Parent Lab Inc.
Parent Lab Inc. operates a mobile parenting app delivering expert-vetted, evidence-based courses on child behavior, screen time, discipline, and communication to thousands of U.S. parents, and offers the Era mindfulness companion app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Parent Lab Inc. does
Parent Lab Inc. is a Portland, Oregon-based privately held company founded in 2017 that operates a mobile-first parenting support platform distributed through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore. The core product is a subscription-based iOS/Android application that delivers expert-vetted, evidence-based parenting content organized into structured course kits covering topics such as picky eating, screen time, discipline, communication, and whining, alongside live expert events and one-on-one parent coaching services. Content is produced under a research-review process backed by a network of more than 40 credentialed experts from Stanford, UCLA, the University of Minnesota, Oregon State University, and the Ellyn Satter Institute, with documented depth such as 118 cited research papers in the discipline curriculum.
The company's monetization combines monthly and annual subscription plans (each granting 2 credits per month to unlock course modules), à la carte in-app credit (Coin) purchases, and one-time content licenses, with payment processing handled by the app store platforms. Go-to-market is product-led: free-to-install mobile app with self-serve onboarding, supplemented by earned media coverage in WSJ, NYT, HuffPost, and MarketWatch, expert endorsements, and built-in social sharing. In 2024 the company launched Era, a separate companion mindfulness and journaling app for growth-minded parents, extending the product surface into adjacent parental wellness categories.
Parent Lab is owned and operated by founders Jill Li, Bo Shao, and Zhen Shao, with Joshua Iwata serving as CEO. The company has raised approximately $1.55 million in disclosed venture funding from a 2017 seed round led by Evolve Ventures and Sprig Investment LLC, with a follow-on round in 2019. Operating geography is documented as the United States, although app store availability is global.
Parent Lab Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Parent Lab Inc.
- Legal name
- Parent Lab Inc.
- Website
- https://parentlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Parent Lab Inc. operates a mobile parenting app delivering expert-vetted, evidence-based courses on child behavior, screen time, discipline, and communication to thousands of U.S. parents, and offers the Era mindfulness companion app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Parent Lab Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Parenting App / Digital Parenting Education
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Parent Mental Health, Stress Management & Wellness Programs (EDACALAJ), Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC), Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG)
Keywords
Where Parent Lab Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Parent Lab Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans: Parent Lab offers monthly and annual subscription plans for access to its parenting content library. Subscribers receive 2 credits per month that can be used to unlock modules or additional features. Subscriptions are processed through platform providers (Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon, Facebook) and continue until cancelled. Credits do not expire and unused credits remain in the account. Purchased content remains accessible even if the subscription lapses.
- In-App Credit Purchases: Users can purchase in-app credits (Coins) to unlock individual modules or features outside of the subscription. Credits do not expire and purchased content remains accessible regardless of subscription status.
- Purchased Content (Direct License): Users can purchase one-time limited licenses to access specific content without an ongoing subscription. All sales of content are final and non-refundable.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription with 2 credits per month |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription with 2 credits per month |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | In-app credit purchase (Coins) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Era App free tier |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Parent Lab Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Parent Lab Inc. operates a mobile-first parenting support platform (iOS and Android apps) delivering expert-curated, evidence-based course kits on everyday parenting challenges such as picky eating, discipline, screen time, whining, and adult communication. The platform runs on a subscription model with monthly credits that unlock individual modules, and is supplemented by Era, a separate mindfulness and journaling app for parents. Live expert events, parent coaching, and curated reading lists round out the offering.
Product overview
Parent Lab Inc. operates as a platform-plus-content-model company offering a primary mobile parenting app as the core product, supplemented by Era (a separate mindfulness and journaling app for parents), and multiple expert-curated video courses covering specific parenting topics such as picky eating, discipline, screen time management, communication, and whining. The company also offers live events with experts and parent coaching services. Content is delivered through a subscription model with monthly credits, available via iOS and Android apps.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Era: A new app from ParentLab that brings daily mindfulness and journaling for growth-minded parents.
Products and services
- Parent Lab App Mobile parenting application providing expert-backed, evidence-based content and live events for parents and caregivers of children from baby to tween, available on iOS and Android via subscription with monthly credits.
- Era Mindfulness & Journaling App Separate companion mindfulness and journaling app for growth-minded parents, free to try on iOS and Android, designed to support self-reflection and personal development alongside parenting.
- Live Expert Events Live virtual learning events hosted by experts — including book clubs, guided meditations, and discussion sessions — providing real-time parenting support to subscribers.
- Parent Coaching One-on-one coaching services managed by Yudi Wang, connecting families with certified parent coaches for personalized, paid support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Users report high satisfaction with specific tools such as 'Countdown to Calm' activity working consistently, screen detox plans successfully reducing family screen time, and bullying management guidance improving parent confidence.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Parent Lab Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Parent Lab Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
Parent Lab Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Hand in Hand ParentingcoreParent Lab partners with Hand in Hand Parenting to feature their online interventions and education programs in the Parent Lab app. Hand in Hand Parenting is a respected nonprofit organization founded by Patty Wipfler, which provides evidence-based parenting courses. Patty Wipfler is also listed as a contributor/expert on the Parent Lab platform.
- Tuning Into KidscoreParent Lab identifies Tuning Into Kids as a respected emotional intelligence parenting program whose interventions they seek to feature within the Parent Lab platform, aligning with the company's ethos of evidence-based parenting education.
- Great ConversationsminorParent Lab looks for online versions of programs like Great Conversations, which provides parent-child communication curricula. Parent Lab features such expert-developed programs within its course library.
- Ellyn Satter InstitutecoreParent Lab partners with the Ellyn Satter Institute, whose eating competence model and division of responsibility in feeding is featured in Parent Lab's picky eating course kit. Carol Danaher, an Ellyn Satter Institute Board Member, is listed as a Parent Lab expert contributor.
- Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory (James Gross, PhD)coreJames Gross, PhD, Ernest R. Hilgard Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory, is a contributing expert on Parent Lab. His research on emotion regulation is incorporated into Parent Lab's parenting content.
- UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice (Maryanne Wolf, EdD)minorMaryanne Wolf, Director of the UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice and Distinguished Visiting Professor, is a contributing expert on Parent Lab, providing insights on child development, literacy, and neuroscience.
- Oregon State University Parenting Education Collaborative (Shauna Tominey, PhD)minorShauna Tominey, PhD, Assistant Professor at Oregon State University and Principal Investigator for the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative, is a contributing expert whose work on parenting education informs Parent Lab content.
- University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development (Stephanie Carlson, PhD)minorStephanie Carlson, PhD, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Director of Research at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development, contributes expert content on executive function and child development to the Parent Lab platform.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Parent Lab Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wonder Weeks: Direct competitor offering a milestone-based baby and infant development app with expert-backed content. Comparable mobile-first, subscription-based parenting guidance model targeting the same 0–12 demographic.
- Huckleberry: Direct peer in the expert-vetted parenting app category, with sleep, feeding, and development content plus AI-driven tools. Shares Parent Lab's mobile subscription model and pediatric-expert positioning.
- Peanut: Social networking and content app for mothers that combines peer community with expert content and resources. Comparable mobile-first, female-parent-skewing audience and content-driven engagement model.
- Cleo: Family benefits platform providing on-demand expert parenting support, coaching, and content via a mobile app. Most directly comparable to Parent Lab's parent-coaching offering and B2B2C distribution opportunity.
- Big Life Journal: Evidence-based parenting and child-development content company with downloadable curricula and journals. Comparable mission around evidence-backed parenting content and emotional/social development for kids.
Broad incumbents
- BabyCenter: Long-established incumbent parenting content and tracking platform reaching millions of parents globally. Overlaps with Parent Lab on evidence-based guidance and milestone content, but operates at much larger scale and is ad-supported.
- The Bump: Established pregnancy and parenting content brand (part of The Knot Worldwide). Competes with Parent Lab on expert-driven parenting guidance across the 0–tween journey, though with a broader content + commerce model.
- Ovia Health: Maternal and family health platform with employer-sponsored distribution. Compares to Parent Lab on evidence-based parenting/family content and represents a likely B2B2C enterprise channel that Parent Lab could pursue.
- Headspace: Established mindfulness and meditation app. Direct competitor to Parent Lab's Era app for parental mental wellness, with much larger content library, brand recognition, and B2B employer channel.
Emerging players
- Tinyhood: Online parenting class platform (sleep, feeding, behavior) with live expert instruction. Comparable expert-led parenting education model, though more course-by-course rather than app-based subscription.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Parent Lab Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceParent Lab Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Parent Lab Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Parent Lab Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Parent Lab Inc. 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 Parent Lab Inc.
What does Parent Lab Inc. do?
Parent Lab Inc. operates a mobile-first parenting support platform (iOS and Android apps) delivering expert-curated, evidence-based course kits on everyday parenting challenges such as picky eating, discipline, screen time, whining, and adult communication. The platform runs on a subscription model with monthly credits that unlock individual modules, and is supplemented by Era, a separate mindfulness and journaling app for parents. Live expert events, parent coaching, and curated reading lists round out the offering.
Is Parent Lab Inc. a public or private company?
Parent Lab Inc. is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Parent Lab Inc. founded?
Parent Lab Inc. was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Parent Lab Inc. based?
Parent Lab Inc. is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Parent Lab Inc. make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are in-App Credit Purchases and purchased Content (Direct License).
Who are Parent Lab Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wonder Weeks, Huckleberry, Peanut, Cleo and Big Life Journal. Broad incumbents are BabyCenter, The Bump, Ovia Health and Headspace. Tinyhood is listed as an emerging player.
Does Parent Lab Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Parent Lab Inc..
What industry is Parent Lab Inc. in?
Parent Lab Inc.'s product category is Parenting App / Digital Parenting Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACAFAJ, Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services, with a secondary code of EDACALAJ, Parent Mental Health, Stress Management & Wellness Programs. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.