This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Techstars Startup Weekend in Zanesville, Ohio. The program focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs collaborate and bring ideas to market. Over the course of the weekend, my team and I worked tirelessly to develop our vision, build a minimum viable product, and determine how we would generate our first dollar. With the help of experienced entrepreneurs who helped guide us along the way, we were able to turn an idea into a viable company, which we pitched in front of judges on Sunday night. The entire experience was incredibly rewarding and exciting. The skills I developed and the passion I discovered for startup businesses have impacted my career goals significantly.
The company we created revolves around bringing people together, specifically the baby boomer generation and elementary age children. While performing market research, we talked to parents, who indicated they were looking for higher quality and cost-effective childcare services. Grandparents seemed less concerned with childcare cost and instead complained about the rising retirement community fees, which made living on a fixed income nearly impossible. Many retirees said they would be interested in supplementing their income by spending a few hours a day performing meaningful work. Solving the shortage of childcare services and bringing employment to retirees is exactly what lead us to Boomer Child: an easy to use platform connecting mindful parents with experienced retirees.
As a direct result of our platform, retirees are able to earn extra income and share the skills they acquired over their life. And parents now have a trusted source of childcare service with the flexibility of a nanny. In addition, psychological research and numerous anecdotal experiences support the positive impressions retirees have on young kids and the youthfulness kids can instill on elders. We believe our listing service is a win-win with the potential to help the elderly earn extra income and give parents a powerful alternative to hiring the 15 year old down the street to supervise their kids.
A special thanks to Gina Fleitman and Michele Migliuolo for being two of many fantastic coaches, Shmuel Roth, MPA and Nathan Berger for being wonderful hosts, and all of the wonderful volunteers and sponsors. Finally, a big thank you to my incredible co-founders who helped me realize and develop an incredible business: Colton Bove, Matt Schmitt, and Cheri Long.
