Twin sisters Melissa Danielsen and Melanie Fountaine know the challenges families with disabilities face. Their older brother, Josh, had developmental disabilities and tragically passed away 10 years ago.
To honor his memory and help families who have loved ones with special needs, nine years ago they launched Josh's Place, an organization that provides disability services and group homes throughout the state of Minnesota.
But to help families wherever and whenever they need, the duo recently developed an on-demand care app to bring trained caregivers to a family's door.
Joshin, launched by Danielsen and Fountaine in March, set out to connect people in the Twin Cities to a network of trained disability caregivers, while also giving those caregivers a way to earn additional income. This week they announced that Joshin has expanded to Chicagoland, Southeast Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana. It's the app's first expansion outside of Minnesota.
Joshin lets families set their own rates, and connect with qualified, pre-vetted caregivers that specialize in disability care.
"The goal with Joshin is really to put the control in the family’s hands," Danielsen said.
More than 300 families have used the Joshin app to date, who've used the app to book caregivers if they need to leave the house to run errands, hit the gym, or simply enjoy a date night out, Fountaine said.
Joshin is also testing a pilot in San Francisco after the app caught the eye of Alison Gelb Pincus, the co-founder of home decor business One Kings Lane who was previously married to Mark Pincus, the billionaire Zynga founder. Gelb Pincus has used the app for her own family, and has also joined the startup as an advisory board member.
The Joshin app works similarly to companies like Care.com or Chicago-based SitterCity, but it's the first app to specialize in disability care, the company says.
The startup, which has been bootstrapped to date, makes money by charging users an additional 20% fee upon booking a caregiver. Joshin plans to raise a seed round of funding in the near future, Danielsen said.
Joshin plans to continue expanding across the country and provide additional resources for families with special needs.
"Our long-term goal with Joshin is to be the go-to lifestyle brand for families with special needs," Danielsen said.
