Winnie

I’m excited to share that Winnie is No. 275 on the #Inc5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies by revenue. This is the second year in a row that Winnie has made the list. I don’t really care much for lists and some seem to be a negative signal (30 under 30 anyone?) but the #Inc5000 list is not subjective. Instead, it’s an objective calculation based on a company’s revenue growth. The number is audited so this isn’t like a fundraising pitch where companies can exaggerate (we never did that anyway though). We continue to grow year over year because we are helping our customers (child care businesses) grow their revenue. I’m not ashamed to say we are making a lot of money by helping our customers make a lot of money. The child care industry is an attractive one and I wish more entrepreneurs and investors of all kinds understood this. Childcare is too expensive for most families but as we enable more thriving, successful childcare businesses, we 1) enable more options for families at a variety of price points, 2) attract more high quality teachers/staff to the field of early education, and 3) make it easier for businesses to accept subsidies from the government and employers. Thriving child care businesses are a good thing for families so let’s make child care businesses strong! Ok back to work. You can see the full #Inc5000 list here: https://inc.com/inc5000

Still pinching myself! Yesterday, on Moms Equal Pay Day, a small group of us gathered with the First Partner of California, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, to talk openly and honestly about how to best support women in the workplace. We met on the site of Guidepost Montessori of Emeryville, a beautiful campus caring for kids from 12 weeks to 6 years old - the perfect spot to talk about the importance of childcare and how it's critical infrastructure for mothers and families. I left the discussion feeling so invigorated. First, it was awesome to hear about how Guidepost has built so many thriving childcare centers (~150!) across the country and world. The news contains so much doom and gloom about the childcare industry but here's a model that supports families, teachers, and provides a great foundation for children. So many awesome businesses like this exist and are thriving! Second, it was great to get so much support from the public sector. I was told by the First Partner how much California values innovation in the private sector and how much the govenor's office wants to collaborate with Winnie and see the company thrive. Wow that felt good!

Today we launched a childcare cost calculator at Winnie to show just how much childcare costs based on where you live: https://lnkd.in/gPzaYSy5 Childcare is clearly expensive, but even more so when you take a pay cut just for becoming a mother. Today is #MomsEqualPay day, the day that raises awareness of the pay penalty mothers experience in the workplace. At Winnie, we are committed to paying our employees fairly, no matter their parenthood status. That's why we have taken the Equal Pay Pledge, reaffirming our dedication to closing the pay gap and ensuring fair compensation for all employees. Read more here about how you can take the equal pay pledge, and why childcare might FEEL more expensive than it really is when moms simultaneously take a pay cut just as they need to pay for care. https://lnkd.in/gnhRFWVY

What an honor to be invited to the US Chamber of Commerce today on behalf of Winnie for the first National Child Care Innovation Summit. We started this company over 8 years ago when everyone said the TAM was too small and our idea was too niche. Our “niche company” has the attention of the US government now. LFG!

“Child care facilities are being forced to either find alternative business models to pay the bills or shut down,” said Sara Mauskopf, CEO and co-founder at one of the largest online child care marketplaces Winnie. 👉 Read more here https://lnkd.in/g5-DYkPB

Price transparency increases enrollment rates by 33% for childcare centers!

Miss our group chat with Sara Mauskopf from Winnie earlier this week? This was a really great group chat with with Sara where we she shared some of her key learnings from Postmates, the founding story for Winnie, what the first steps were that they took to start it as an app for parents to discover activities for kids nearby, what led to their pivot into childcare, we did a deep dive into it as a leading childcare marketplace today, got to learn more about their recent growth, and also had a great group Q&A. The recording is now live! https://lnkd.in/gH_sB_7g

I've been a speaker at the ASU+GSV Summit for many years, but this year's panel stood out as my favorite because WE WENT THERE and had a lively debate around some controversial topics in early education like funding models, the impact of AI, and the role the government should play. I had the honor of speaking alongside brilliant leaders like Chris Bennett (Wonderschool), John Olsen (Teaching Strategies, LLC), Ben Newton (Vivvi), and Matt Greenfield (Rethink Education). The panel was about innovative solutions for making high-quality early childhood education both accessible and affordable. We delved into the controversial topic of whether a private versus public funding model best serves the future of early education. We talked about how society undervalues early education and (IMHO) overvalues higher ed. And some of us disagreed about how AI can/should transform childcare. Check out the full discussion here:

If you're an employer interested in providing a childcare benefit that's far more affordable and flexible than an onsite center, we'd love to talk! https://lnkd.in/gFTEqEA4

Winnie’s CEO Sara Mauskopf spoke at CES on the importance of childcare to help moms and all parents return to the workforce after having a baby 🤗