A platform that revolutionizes daycare selection for parents.
That’s the promise of Kiderra, a business created and operated by two Memorial University entrepreneurs.
Kiderra’s robust platform streamlines the daycare selection process. It also offers easy navigation of a community’s child-care options, helping parents make informed decisions about where to place their children.
Origin story
Ayopo Onafowokan is a graduate student working towards a master’s degree in medicine (neuroscience) and is a co-founder and chief operating officer at Kiderra. He is also a recent graduate of the Entrepreneurship Training Program, housed in Memorial’s School of Graduate Studies, and a current Entrepreneurship Training program assistant.
The idea for the solution was born when Mr. Onafowokan and Michael Babalola, Kiderra co-founder and chief executive officer and Memorial graduate also with a master’s degree in medicine (neuroscience) and current employee, were taking a walk around Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John’s one bright summer morning.
As serial tech entrepreneurs, the pair is used to the ideating process, and they know how to focus their time and talent on underserved markets.
As they walked, they chatted about the challenges Canadian parents face when trying to secure child-care services in their communities.
Beyond aiding parents, Kiderra provides business support services to local day homes — where caregivers operate from their homes — helping them facilitate their transition to regulated daycare facilities if that is their aim.
“Dayhomes play a vital role in the daycare industry,” said Mr. Onafowokan. “To support them, Kiderra provides day home operators tailored solutions to navigate regulatory requirements should they wish to elevate their operations.”
Kiderra also aims to serve other allied childcare services like dance classes, swimming classes, art programs, and all other extracurricular service providers with a digital front and management tool.
By bridging the gap between parents and childcare providers, Kiderra fosters a holistic childcare ecosystem, reducing stress for parents and enhancing the quality and accessibility of child-care services.
Professional evolution
From entrepreneurial training programs to startup operators, Mr. Onafowokan’s and Mr. Babalola’s journey reflects a remarkable evolution.
“Winning the top venture pitch award validated our vision and efforts, affirming the potential of Kiderra.”
Beyond surveys of their target audience and market research, the two forged strategic community partnerships to expand their reach and developed a prototype to showcase their idea’s potential.
“From our validation survey, we discovered that close to 80 per cent of responding parents affirmed there is a pressing demand for prompt access to child-care services in the community,” said Mr. Babalola. “Many parents highlighted that the process of finding and choosing a provider is tedious and time-consuming.”
One parent told them that “a platform that could help streamline the process of finding daycares, day homes and other child-care services will be a game-changer to all.”
Encouragement also came from a good result during a pitch competition at Memorial’s Genesis Centre last fall.
“Winning the top venture pitch award validated our vision and efforts, affirming the potential of Kiderra,” said Mr. Onafowokan.
The Kiderra team recently participated at the Collision Conference, North America’s fastest-growing technology event, with 40,000 attendees. During the conference, Kiderra was recognized as one of the top 2024 Community Impact Startups in Canada, highlighting the company’s work to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“Our experience at Collision allowed us to gain deeper insights into the widespread nature of the child-care challenges we aim to solve,” said Mr. Babalola. “Many attendees who are parents shared their struggles in finding reliable child-care services across various provinces. This feedback reinforced the importance of our mission and the significant impact Kiderra can make.”
Continuing their journey, the entrepreneurs are gearing up for a successful launch across Newfoundland and Labrador by the first quarter of 2025.
And they’re not stopping there.
Their next move will be to scale across Atlantic Canada.
Entrepreneurship Training Program support
“The Entrepreneurship Training Program was pivotal, opening our eyes to entrepreneurship possibilities through insightful sessions with resourceful speakers well-versed in the Newfoundland and Labrador business landscape,” said Mr. Onafowokan. “With Memorial University’s support, we can drive innovation and make meaningful contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
To learn more about Kiderra or join the launch list, visit here.
