Carefully
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
Carefully firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carefully
- Legal name
- Carefully, Inc.
- Website
- https://carefullyapp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carefully industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Childcare Coordination Platform
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (62441), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nanny Share Setup, Matching & Contracting Services (facilitation/coordination) (HSAAAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG)
Keywords
Where Carefully is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Carefully business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Organization Subscription: Organizations (PTAs, unions, nonprofits, neighborhood networks) pay a monthly subscription for access to community-building tools including multi-level group structure, org-branded landing pages, member management, Trust+ settings, and integrated messaging/calendar tools.
- Pay What You Want (Individual): Flexible subscription model where individual users choose their level of financial support, helping keep the platform ad-free and accessible to all families.
- Payment Processing for Small Businesses: Carefully processes payments for small business childcare providers, taking transaction fees for payment processing through their NACHA Certified partner. Providers can set up sessions, care slots, and spots with pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Organization Tier - Full access to community-building suite |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Individual/Family - Pay What You Want |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Carefully product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carefully is a mobile-first community childcare platform that helps parents build trusted networks of family, friends, and neighbors to share and exchange childcare, coordinate playdates, manage pickups and drop-offs, and access local family-focused small businesses and organizations. The platform combines a consumer mobile app (iOS/Android) with dedicated B2B tools for organizations and small businesses, supported by a Trust+ identity verification and background-check system and the Karma Care Hours exchange currency.
Product overview
Carefully is a community-based childcare platform comprising a mobile application as the core product, supplemented by specialized modules for small businesses (Carefully for Small Businesses), organizations (Carefully for Organizations), and community leaders (Carefully Community Builders). The platform includes Trust+ for identity verification and safety screening, Virna AI for AI-powered parental guidance, and the Carefully Card for payment processing. Related initiatives include the Carefully Co-op (cooperative model) and Fix Childcare (advocacy initiative). The platform operates on a Pay What You Want subscription model to maintain accessibility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carefully Co-op: A cooperative initiative focused on making the world better through mutualism, community, and care.
- Fix Childcare
Products and services
- Carefully Mobile App
- Carefully for Organizations
- Carefully for Small Businesses
- Carefully Community Builders Program
- Fix Childcare Initiative
Quantifiable outcome
- User base has grown significantly with app engagement skyrocketing in 2024
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Carefully
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Carefully technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
Carefully partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- ToughClicks / Families First CCcoreFamily-focused community partner organization working to support families through community-based care solutions. Listed as a partnership association on Carefully's partnerships page.
- FamTechcoreFamily technology advocacy organization focused on supporting families and childcare solutions through technology. Carefully participates in FamTech community and initiatives.
- United WEcoreAdvocacy organization working on childcare and women's entrepreneurship policy. CEO Leslie Borrell served on the United We Commission on Childcare and Entrepreneurship, culminating in Statement of Principles release.
- Tech NYCcoreNew York City technology advocacy organization. Carefully recognized in Tech NYC's SEEN 50 list celebrating underrepresented founders.
- ParentHood VenturessupportingParent and family-focused venture organization supporting innovation in family services. Listed as partnership association on Carefully's partnerships page.
- Visible HandssupportingVC firm co-creating the SEEN 50 list with Tech NYC to celebrate underrepresented founders in NYC. Carefully recognized in inaugural list.
- Stitch CrewcoreAccelerator program supporting women-led companies in the Future of Women at Work. Carefully selected as 1 of 5 companies in Fall '24 Cohort.
- Moms FirstsupportingAdvocacy organization focused on maternal health and family support. Listed as partnership association on Carefully's partnerships page.
- STAY America FoundationsupportingFoundation supporting American families and communities. Listed as partnership association on Carefully's partnerships page.
- Zebras UnitesupportingCooperative movement organization supporting mission-driven businesses. Listed as partnership association on Carefully's partnerships page.
- Goodie NationsupportingOrganization connecting startups with resources and community. Listed as partnership association on Carefully's partnerships page.
- Nueva York Kiddos (Spanish School)coreFamily-focused Spanish school and affordable co-working space in New York. Carefully's pilot partner for testing platform with family childcare businesses. Testimonial from Director Yne Leal praising the platform's ease of use.
- Families FirstcoreFamily child care network partner. Carefully teamed up with Families First and family child care networks in North Carolina pilot program for small business expansion.
- PersonacoreIdentity verification technology partner for Trust+ feature. Carefully partners with Persona to verify user identity by uploading government ID and real-time selfie.
- Tessera DatacoreBackground check provider for Trust+ safety screening. Carefully uses Tessera Data to perform background checks checking public state/county criminal records and sex offender registries for US-based members.
- NACHA Certified Payment PartnercorePayment processing partner for Carefully Card and business payments. NACHA Certified partner helping avoid excessive fees while keeping costs low for parents and providers. Funds held with FDIC insured banking partner.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Carefully competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bubble: Bubble is a mobile-first app for parents to share trusted babysitting and playdate swaps among friends and neighbors. It is the most directly comparable community-exchange childcare platform to Carefully's core consumer product.
- Winnie: Winnie is a marketplace and information platform that helps parents find daycare, preschools, and childcare providers. It overlaps with Carefully's SMB provider directory and parent discovery use cases.
- Babysits: Babysits is a global platform connecting families with babysitters and childminders. It competes with Carefully in helping parents find and coordinate childcare arrangements, with broader geographic reach.
- Helpr: Helpr is an on-demand childcare platform offering backup, after-hours, and recurring care through vetted providers. It overlaps with Carefully's backup care and small-business provider use cases.
Broad incumbents
- Care.com: Care.com is the largest US marketplace for childcare, senior care, pet care, and housekeeping. It is a broad incumbent whose childcare category overlaps with Carefully's SMB and parent-discovery features.
- Sittercity: Sittercity is an established US marketplace for babysitters, nannies, and tutors. It competes with Carefully for parents seeking paid in-home childcare, though it does not emphasize community exchange.
- UrbanSitter: UrbanSitter is a babysitting marketplace focused on urban professionals, with sitter profiles, reviews, and booking. It overlaps with Carefully's marketplace-style features for finding vetted care providers.
Emerging players
- Komae: Komae is a cooperative childcare app focused on helping families coordinate reciprocal babysitting and shared care, very close in spirit to Carefully's community-exchange and Karma Care Hours model.
- Famly: Famly is a childcare management platform used by daycare centers and nurseries for parent communication, billing, and attendance. It overlaps with Carefully for Organizations' tools for managing care communities and bookings.
- Otter (formerly Kinside): Otter is a childcare benefits platform for employers and working parents. It overlaps with Carefully's organization-tier offering around employer-sponsored and employer-coordinated childcare support.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carefully social profiles
Digital presenceCarefully financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carefully leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Carefully funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carefully M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carefully
What does Carefully do?
Carefully is a mobile-first community childcare platform that helps parents build trusted networks of family, friends, and neighbors to share and exchange childcare, coordinate playdates, manage pickups and drop-offs, and access local family-focused small businesses and organizations. The platform combines a consumer mobile app (iOS/Android) with dedicated B2B tools for organizations and small businesses, supported by a Trust+ identity verification and background-check system and the Karma Care Hours exchange currency.
Is Carefully a public or private company?
Carefully is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Carefully founded?
Carefully was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Carefully based?
Carefully is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Carefully make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Organization Subscription is the primary driver. The others are pay What You Want (Individual) and payment Processing for Small Businesses.
Who are Carefully's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bubble, Winnie, Babysits and Helpr. Broad incumbents are Care.com, Sittercity and UrbanSitter. Emerging players are Komae, Famly and Otter (formerly Kinside).
Does Carefully have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carefully.
What industry is Carefully in?
Carefully's product category is Childcare Coordination Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAAAFAL, Nanny Share Setup, Matching & Contracting Services (facilitation/coordination), with a secondary code of EDACALAG, Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks. Its NAICS code is 62441 and its SIC code is 8351.