CareLuLu
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CareLuLu does
CareLuLu operates a search and comparison marketplace that helps parents find licensed daycare, preschool, and childcare programs. The platform indexes 200,000 licensed child care programs across the United States, with concentrated coverage in the Washington DC metro area (including suburbs across Virginia and Maryland) and Chicago, IL. Parents can filter by location, age group, hours, tuition range, and teaching philosophy (Montessori, play-based, Spanish, Christian, etc.), view detailed provider profiles with photos and parent reviews, save favorites, and contact providers directly to schedule facility tours. The platform also includes ancillary tools such as a daycare price calculator and educational content resources for both parents and providers.
The core technology is a web-based search and listing platform with city-specific and category-specific SEO landing pages that capture organic search demand for childcare searches. The architecture emphasizes self-serve product-led growth: parents discover the platform primarily through search engines and city-level URLs rather than through sales-assisted motions. Provider-facing functionality includes the ability to list programs, respond to parent inquiries, and access marketing best-practice content — positioning CareLuLu as a vertical resource hub for the childcare industry.
CareLuLu's revenue model is a marketplace model monetized on the provider side, though specific pricing tiers, listing fees, and commission structures are not publicly disclosed. The parent-facing experience is free. The company was founded in 2013, is based in Oakland, California, operates with 1-10 employees, and has raised $1.7 million in a single early-stage round in November 2014 led by Khosla Ventures with participation from 500 Global, The Startup Factory, and Tuesday Capital. The founding team consists of Patrick Matos (CEO), Evgeniya Usmanova (COO), and Gabriel Marques (CTO).
CareLuLu firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CareLuLu
- Website
- https://CareLuLu.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CareLuLu industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Childcare Search Marketplace
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (62441)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Parent’s Helper (Non-Infant) & Child Supervision (HSAAAGAA)
Keywords
Where CareLuLu is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CareLuLu business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Services for Child Care Providers: Free platform for parents searching for childcare; providers can list programs and receive inquiries from parents through the platform
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free for parents |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
CareLuLu product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CareLuLu is an online search and marketplace platform that lets parents browse, filter, and compare 200,000 licensed daycare, preschool, and home-based child care programs by location, age group, hours, tuition, and teaching philosophy. Parents can view detailed provider profiles with photos, services, and parent reviews, save favorites, and directly contact providers to schedule facility tours. Child care providers can list their programs on the platform to receive inquiries and tour requests from parents actively searching for care.
Product overview
CareLuLu is a child care search and discovery platform that serves as an all-in-one resource to help parents navigate child care options. The platform consists of a core search engine enabling parents to filter through 200,000 licensed child care programs, combined with detailed provider listings featuring photos, services, and parent reviews. Additional features include a save-and-compare functionality, tour scheduling capabilities, and a daycare price calculator tool. The platform categorizes providers across multiple dimensions including type (home daycares, centers, preschools), teaching philosophy (Montessori, play-based, Spanish, Christian), and special considerations (infant care, special needs, peanut-free).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CareLuLu Search Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves parents significant time compared to searching Craigslist or general search engines
Companies that use CareLuLu
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CareLuLu technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
CareLuLu partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CareLuLu competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Care.com: Care.com is the dominant online marketplace for family care services, including childcare, with a much larger scale and a subscription/paid-membership model — directly competing for parent mindshare in childcare discovery.
- GreatSchools: GreatSchools is a national directory of K-12 schools with detailed profiles and reviews; it shares the parent-discovery category and SEO-driven traffic model with CareLuLu.
- UrbanSitter: UrbanSitter is a marketplace for babysitters and nannies, with parent-facing search functionality comparable to CareLuLu's childcare discovery model.
- Sittercity: Sittercity is an established online marketplace for babysitters, nannies, and childcare providers, overlapping with CareLuLu on the parent search-for-childcare use case.
- Bright Horizons: Bright Horizons is a large operator of employer-sponsored childcare centers; while primarily a provider, its family-care platform represents an adjacent strategic comparable for CareLuLu.
Direct peers
- Kinside: Kinside is a childcare search and employer-sponsored benefits platform serving parents and care providers with a search-and-discovery experience similar to CareLuLu.
- NeighborSchools: NeighborSchools is a daycare and preschool search marketplace connecting parents to local licensed providers, with overlapping search-and-tour functionality.
- Winnie: Winnie is a direct competitor offering a childcare search and marketplace platform for parents, with similar features including detailed provider listings, reviews, and tour scheduling across U.S. metros.
Others
- ChildCare.gov: ChildCare.gov is a U.S. government resource for finding licensed childcare providers; while not a commercial peer, it competes for parent search traffic and serves as a public-data alternative to CareLuLu's directory.
Regional players
- Babysits: Babysits is a childcare and babysitter marketplace operating across Europe and other regions, comparable in marketplace mechanics to CareLuLu but with primary geographic presence outside the U.S.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CareLuLu social profiles
Digital presenceCareLuLu financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CareLuLu leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
CareLuLu funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CareLuLu 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 CareLuLu
What does CareLuLu do?
CareLuLu is an online search and marketplace platform that lets parents browse, filter, and compare 200,000 licensed daycare, preschool, and home-based child care programs by location, age group, hours, tuition, and teaching philosophy. Parents can view detailed provider profiles with photos, services, and parent reviews, save favorites, and directly contact providers to schedule facility tours. Child care providers can list their programs on the platform to receive inquiries and tour requests from parents actively searching for care.
When was CareLuLu founded?
CareLuLu was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CareLuLu based?
CareLuLu is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does CareLuLu make money?
One revenue line is on record: platform Services for Child Care Providers.
Who are CareLuLu's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Care.com, GreatSchools, UrbanSitter, Sittercity and Bright Horizons. Direct peers are Kinside, NeighborSchools and Winnie. ChildCare.gov is listed as an others. Babysits is listed as a regional player.
Does CareLuLu have an API?
No public API is recorded for CareLuLu.
What industry is CareLuLu in?
CareLuLu's product category is Childcare Search Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAAAGAA, Parent’s Helper (Non-Infant) & Child Supervision. Its NAICS code is 62441 and its SIC code is 8351.