HopKidz is a platform providing ondemand access to child care. Working to alleviate the pressures parents face to be ever present for their child, HopKidz connects parents to secure, child care solutions from a smartphone.
New options for childcare:
HopKidz was started out of a desire to provide parents with more options for childcare. When founder Alexandra Nestertchouk had her first child Cosmos, she was struck with the reality that all new parents face: endless days consumed with caring for an infant, leaving zero time for anything else. In looking for creating ways to carve out time for selfcare, Alexandra felt there must be a better way than the existing options wrought with long wait times and inflexible scheduling. That’s how she came up with the idea for HopKidz: a platform designed to better support busy parents who are looking to gain control back of their time.
Key accomplishments:
Alexandra is proud of the fact that HopKidz was founded by women and that the headcount remains 90% female. Almost all members of the team have children, which amounts to 11 kids collectively between the staff. This makes for a tightknit group aligned in the common purpose as selfmotivated “parents on a mission”.
HopKidz is changing the way parents think about childcare. The technology enables parents to design their own schedule while simultaneously providing a new pipeline of clients for childcare professionals. This new, digitally-enabled economy is underlied by processes that ensure the security of every care provider and match made through the platform.
Challenges and opportunities:
A key challenge in growing the company has been building a secure and stable application for the instant search and transactions to take place. The team is still working on developing the technology and is determined to ensure its reliability before opening it up to the market.
In the meantime, the team has focused on building brand awareness and partnerships to position the company for a successful launch. Between building up a social media presence, connecting with international childcare groups and adding original content to YouTube, the team is well on their way to making an entry into the market once the application is ready.
Reason for competing:
The HopKidz team looks towards winning the NVBC competition with high hopes. According to Alexandra, winning the competition would mean a few things. First, she is looking forward to inspiring other women around starting a company that is mission-driven and centered on social impact. “We want parents, especially moms, to realize that they don’t have to choose between being a parent and building a career. Rather, they can do it both. And do it well,” she shares.
Also, receiving the funding that comes along with a win would be a huge help in enabling the team to double down on working out the critical steps to develop the business, without being distracted by fundraising.
Finally, as the idea for HopKidz emerged from the common struggles parents face, Alexandra feels that winning would help validate their direction in continuing to develop out the product. “Being endorsed by some of BC’s top innovation leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs would give HopKidz the credibility to build upon our momentum,” says Alexandra.
Five-year outlook:
In five years, HopKidz desires to be a household name when it comes to childcare. The company is building the portal to be a onestopshop for all childcare needs. Especially for situations that are typically underserved, such as childminding services at gyms, conventions, and special events. Parents who travel, perform shift work, or are trying to get by as a single parent also have limited options in today’s market, and are key targets for the platform.
The team also has big plans for making a splash in the media scene. They aim to position their original, branded content to drive a movement around liberating parents from inflexible, inadequate childcare solutions. The team plans to fuel discussion around balancing the demands of parenthood with a career, education, personal needs and relationships. HopKidz is currently working to foster international relationships for the purpose of bringing communities, policy makers and employers across the globe together and ignite conversations around building stronger families.
Regionally, HopKidz also plans to expand their service base. Within one year the goal is to service all of BC, and then expand to Ontario and Alberta within two years. Beyond Canada, HopKidz is looking to take the platform oversees into the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand as well as Asia within five years.
Additional media:
Team:
Alexandra Nestertchouk | Founder & CEO: Alexandra is a “serial” entrepreneur with a Bachelor of Business Management and background in Computer Science. In addition to founding HopKidz, she started a business consultancy focused on small business, technology and professional development. Prior to moving to BC Alexandra was the Business Operations Manager for a boutique IT consultancy firm based in Toronto that developed enterprise software products for the telecom and banking sectors. Alexandra is mother to her two and a half year old son, Cosmos.
Anastasia Chetvertukhina | Creative Director: Anastasia is a seasoned creative professional with over 10 years of experience in UI/UX design as well as graphic design for web and mobile. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Science. Anastasia is a mother to a two year old godson.
Niksa Bogovac | CTO: Niksa is a technology player with over 10 years of experience building mobile and web applications. He is a partner at Simple Task, a New Yorkbased software development firm. Over the past few years he has led countless software projects, with a handful of them supporting Fortune 500 companies. Niksa has two beautiful daughters, four and six years in age.
Rosine Hage-Moussa | PR and Communications: Rosine is an experienced marketing and communications professional, managing programs, events and marketing campaigns for a range of industries over the past 10 years. She serves as the copywriter at HopKidz, as well as the manager of JA British Columbia, a nonprofit dedicated to educating young people about business. Rosine is a mother of two funny little daughters.
Sasha Gritt | Legal: Sasha is a Vancouverbased barrister who provides services related to real estate, civil and commercial litigation, contracts and employment law. Sasha has a 2 year-old daughter and is currently expecting her second child.
Michelle He | Customer Success Manager: Michelle adds a wealth of experience around operations and project management to the HopKidz team. After working across a range of industries including financial services, retail and immigration, her 8 years of experience keep the team operations running smoothly.
Johanna Toldy | Community Ambassador: Johanna has held various managerial positions across a range of industries for the past five years. As a Community Ambassador Johanna builds connections with childcare providers, performs screening and onboarding. She is a single mother to three teenage daughters.
Zoe Zhang | Jr. Marketing and Social Media Coordinator: Zoe holds a diverse background and set of experiences working with crossfunctional teams in a marketing capacity. She has a passion for community engagement, growing relationships, and event management. Zoe is currently working towards completing a Bachelor of Commerce at UBC, with a major in marketing.
