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Winnie (website)

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Winnie, Inc.
Type of businessPrivate
Industry
EmployeesUnder 25
URLwinnie.com

Winnie is a marketplace for child care that helps parents find childcare, preschool, and early education.[1] It is based in San Francisco and was founded in 2016 by Sara Mauskopf and Anne Halsall.[2]

History

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The Winnie iPhone app was launched in June 2016. In October 2016, Winnie announced that it raised $2.5 million in seed funding. In May 2017, Winnie launched a daycare and preschool finder.[3][better source needed]

In 2018, Winnie began expanding nationwide, allowing parents to find childcare options across the United States.[4][5]

By 2019, Winnie had comprehensive databases in California, Texas, New York, and Illinois.[6]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Winnie provided emergency childcare options for essential workers.[7][2]

In October 2019, Winnie secured $9 million in Series A funding. The funding was intended to support the platform’s expansion, which provides information on daycare and preschool options across more than 7,000 U.S. cities.[8][1]

Starting in 2020, Winnie expanded its offerings to include searches for school-age childcare.[9][10]

In 2021, it introduced a search for free preschool and Head Start programs.

During the U.S. childcare staffing crisis in 2022, Winnie launched a job board tailored to daycare and preschool roles to help address staffing needs.[11][12]In 2022, it introduced a dedicated search for special needs childcare.[13][14]In the same year, Winnie introduced Winnie Pro, a SaaS solution that allows childcare providers to manage and scale their businesses with better-paying opportunities.[11][12]

In 2023, Winnie expanded its search functionality to include alternative care types, such as au pairs and summer care. Parents can search for camp options in their area and access detailed information to make informed decisions.[15][16]

Awards and recognition

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Winnie received Inc. magazine's "Best Workplaces" award in both 2022 and 2021.[17][18]

In 2023, Winnie ranked #177 on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. and secured the #1 spot in the Consumer Services category and #34 in California.[19]

In 2024, Winnie was named a key company in the childcare industry by Grand View Research.[20]

Services

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The Winnie app contains data about child care providers including descriptions, photos, tuition information, licensing status, and availability data.[21][13]

Parents also use Winnie to ask questions and share their experiences.[22][23]

References

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  1. ^ a b "2 pregnant cofounders raised $9 million for a startup that tackles a universal problem for millennial parents". www.businessinsider.com. Business Insider.
  2. ^ a b Gupta, Alisha Haridasani (2021-04-01). "Child Care in Crisis: Can Biden's Plan Save It?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  3. ^ "Closing the Child Care Gap". www.medium.com. Medium.
  4. ^ Russell, Melia. "A parenting startup said its investors offered to put up millions more before the founders even started fundraising. Here's what the ex-Googler CEO said they did right". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  5. ^ Halsall, Anne. "Bringing Winnie's revolutionary child care search to New York and beyond". winnie.com. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  6. ^ Higgins-Dunn, Noah (2019-04-11). "Working women and the child-care equation: No one has it figured out". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  7. ^ "Council Post: Let's Stop Calling Child Care A Crisis And Start Calling It An Opportunity". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  8. ^ Goldberg, Emma (2023-03-18). "48 Hours Till Payroll, $200,000 to Go: Diary of a Bank Failure". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  9. ^ Stiffler, Lisa (2020-09-12). "New platform from nonprofit Carina offers quick searches for in-home childcare openings". GeekWire. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  10. ^ Halsall, Anne. "School Age Childcare to Help with Homeschooling & Distance Learning". winnie.com. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  11. ^ a b Mascarenhas, Natasha (2022-03-04). "Winnie has a new plan to help childcare centers scale care". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  12. ^ a b "Winnie launches new marketplace to help childcare workers find well-paying jobs". Fast Company. 2022-06-22. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  13. ^ a b Davis, Lakisha (2024-12-13). "How Winnie is Revolutionizing Childcare for Families with Special Needs". Metapress. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  14. ^ Mauskopf, Sara. "Winnie launches special needs child care support". winnie.com. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  15. ^ Perez, Sarah (2018-06-25). "Winnie raises $4 million to make parents' lives easier". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  16. ^ "Best Summer Camps for Kids 2025 | Summer Care for Kids". Winnie. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  17. ^ "Introducing the Best Workplaces of 2021". Inc.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-24. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  18. ^ "These Are the 475 Best Companies to Work For in America". Inc.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  19. ^ "Inc. 5000 2023: Meet the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America". Inc.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-11. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  20. ^ "U.S. Child Care Market Size & Share | Industry Report, 2030". www.grandviewresearch.com. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  21. ^ "Winnie Raises $9 Million to Connect More Parents with Childcare Services - EdSurge News". EdSurge. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  22. ^ Swanner, Nate (2016-06-09). "New app Winnie is like a social network just for parents". TNW | Apps. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  23. ^ Perez, Sarah (2016-06-09). "Winnie helps parents find family-friendly places, share their experiences". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-01-12.

Further reading

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