Hello Sitter

What Hello Sitter does

Hello Sitter is a privately held on-demand childcare marketplace operating dual-sided iOS and Android applications that connect parents with vetted babysitters in select U.S. markets. The company was founded in 2015/2016 by Lauren Helling, a New York City mother frustrated by the friction of finding reliable childcare on short notice, and is structured as a Delaware LLC headquartered in New York. The platform handles sitter-side onboarding (background checks across criminal, sex offender, and terrorist watchlists, in-person interviews, three references, social media review, with 80% of sitters CPR trained) and parent-side booking (real-time availability, instant confirmation, favorite sitter recall, in-app payments via Braintree/PayPal), differentiated primarily by its curation process and 1-year replacement guarantee.

The business operates as a transaction-fee marketplace: parents pay hourly rates of $23-$35 (with surcharges for short, late-night, and remote-area bookings), the company collects payment and retains a commission, and pays the remainder to sitters who are classified as independent contractors. There are no membership or subscription fees, and pricing is modulated by number of children and local market (with surge pricing in the Hamptons). The service is active in NYC, Brooklyn, New Jersey, the Hamptons, New Orleans, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Tampa, and Aspen, serving urban parents seeking short-notice childcare and seasonal/vacation families in destination markets.

Operationally the company runs with 1-10 employees, has not raised disclosed outside capital, nearly shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020 but survived, and has since expanded its geographic footprint and launched a sister full-time nanny placement agency, "As Good As Me." Marketing is conducted primarily through organic social media (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram), a parenting-focused blog, and earned media placements in outlets including the Today Show, Crain's NYC, and Quartz.

Name

Hello Sitter

Legal name

Hello Sitter, LLC

Website

https://hellositter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hello Sitter is a privately held, bootstrapped on-demand babysitting marketplace operating dual mobile apps that connect parents with rigorously vetted sitters across select U.S. urban and vacation markets, earning a commission on each booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

On-Demand Childcare Marketplace

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

On-Call & Last-Minute Babysitting (HSAAAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Date Night & Evening Babysitting (HSAAAAAA), Travel / Hotel Overnight Childcare (HSAAADAH)

Keywords

• On-demand childcare
• Babysitter marketplace
• Vetted babysitters
• Childcare booking
• Mobile babysitting app

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Service Commission: Hello Sitter acts as a facilitator between customers and childcare contractors. The company collects payments through its platform and retains a portion as commission while paying out the remainder to sitters. Payment is collected upon completion of the childcare assignment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hello Sitter operates a two-sided mobile marketplace platform that connects parents with background-checked, in-person interviewed babysitters for on-demand childcare. Parents book sitters instantly through iOS and Android apps with as little as one-hour notice, and the company facilitates payment processing while retaining a commission on each transaction.

Product overview

Hello Sitter is an on-demand childcare marketplace offering a dual-sided mobile platform connecting families with vetted babysitters. The core offering consists of two companion mobile applications—one for customers (parents) and one for sitters—along with the underlying childcare services marketplace. The Customer App enables parents to browse sitter profiles, read reviews, book sitters instantly, and manage payments, while the Sitter App allows childcare providers to receive bookings and update availability in real-time. The service differentiates through rigorous vetting (background checks, interviews, reference verification), instant booking capability, no membership fees, and coverage across multiple geographic markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hello Sitter Mobile App (Customer) iOS and Android mobile application enabling parents to search, view, and book vetted babysitters on-demand. Features include instant booking, in-app payments, sitter profiles with reviews and videos, favorite sitters functionality, and same-day booking capability.
• Hello Sitter Mobile App (Sitter) Dedicated mobile application for childcare contractors (sitters) to receive booking requests, manage availability in real-time, view assigned families, and process payments. Sitters have their own availability dashboard that updates to the minute.
• On-Demand Childcare Services On-demand babysitting and childcare service connecting vetted, background-checked sitters with families. Services include same-day booking (as little as 1-hour notice in major cities), scheduled bookings up to 1 year in advance, newborn care specialists, and coverage across multiple service areas including NYC, Hamptons, Aspen, New Orleans, and South Florida.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of babysitters are CPR trained
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Braintree (PayPal)coreTechnology or IntegrationBraintree, a division of PayPal, Inc., provides payment processing services for the Hello Sitter platform. All payments are processed through Braintree according to their payment services agreement. Customer payment information is never stored by Hello Sitter.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Care.com: Large public-market incumbent across childcare, senior care, pets, and housekeeping. Overlaps with Hello Sitter in babysitting and nanny matching but competes as a generalist marketplace with significantly larger scale and marketing budget.

Direct peers

• Sittercity: Long-standing online marketplace for babysitters, nannies, and other caregivers with background checks. Comparable to Hello Sitter in core childcare matching and verification but operates a broader subscription-based model.
• SeekingSitters: U.S. babysitter referral service offering vetted sitters for occasional and recurring bookings. Comparable to Hello Sitter in sitter curation and family matching but with a more traditional referral-based model rather than an app-first experience.
• Bambino: Community-based babysitting app that leverages existing parent and sitter networks for vetted introductions. Highly comparable to Hello Sitter in mobile-first on-demand booking and neighborhood sitter pool concept.
• Urbansitter: On-demand babysitter marketplace connecting parents with vetted sitters in major U.S. cities. Closely comparable to Hello Sitter in mobile-first booking, real-time matching, and urban parent focus, though with broader geographic reach.
• Nanno: Online marketplace for vetted nannies and sitters across multiple U.S. markets. Comparable in vetting, marketplace model, and metropolitan focus; competes for the same parent audience as Hello Sitter in overlapping cities.

Emerging players

• Helpr: Childcare platform offering backup, on-demand, and recurring care primarily through employer-sponsored benefits. Overlaps with Hello Sitter on on-demand babysitting but differentiates via B2B channel and employer integration.

Regional players

• Bubble: On-demand babysitter marketplace originating in the UK with expansion into select European markets. Comparable product model to Hello Sitter—vetted sitters, mobile booking, no subscription—but operates in different geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hello_sitter
• Facebookfacebook.com/hellositter2
• Instagraminstagram.com/hello.sitter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hello-sitter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hello Sitter