In the midst of the pandemic, Helen Mayer had a brilliant idea. What if stay-at-home parents watched the children of parents who had work?
Angel investors gave her $300,000 to start Otter, a matchmaker app for parents frustrated by the lack of affordable and quality childcare options .. that found stay at home parents who could provide it. Simple and brilliant.
Andreessen Horowitz then gave her $4 million more and in July of 2021 Sequoia Capital raised $23 million for her business.
Helen Mayer was jobless at the start of the pandemic. And shes now very successfully part of what is known as the Parent-Tech industry, which attracted about $1.4 billion in 2021. Amazing what can happen in a short window.