WeeCare, Inc. is a technology company.
WeeCare, Inc. has raised $12.0M across 1 funding round.
WeeCare, Inc. has raised $12.0M in total across 1 funding round.
WeeCare, Inc. is a technology platform that connects parents with vetted childcare providers, functioning like an Airbnb for daycare and babysitting services. Founded in 2017 and based in Marina del Rey, California, it matches families with providers across more than 30 states based on schedules, budgets, child ages, special needs, and language requirements. Key features include smaller student-to-teacher ratios at partner daycares, real-time photo/video updates via its app, and AI tools like Fever Free for daily health checks, which helped keep 97% of its daycares open during the 2020 pandemic.[1] The company has raised over $21 million, including a $17 million round in 2022 from 14 investors following a $4 million seed led by Chamath Palihapitiya's Social Capital.[1] In 2023, WeeCare rebranded to Upwards, expanding beyond childcare to comprehensive family care solutions that integrate families, caregivers, employers, and governments using data-driven matching and subsidy connections.[2]
It serves working parents facing childcare shortages, essential workers (via partnerships like with Los Angeles city during COVID), and families needing flexible, affordable options. The platform solves the care crisis by boosting supply through technology, reducing costs, and enabling real-time access amid booming demand for childcare startups.[1][2]
WeeCare was co-founded in 2017 by CEO Jessica Chang, CTO Jesse Forrest, and CMO Matt Reilly in Marina del Rey, California.[1] The idea emerged from the childcare access gap, modeled as a marketplace akin to Airbnb to connect parents with home-based providers offering personalized care.[1] Early traction came during the 2020 pandemic: as daycares closed, WeeCare partnered with the city of Los Angeles to provide care for essential workers, leveraging its tech—including the AI-powered Fever Free app for symptom tracking—to sustain operations.[1] This resilience fueled growth, leading to a $17 million raise in 2022 and total funding exceeding $21 million.[1] By 2023, it evolved into Upwards under Chang's leadership, broadening to multi-type care (e.g., beyond childcare) while retaining its tech platform for real-time matching and resource allocation.[2]
(Note: Separate entities like Wee Care Corporation in Florida, focused on therapy and home-based services since 2006, are unrelated to this tech startup.[3][4])
WeeCare/Upwards rides the childcare and care economy boom, addressing a national crisis where shortages force parents out of work—exacerbated by pandemic closures and rising demand.[1][2] Timing aligns with post-COVID recovery, remote/hybrid work trends, and policy pushes for subsidies (e.g., employer benefits, government aid), which its platform unlocks via real-time matching.[2] Market forces like labor gaps for caregivers and tech adoption in fragmented services favor scalable platforms over brick-and-mortar daycares.[1] It influences the ecosystem by partnering with cities/employers, boosting caregiver supply, and pioneering AI for health/safety—paving the way for broader "care tech" solutions amid projections of multi-trillion-dollar care needs.[2]
Upwards is poised to dominate care tech by layering childcare expertise onto eldercare, family leave support, and employer programs, leveraging its data platform for efficiency gains. Trends like AI personalization, subsidy expansion, and workforce re-entry will accelerate growth, potentially drawing more VC amid care crisis awareness. Its influence may evolve from niche childcare connector to full-spectrum family care orchestrator, tying back to its origins: solving access gaps through tech that kept essential services alive when others faltered.[1][2]
WeeCare, Inc. has raised $12.0M in total across 1 funding round.
WeeCare, Inc.'s investors include Blue Bear Capital, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, M13, The 22 Capital Group.
WeeCare, Inc. has raised $12.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $12.0M Series A in January 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2022 | $12.0M Series A | Blue Bear Capital, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, M13, The 22 Capital Group |