Komae
Komae was a community platform that enabled parents to exchange babysitting through a cash-free virtual points system within private home, school, and workplace Groups. Operated by Wana Family Network PBC, it monetized via Point Card purchases and tiered group subscriptions before announcing retirement in 2024.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersAkron, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Komae does
Komae was a community platform for organizing babysitting cooperatives, operated by Wana Family Network PBC, a Delaware public benefit corporation headquartered in Los Angeles. The platform enabled parents and guardians to exchange childcare through a cash-free virtual points system within private "Groups" formed around home, school, or workplace networks. Users earned Points by providing care and spent Points when receiving care, with each Point roughly equal to one hour of free babysitting; Points had no monetary redemption value. The core product was a mobile application available on iOS and Android, featuring profile verification, third-party background checks, trust indicators, private messenger, and scheduling tools.
Revenue was generated through two streams: one-time Point Card purchases at $75 (5 points), $150 (10 points), and $375 (25 points), and tiered monthly Care Package subscriptions for Groups priced at $8 (up to 20 members), $175 (up to 200 members), and $1,890 (up to 1,000 members), with the higher tiers offering progressively larger discounts on Point Cards and free monthly bonus points. Distribution was community-led through social networks and word-of-mouth, supplemented by self-serve app store downloads, content marketing, workshops, and an enterprise channel targeting employers and schools. The customer base centered on families with children, with secondary segments of employer groups and school/community organizations. The company was led by CEO Erin Beck, with Audrey Wallace as co-founder.
In 2024, Komae announced it was retiring the platform and migrating users to Carefully, a successor babysitting co-op app developed by Leslie Borrell, ending six years of operation under the Wana Family Network PBC umbrella. A sibling brand, Sitster, had extended the model to the UK market prior to the announcement.
Komae firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Komae
- Legal name
- Wana Family Network PBC
- Website
- https://mykomae.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Komae was a community platform that enabled parents to exchange babysitting through a cash-free virtual points system within private home, school, and workplace Groups. Operated by Wana Family Network PBC, it monetized via Point Card purchases and tiered group subscriptions before announcing retirement in 2024.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Komae industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Childcare Exchange Platform
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (6244)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Babysitting Co-ops & Shared Occasional Sitting Arrangements (HSAAAAAL)
Keywords
Where Komae is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Akron
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Komae business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Point Card Sales: Users purchase Komae Point Cards at $75 (5 points), $150 (10 points), or $375 (25 points). Each point is roughly equal to one hour of free babysitting. Points can be purchased individually or given as gifts. Points have no monetary value and cannot be redeemed for real-world money.
- Care Package Subscriptions: Monthly subscription Care Packages for Groups providing exclusive benefits: private access codes, discounts on Point Cards, and free bonus points. Three tiers: Just Us ($8/month for up to 20 members with 33% point card discount), More Us ($175/month for up to 200 members with 66% discount), All of Us ($1,890/month for up to 1,000 members with 93% discount). All tiers include 7-day free trial.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Point Cards - 5 Points |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Point Cards - 10 Points |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Point Cards - 25 Points |
| Subscription | Monthly | Care Package for Just Us |
| Subscription | Monthly | Care Package for More Us |
| Subscription | Monthly | Care Package for All of Us |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Komae product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Komae operates a mobile application platform (iOS and Android) that enables parents and guardians to exchange babysitting services within trusted community Groups through a cash-free virtual Points system. Members earn Points by providing childcare Sits and spend Points when receiving care, with Points roughly equal to one hour of free babysitting. The platform is monetized through digital Point Card purchases and tiered Care Package subscriptions for groups, employers, schools, and community organizations.
Product overview
Komae is a community platform operated by Wana Family Network PBC for managing modern babysitting co-ops. The core Komae App enables parents to exchange free childcare through a cash-free virtual points system. The product portfolio includes the core Komae mobile application (available on iOS and Android) and Komae Point Cards (digital point bundles in 5, 10, and 25 point denominations). Group pricing is offered through three Care Package subscription tiers: Care Package for Just Us ($8/month, up to 20 members), Care Package for More Us ($175/month, up to 200 members), and Care Package for All of Us ($1,890/month, up to 1,000 members). The company announced retirement of Komae with transition to Carefully as the successor platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Komae: Modern babysitting co-ops for home, school, and work.
- Sitster
Products and services
- Komae App Mobile application (iOS and Android) for managing modern babysitting co-ops, enabling parents to exchange childcare through a cash-free Points system for home, school, and work groups.
- Komae Point Cards Digital point cards redeemable for Komae Points, sold in denominations of 5, 10, and 25 points at prices ranging from $75 to $375; each Point is roughly equal to one hour of free babysitting.
- Care Package for Just Us Entry-level group subscription at $8/month for Groups of up to 20 members, providing 1 free point monthly, private access code, and 33% discount on Point Cards.
- Care Package for More Us Mid-tier group subscription at $175/month for Groups of up to 200 members, providing 2 free points monthly, private access code, and 66% discount on Point Cards.
- Care Package for All of Us Enterprise-tier group subscription at $1,890/month for Groups of up to 1,000 members, providing 4 free points monthly, private access code, and 93% discount on Point Cards.
Companies that use Komae
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Komae technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Komae partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CarefullymajorCarefully is the successor platform to Komae, launched by Leslie Borrell. Erin Beck, CEO of Komae, has worked closely with Leslie Borrell for several years and is transitioning Komae families to Carefully. The partnership represents a seamless migration of the childcare co-op community to a new platform.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Komae competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sittercity: Long-standing online marketplace for babysitters and nannies. Targets the same parent segment as Komae with a subscription-based sitter-matching model rather than a community exchange.
- UrbanSitter: Established US babysitting marketplace leveraging Facebook-network connections to find sitters; competes with Komae for the same parent customer but operates a paid-booking model.
- Care.com: Largest US online marketplace for childcare, senior care, and pet care. Provides overlapping functionality to Komae but as a broad paid-membership marketplace rather than a co-op.
Emerging players
- Helpr: B2B childcare benefits platform sold to employers; comparable to Komae's Enterprise Care Package offering in addressing employer-funded childcare, but operates a sitter-booking model.
- PatchCare: Employer-sponsored childcare benefits platform providing subsidized in-home and center-based care to employees. Targets the same employer-buyer use case as Komae's enterprise tier.
- Wyndy: College babysitter marketplace that connects parents with vetted college-student sitters. Overlaps with Komae's parent customer base but uses a per-booking marketplace rather than community exchange.
Direct peers
- Bubble: UK-focused childcare sharing marketplace where parents book sitters within trusted local networks; comparable to Komae's community Group concept with a UK geography overlap to Sitster.
- Sitster: Wholly-owned sub-brand of Wana Family Network PBC (Komae's parent) operating a childcare co-op platform in the UK market. Same parent and product model, different geography.
- Bambino: Neighborhood-based babysitting sharing app that lets parents exchange childcare with nearby trusted families — a directly comparable community/sit-share value proposition to Komae.
- Carefully: The successor babysitting co-op platform to which Komae's users are being migrated. Built by Leslie Borrell in close collaboration with Komae's CEO, it pursues the same community-based childcare exchange model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Komae social profiles
Digital presenceKomae financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Komae leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Komae subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Komae funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Komae 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 Komae
What does Komae do?
Komae operates a mobile application platform (iOS and Android) that enables parents and guardians to exchange babysitting services within trusted community Groups through a cash-free virtual Points system. Members earn Points by providing childcare Sits and spend Points when receiving care, with Points roughly equal to one hour of free babysitting. The platform is monetized through digital Point Card purchases and tiered Care Package subscriptions for groups, employers, schools, and community organizations.
Is Komae a public or private company?
Komae is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently closed.
When was Komae founded?
Komae was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Komae based?
Komae is headquartered in Akron, United States, in the North America region.
How does Komae make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Point Card Sales are the primary driver. The others are care Package Subscriptions.
Who are Komae's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sittercity, UrbanSitter and Care.com. Emerging players are Helpr, PatchCare and Wyndy. Direct peers are Bubble, Sitster, Bambino and Carefully.
Does Komae have an API?
No public API is recorded for Komae.
What industry is Komae in?
Komae's product category is Childcare Exchange Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAAAAAL, Babysitting Co-ops & Shared Occasional Sitting Arrangements. Its NAICS code is 6244 and its SIC code is 8351.