey, Sarsfield said he hopes to support others. “I think I would also like to help young entrepreneurs achieve a positive outcome with their products, whether it comes as advice or investment.

“It’s not easy running a business, and many people are out to see you fail. It can also be a lonely place, so having great role models and people you trust and listen to is critical. Thankfully, what we’ve put in has been worth it, and it’s paid off.”

As for the platform’s distinctive name, Sarsfield said: “We feel it’s a little quirky and very catchy. It also enables us to create some cool, funky merchandise!”