MassChallenge

Dream Team Baby is a premiere infant and toddler sleep consulting business. One of the original sleep consultancies and backed by an esteemed board of medical advisers, we have been helping families and children with sleep for more than a decade. At Dream Team Baby, our holistic and proven sleep philosophy is that children never age out of a chance to learn to love sleep. Every child is a great sleeper, waiting to enjoy a good night’s rest. We work with families across the country and our sleep advice is regularly featured on national media outlets, including the Today Show. Included in each sleep consultation are parent support, lactation/feeding evaluation, child behavior advice, nap support, and more.

Idori creates educational resources that empower 4-7 year olds to care for the environment and to change their behaviors to become more sustainable. They use imaginative picture books, eco-friendly interactive stuffed toys, and hand-on learning activities to motivate children to act sustainably.

Delfina is a company that specializes in developing a personalized prenatal care system aimed at ensuring the safety of mothers and infants during pregnancy. By leveraging data and machine learning, Delfina's platform creates individualized pregnancy care plans that assess patient risk through various metrics. This approach not only enhances interventional workflows but also improves provider efficiency, facilitating early intervention in prenatal care. Delfina's commitment to data-driven insights is paving the way for clinical innovation, ultimately striving to deliver equitable and cost-effective healthcare solutions for expectant families.

Soshe Inc. is a Boston-based company that specializes in a mobile application designed to support women's health during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The app facilitates birth preparation and planning, enabling women to articulate their preferences for labor and delivery. It also serves as a valuable resource for doulas, midwives, and childbirth educators, allowing them to assist their clients in navigating their birth choices. Additionally, the application features an online community where users can engage with instructors to ask questions and seek guidance throughout their pregnancy journey. By providing real-time labor support, Soshe aims to enhance childbirth satisfaction and reduce the likelihood of unplanned cesarean sections. Soshe Inc. was established in 2018 and was previously known as STRAMA INC.

OpenStaff is a temporary employment network focused on Early Childhood Education, providing a streamlined platform for connecting educational centers with qualified teachers. The platform addresses both temporary and permanent hiring needs, enabling businesses to quickly and cost-effectively find suitable talent. By facilitating access to low- and middle-skilled job opportunities, OpenStaff helps clients efficiently fill staffing gaps, ensuring that educational institutions can maintain continuity and quality in their services.

Cariina is an operations enablement platform focused on enhancing safety, efficiency, and transparency in schools. It provides a mobile application that allows parents to track their child's bus rides and enables school administrators to effectively plan and manage various activities, including transportation, attendance, rostering, afterschool programs, and events. By streamlining these processes, Cariina supports schools in creating a more organized and secure environment for students and their families.

Awayte offers pet owners a preplanned platform or services to keep their pets safe, cared for and loved after they are gone.

Nurture Pods features its platform that enables families and filters based on location, kids’ ages, and social distancing practices. Matching families into pods to continue providing education and socialization for children through homeschooling and microschools.

Camppedia operates an online marketplace that specializes in connecting parents with various educational camps and activities for children. The platform allows parents to easily search for and discover book camps tailored to their specific needs and preferences, making the process of planning school breaks more efficient. By providing a centralized location for camp options, Camppedia enhances the experience for parents and supports camp providers with streamlined back-office services. This approach not only simplifies the search for suitable camps but also offers valuable insights into available opportunities.

JuiceBox Hero operates an online platform designed to help parents find suitable childcare options, such as daycare and preschool matches. By combining statistics and insights, the platform streamlines the search process, allowing parents to filter results based on criteria like location, child's age, activities, and religious affiliation. This approach not only reduces the time and stress associated with selecting a childcare provider but also supports companies in providing their employees access to valuable childcare resources. JuiceBox Hero aims to enhance the overall experience for parents seeking childcare solutions.

Hera Project is an online Health App that improves the health of Syrian refugee women and children.

SiLAS specializes in providing social, emotional, and behavioral solutions aimed at practitioners and students, particularly those on the autism spectrum. The company offers a comprehensive program that includes social-emotional learning (SEL) screenings and curricula for various age groups, in addition to curricula focused on applied behavior analysis (ABA), executive functioning, and transitional and vocational skills. SiLAS also features a data-driven animation platform designed to assist children in recognizing facial expressions, enhancing language abilities, and improving social interactions. This platform encompasses three tiers of social skills and vocational training, while allowing educators to track student performance metrics associated with individual animation projects. By enabling children to collaborate on creating animation scripts, the platform promotes essential skills such as topic generation, eye contact, and appropriate social responses.

CozyKin, founded in 2016 and based in Allston, Massachusetts, with an additional office in New York, provides childcare services tailored for new or expecting parents. The company specializes in matching families with Montessori-trained nannies to deliver personalized care in a convenient setting. By grouping families based on location, schedule, and preferences, CozyKin facilitates a two-sided marketplace where families can find high-quality childcare. Nannies, employed by CozyKin, care for 2 to 3 infants simultaneously in the families' homes, offering a solution that emphasizes cognitive development, socialization, and value over traditional daycare options. The platform leverages modern technology and provides 24/7 customer support, ensuring a seamless experience for parents. In 2020, CozyKin was acquired by Higher Ground Education, further enhancing its reach and resources in the childcare sector.

Latch Mobile takes the worry out of giving kids a smartphone with a subscription service keeps parents informed and keeps kids safe when there's harmful content, a dangerous conversation, or risky activity. Their patent pending technology analyzes everything kids do on their devices and alerts parents just when kids are getting into trouble or need help—but without spying on everything else they do. You can't avoid the risks—like porn, drugs, sexting, and bullying—by monitoring screen time or controlling the apps that kids use. But their machine intelligence can, and provides parents the information and resources they need to intervene before there are consequences. Stay informed, keep your kids safe, and know how to respond when there's harmful content, a dangerous conversation, or risky activity.

myKidzDay is a mobile application tailored for daycare providers, facilitating enhanced communication with parents and ensuring compliance with state record-keeping regulations. The app serves over 30,000 active users and is utilized by 160 paying daycare centers across 35 states. It enables childcare centers to send daily reports, instant group messages, and reminders, while also tracking attendance and documenting assessments and observations. By streamlining communication, myKidzDay helps daycare providers attract more families, increase profitability, and reduce administrative burdens, such as staff time and printing costs. Parents benefit from secure, real-time updates, including pictures and reminders, fostering a sense of being informed and reassured about their children's care.

Casa Maestra is an online education and workshop platform designed to support parents in developing essential parenting skills. It offers access to face-to-face workshops and online conferences tailored for pregnant women, babies, children, and adults. The platform provides practical tools and resources that can be accessed anytime and anywhere, creating a cultural and entertainment space for families. Through its diverse offerings, Casa Maestra aims to enhance the parenting experience by fostering community and shared learning among users.

CozyKin, founded in 2016 and based in Allston, Massachusetts, with an additional office in New York, provides childcare services tailored for new or expecting parents. The company specializes in matching families with Montessori-trained nannies to deliver personalized care in a convenient setting. By grouping families based on location, schedule, and preferences, CozyKin facilitates a two-sided marketplace where families can find high-quality childcare. Nannies, employed by CozyKin, care for 2 to 3 infants simultaneously in the families' homes, offering a solution that emphasizes cognitive development, socialization, and value over traditional daycare options. The platform leverages modern technology and provides 24/7 customer support, ensuring a seamless experience for parents. In 2020, CozyKin was acquired by Higher Ground Education, further enhancing its reach and resources in the childcare sector.

Treasure Socks provides allergy medication and safety measurements to kids with treasures.

Tembo is an educational institution focused on enhancing early childhood education to ensure that every child has access to quality learning opportunities. The company leverages an evidence-based curriculum that addresses cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development. Tembo trains and certifies home educators who, in turn, provide guidance to parents through SMS, allowing them to effectively educate their children at home. This approach not only empowers parents but also offers a cost-effective solution for early childhood education, ultimately aiming to foster better futures for children.

MAMA.codes is a coding school focused on introducing young children to the fundamentals of coding and fostering digital literacy from an early age. Catering to children aged 3 to 6, the company employs a unique teaching method that incorporates songs, rhymes, and storytelling to engage students and make learning fun. Their curriculum aligns with the National Curriculum in the UK and aims to build essential skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and computational thinking, which are crucial for success in a technology-driven world. In addition to classes and holiday camps, MAMA.codes has developed a semi-independent learn-to-code app called Looparoo, designed to instill curiosity and a love for STEM subjects in children before biases can take root. The company also recognizes the need to empower parents, teachers, and caregivers—many of whom lack coding experience—by making coding accessible and approachable, ultimately inspiring adults to embark on their own coding journeys.

Koru Kids Ltd. is a childcare service provider based in London, specializing in nanny shares that connect families with full-time nannies to those seeking part-time care. Established in 2016, the company aims to improve childcare options by creating a platform that facilitates the matching of families and nannies. Koru Kids focuses on ensuring high-quality and affordable childcare by streamlining the process of finding suitable after-school nannies. The team behind the company possesses experience in childcare, healthcare, and technology startups, reflecting their commitment to enhancing childcare services. Koru Kids is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and is affiliated with the Financial Conduct Authority's Innovation Hub, indicating a strong regulatory compliance framework.

Message of Hope Fndt they provides service for hospitalized and homeless children in communities.

Keepers is a technology company that offers an application focused on protecting children from online dangers such as cyberbullying and sexual exploitation. The application monitors all incoming and outgoing messages on a child's device across various social media platforms, including popular ones like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. It utilizes artificial intelligence to detect suspicious and abusive content in real-time, enabling parents to receive immediate alerts about potential threats. This monitoring system aims to enhance children's digital safety while respecting their privacy, allowing guardians to be informed about their children's online interactions without overstepping boundaries.

Poppins App enables parents to search for fully-vetted childcarers in their area, even at short notice – perfect for last minute theatre tickets and emergencies. They can save their favourite sitters, allowing them to rebook at the touch of a button, and eventually providing them with a trusted network in their area. The App allows bookings in advance, for a few hours, a few days or on an ad-hoc basis. Parents can pay babysitters within the App, avoiding the awkward money talk. Poppins enables busy parents to find, book, review and pay fully-vetted babysitters in their area, even at short notice.

Nimble Babies Limited is a manufacturer and retailer of child-friendly cleaning products designed specifically to address the messes associated with raising children. Established in 2014 and based in Leamington Spa, United Kingdom, the company offers a range of products including solutions for cleaning baby bottles and breast pumps, toys, surfaces, and clothing. These products are formulated with plant-based ingredients, ensuring a safe and effective cleaning experience without harsh chemicals. Nimble Babies aims to simplify the cleaning process for parents by providing effective solutions that tackle milk residues, food stains, and sticky messes, all while promoting a clean and safe environment for children. The company sells its products through an online store, making them accessible to a wider audience.

JustMilk is a nonprofit organization focused on creating an innovative device that enables safe delivery of life-saving medications and nutrients to breastfeeding infants. This thin, disposable silicone device is designed to hold a dispersible therapeutic tablet, which releases medicine directly into the breast milk consumed by the infant. It is capable of administering a variety of medications, including antibiotics, analgesics, antiretrovirals, and vitamins, without the need for measurement or literacy, addressing potential barriers to proper dosing. The device is hygienic, as it is disposable and does not require refrigeration, making it ideal for low-resource settings as well as broader markets. By facilitating medication delivery during breastfeeding, JustMilk aims to enhance patient compliance and promote breastfeeding, potentially saving lives and improving health outcomes for infants.

Camp Casco is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that gives childhood cancer patients and survivors a week of fun. They create an encouraging and supportive environment to facilitate friendships between patients and survivors, and nourish emotional support networks that thrive well beyond the week of camp. Additionally, parents can rest easy knowing that their children are in the capable hands of a round-the-clock medical staff and camp counselors trained to work with children who have special needs.

Increment is a company that specializes in developing toys aimed at enhancing children's skills in orientation and mobility. Founded in June 2013 by Cynthia Poon and Maeve Jopson, the company is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. Increment offers a range of sensory learning playthings, including O-Rings, which are designed in various colors, sizes, textures, weights, and fillings. These toys promote fidgeting, sensory integration, and therapy, encouraging independence and exploration among children of all abilities, including those with special needs. Through its innovative products, Increment aims to foster learning and growth in children, making playtime an inclusive experience.

SuperHealos is a start-up company dedicated to reducing children's stress and anxiety when facing challenges like medical treatment. SuperHealos, a company dedicated to making children facing medical treatment feel like superheroes. Their medical adventure story books take place in medical settings and gently expose children to what they may see on their own medical journey. Their storybooks, superhero capes and digital games come together in Medical Adventure Kits creating the perfect get well gift for children facing medical treatment.

ChopChopKids is an innovative non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire and teach children and families to cook real food together. We believe that cooking and eating together as a family is a vital step in resolving the obesity and hunger epidemics.

Found in Translation carries out its mission though a 12-week Medical Interpreter Certificate program. The course is offered at no charge to eligible women and includes common-sense supports such as on-site childcare, transportation assistance, and mentoring. Hands-on Job Skills and Financial Literacy education is integrated into the program to help women to achieve new professional and economic heights. Medical Interpreters have a median annual wage of $43,380 and can expect 42.2% job opportunity growth by 2020 (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Native Brain develops research-inspired, impact-accountable, 21st century iPad apps that help all kids learn, love, and master math, reading, and other fundamental skills.

SAFEBOARD is a foldable, lightweight child seat. The patent ensures a competent protective structure which optimizes safety. With a depth of 4”, SAFEBOARD can fold to only 25% of a conventional seat's volume, offering unmatched convenience. SAFEBOARD weighs 12 lbs (30-50% less than conventional seats). SAFEBOARD has a fun, fresh design that appeals to high-end parents. 10M seats are sold in the US every year, and SAFEBOARD's safe and easy-to-install solution is perfect for people on the move.

Go GaGa creates ergonomically safe and stylish diaper bags featuring their patent pending strap.

SittingAround is a website that allows families to start, grow, and manage babysitting cooperatives (aka "coops") online. Coops are groups of families who trade free babysitting with each other. In addition to saving money (the average family saves over $500 each year), coops help ensure there is always a sitter available when needed, and they build community—both for the parents as well as for the children. Coops have been around for many, many years, but the model is not widely used today. There are two reasons for this: 1) they are not well known; and 2) they require a lot of administrative work to manage. SittingAround addresses both of these problems by having two products: a coop management site that automates the administrative work and evangelism for the coop model itself.