A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – MOM AND BABY CARE
- Kidaptive, a gamified platform for kids, raised $8M in equity financing. Link
- TotSpot, a marketplace to buy and sell kids’ clothes, closed a $1.5M seed investment led by Seven Seas Venture Partners. Link
- San Diego-based Thrive Feeding, a baby feeding tech company, has secured $500K in funding. Link
- Ratan Tata invested an undisclosed amount in India’s baby and maternity products retailer, FirstCry. Link
- Flipkart invested an undisclosed amount in Bangalore-based parenting platform, TinyStep. Link
- Gurgaon-based parenting platform, MyCity4Kids, raised $3M in Series A round from SIDBI Venture and YourNest. Link
- MyChildApp, an application to check a child’s growth, secured $100K in seed round from 500 Startups. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Girls on Greenwich (2015, NYC) – Pre-loved luxury kids and clothing consignment shop offering clothes from brands like Bonpoint, Chlo, and more.
Smart Lumies (2015, Zagreb) – Creates luminous cubes that light up at the child’s touch and helps in boosting children’s early stage development.
LEADER BOARD – MOM AND BABY CARE
Online Retail- Horizontal
Windeln (2010, Munich, IPO) Retailer of baby and toddler products in Germany, Austria, China, and Switzerland. Went IPO in May 2015.
Zulily (2009, Seattle, IPO, Acq.) Daily deal sites for mom and kids offering discounts on apparel, toys, and gears. Went IPO in 2013 and then acquired by Liberty Interactive in 2015.
Miya Baobei (2011, Beijing, $232M) Retailer for imported infant care products. Backed by Baidu, Zhenfund, Sequoia Capital and more.
Online Retail- Essentials
Wzhouhui (2013, Shenzhen, $278M) An online retailer of imported baby and maternal products. Backed by Globalegrow E-commerce.
Honest (2011, Santa Monica, $222M) Monthly subscription service of customized eco-friendly family product bundles. Backed by Glade Brook Capital Partners, Wellington Management, Institutional Venture Partners, General Catalyst Partners and more.
Online Retail- Apparel
Aden and Anais (2006, Brooklyn, $57M) Muslin products seller for babies. Backed by Swander Pace capital.
Lollywollydoodle (2009, Lexington, $23M) Designs and manufactures personalized monogrammed children’s wear. Backed by First Mark capital, Revolution LLC and more.
Online Retail- Gears
4moms (2005, Pittsburgh, $60M) Innovative robotic baby products. Backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Innovation Works and more.
Online Retail- Toys
Totsy (2009, NYC, $52M, Acq.) Online private sale of toys, accessories, and gears for babies and kids. Backed by Rho Ventures, Gotham Ventures, and more. Acquired by Modnique in 2013.
Pley (2013, San Jose, $17M) Provides LEGO sets rentals for kids on a monthly subscription. Backed by Allegro Venture Partners, Gotham Ventures, and more.
Parenting- Social Network
Lamabang (2013, Beijing, $130M) Social network and e-commerce for mothers. Backed by Matrix Partners, Greenwoods Asset and more.
Babytree (2007, Beijing, $85M) A platform where parents can share their experiences and solve parenting issues. Backed by Matrix Partners and more.
Parenting- Community
Yaolan (1999, Beijing, $26M) Online social parenting community and education portal. Backed by Foundation Capital, Chengwei and more.
Mamapedia (2004, SF, $5M, Acq.) A social platform for mothers to share advice about parenting, family, health, pregnancy, and more. Backed by Shasta Ventures and Tugboat Ventures. Acquired by Getit in 2014.
Babysitting
Care (2006, Waltham, IPO) An online marketplace that connects families with babysitters and nannies. Went IPO in 2014.
Sittercity (2001, Chicago, $44M) A platform that connects parents with babysitters, and provides detailed profiles, background checks, references, and reviews. Backed by Baird Capital, Pritzker Group, Apex Venture partners, Point Judith Capital and more.
Urbansitter (2010, SF, $23M) Mobile app based marketplace connecting parents with babysitters through social recommendation. Backed by DBL investors, Canaan Partners, First round and more.
Digital Tools
Mind Candy (2003, London, $21.5M) A family entertainment company which develops online games for kids and their families to play on mobile and tablets. Backed by Accel, Index Ventures and Spark Ventures.
Kidaptive (2012, Mountain View, $18M) Adaptive gamified platform for kids which delivers customised learning content. Backed by Formation 8, Menlo Ventures, and more.
PlayKids (2013, Sao Paulo, $15M) Provides subscription-based pre-school videos, games, and books. Backed by Movile.
Healthcare
Owletcare (2013, Dallas, $9M) Health monitor for sleeping infants that allows parents to view their child’s vital signs in real time. Backed by Formation 8, FF Venture Capital, Eniac Ventures and more.
First Opinion (2013, SF, $9M) It allows users to text a doctor anytime for parenting queries regarding pregnancy, nutrition, and child development. Backed by Polaris Partners, Felicis Ventures, True Ventures and more.
Hatch Baby (2012, Menlo Park, $7M) A smart changing pad that helps parents to track their babies’ growth, feedings, diapers, and sleep on their smartphones. Backed by True Ventures and Veddis.
Education
Speakaboos (2008, NYC, $25M) Offers interactive storybook on mobile platforms and also offers a subscription to schools. Backed by Vaidya Capital, 212 media and more.
Epic (2013, Palo Alto, $13M) Offers personalized eBooks with gamified features for kids. Backed by Translink Capital, Menlo Ventures and more.
Leader board includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
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