Startup Mom-sitter has received an undisclosed amount in funding from venture capital firm Born2Global.
Mom-sitter is calls itself a ‘shared economy’ platform that connects parents with caregivers who can babysit or care for their children. The startup says that it wants to differentiate itself from other similar services by creating a platform that can trusted. It intends to do this by providing detailed background checks of its sitters and reviews from customers, instead of simply offering a list of profiles to choose from.
Another thing that sets Mom-sitter apart from its competitors, is the monthly payment structure which lets customers utilize the service as much as they need it — while most other baby sitting services usually charge customers by the hour. The service also offers extra employment opportunities for university students or others with free time and the right experience.
Mom-sitter was founded in response to an increasing number of double-income families and lack of babysitters to care for children while parents are working. According to Statistics Korea, in 2017, 60% of married women were unable to work, and half of these said they couldn’t work due to pregnancy or caring for their child.
The response the startup has received has reflected this reality. Mum-sitter originally began in September last year, targeting only university students. Now the service has around 17,000 users and 9000 child-minders from all walks of life.
Similar services have already proven popular overseas, such as Care.com in the US, which not only allows people to find babysitters for kids, but also pet sitters for animals.
“Traditionally depending on face-to-face interviews, Mum-sitter brings the babysitter market online and makes it easy to find the right person to match your situation and needs,” says Mum-sitter CEO Jeeyea Chung. “Through this latest investment, we will grow as a service that can provide child care for in a better way by bringing in sitters with vast experience.”
