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Paulette Light was feeling left out.
There were plenty of social media platforms out there, but as a mom, none of them felt right for Light and her friends to get and share recommendations about the things they did and use every day. It was time for Momstamp.
Light and two other friends and mothers formulated their idea for a marketplace where moms could share their personal recommendations. From handymen and tutors to summer camp and even divorce lawyers, Momstamp is like Yelp meets Pinterest, and not surprisingly, investors have taken a liking to the idea.
Off to a good start
With early investment from Brian Lee of The Honest Company CEO's venture fund - BAM Ventures, and technology backing from Cornerstone OnDemand CEO Adam Miller, Momstamp had a storybook beginning.
“We were fortunate enough to have some heavy hitters get the idea and its value immediately," Light said. “We plan on raising more funds in the next months to grow the team, build out our mobile offering and expand to other locations.”
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The obstacles have risen from the same instinct that hatched the idea — a better home life. With Momstamp’s success, Paulette and the other co-founders, Staci Miller and Julie Hermelin, have had to be very conscious of their initial goals.
“We are trying to practice what we preach and create a viable, sustainable working model for women and it isn’t always easy. It is tough enough to be a mom, so adding startup founder to the mix can be exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade it for a minute,” Light said.
Not more than a month old, Momstamp has exceeded even its co-founders’ expectations.
“The 'x factor' about being a mom is that moms want to help other moms. People have been actively recommending (momstamping) providers they love even without being asked,” Light said. “Even more remarkable is that every request made by a member of our comm has been answered, often within minutes of asking, and often with multiple recommendations.”
Goal oriented
The three co-founders undoubtedly have high expectations for themselves – they’re a strong team with a history of hitting moving targets. Light has a Masters in Education from Harvard and an MBA from Wharton Business School. She's started a number of entrepreneurial ventures, and ran a nanny agency. Miller has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and went on to run operation, strategy, sales and technology for Warner Brothers’ online division. Hermelin is described as an expert in “mom content” and doubles as director and producer, fostering the creative voice for Momstamp by producing their blog series.
It’s early to project specific goals for 2015 when they’re getting surpassed regularly, but they’re set to expand into other markets come fall. Until then, Light, Miller and Hermelin are using their strong network of advisors and backers to improve their mobile user experience. "We are obsessed with the experience of our community members and are constantly examining ways that we can make our site better for them so they can keep using Momstamp to make their lives easier."
