The newest venture from an early founder of Match.com just launched its first mobile application, making it easier for families to rent baby gear while on the go.
Fran Maier is the founder and CEO of BabyQuip. It's a platform that connects traveling families with "quality providers" of different types of baby gear like cribs, car seats and strollers.
Similar to platforms like Airbnb, customers select a location and dates that they'll be traveling. They are then shown a selection of folks that have baby gear for rent. Having a mobile app that's available on both the Apple Store and Google Play Store will make the service easier for more potential customers, Maier said.
"It gives us more ways to connect with more customers," Maier said about the new mobile app platform.
The company outsourced the development of the mobile application to a team in Vietnam, Maier said, and the process took about five months.
Maier founded BabyQuip in 2016 to provide a niche service in what she saw as a growing gig economy. BabyQuip is the only nationwide marketplace for baby gear rentals, according to a new release from the company.
While Maier lives in Santa Fe, but BabyQuip's 16-person workforce is spread throughout the country. BabyQuip has doubled the size of its internal team over the past year, she said.
Besides rolling out the mobile application, BabyQuip has recently expanded to include baby gear providers in Australia and New Zealand, Maier said. The company also provides services in Canada and Mexico, and is expanding into Caribbean destinations soon, too, she said.
In all, BabyQuip has added around 500 providers to its platform this year for a total of 1,400 providers. It raised $3.4 million earlier this year to fund overseas expansion into more markets.
"As we go into new markets, it seems like we find new demand," Maier said. "It's really exciting to see that kind of expansion."
