A new startup called Auggie goals to offer parents with one platform where they can buy products and connect with each other. Corporate new applicationwhich launched this week, offers parents a platform where they will share product recommendations, buy proven products and find a community for real-time advice on a number of parenting issues.
Auggie was founded in August 2023 by Lily Walla, an entrepreneur who previously founded a food branding startup called SPOTS NYC, which sold products to Branded Treats, a food distributor for 1-800-Flowers.
Walla got here up with the idea to create Auggie when she was pregnant with her first child. She sought advice from those round her to assist them resolve which stroller to purchase or which pediatrician to decide on. After tackling several different spreadsheets and group chats, Walla decided to create a product that might make it easier for parents to find proven products and get advice from other parents.
Walla decided to call the startup after her son’s birth month: August.
“Parents are looking for advice and product recommendations at every stage of parenting,” Walla told TechCrunch. “They prefer word of mouth recommendations. I can confirm this and have heard from parents who have had similar experiences. But shopping, sharing and building community have always been somewhat isolated in silos.”
Auggie wants to resolve this problem by combining elements of community and commerce for parents, each expecting and existing.
In January, the company launched a WhatsApp community to check how parents can connect for real-time advice, and the community has exceeded WhatsApp’s limit for members and subgroups. After seeing over 450,000 messages and 35,000 product recommendations shared inside the WhatsApp community, Auggie accelerated plans for its own app to turn out to be the new home for its community. The app is now available on iOS, with an Android launch expected in the next few weeks.
The app goals to assist parents find advice, camaraderie and practical suggestions in dealing with parenting. Parents can explore the themed spaces to delve into a number of discussions about feeding, sleep, travel and more. You also can find a community based on your due date or geographic location.
The app is currently free, but the startup may consider a subscription model in the future.
In March, the company launched the second a part of its mission: a desktop marketplace powered by recommendations from parents in the community. There are currently 10,000 products on the market from popular brands equivalent to BabyBjörn, UPPAbaby, Skip Hop and others. In addition to products, it also offers services, which implies parents can use the marketplace to find pediatricians, lactation consultants, doulas, and more.
The marketplace is circuitously integrated with the mobile app, so when a user clicks on a featured product, they are redirected to the web app. Auggie, nonetheless, plans to integrate the marketplace into its app in the near future.
Auggie’s current business model is based on affiliate internet marketing, so the company earns a commission on each product sold on its marketplace. As for the future, Walla says Auggie is working to diversify its business model by unlocking dropshipping and partnering with brands.
The startup focuses on the default parent, which Walla says is normally mom, who is sometimes overwhelmed by decision fatigue. The startup is also aimed mainly at parents with children under five years of age.
“Our north star is filtering out the noise at every stage of parenting to have content, community and commerce in one place,” Walla said. “We’re really focused on growing the community, our retail partners and building a referral ecosystem when it comes to parenting.”
In August 2023, Auggie raised $1.7 million in seed funding from NFX, Accel, Allison Stern of Mother Ventures, XFactor Ventures and several strategic angel investors.