A new startup called Auggie aims to provide a single platform where parents can buy products and connect with each other. The company's new app, released this week, provides a platform where parents can share product recommendations, shop vetted products, and find a community to get real-time advice on a range of parenting issues.
Auggie was founded in August 2023 by Lily Walla, an entrepreneur who previously founded an edible branding startup called SPOTS NYC and sold it to 1-800-Flowers food retailer Branded Treats.
Walla came up with the idea for Auggie while pregnant with her first child. She sought advice from those around her to help her decide which stroller to buy and which pediatrician to choose. Noticing that she was juggling several different spreadsheets and group chats, Wala created a product that allows parents to easily find vetted products and receive advice from other parents. I decided to create.
Wala decided to name the startup after his son's birth month, August.
“Parents want advice and product recommendations at every stage of their parenting journey,” Walla told TechCrunch. “They love word-of-mouth recommendations. I can attest to that and hear from other parents who have had similar experiences. But shopping, sharing, and building community has always felt siloed.”
Auggie wants to solve this problem by connecting the dots between community and commerce for both prospective and current parents.
The company launched a WhatsApp community in January to test how parents could receive real-time advice, but the community eventually outgrew WhatsApp's limits on members and subgroups. After more than 450,000 messages and 35,000 product recommendations were shared in the WhatsApp community, Auggie accelerated plans for its own app, which will serve as a new home for the community. The app is currently available on iOS, with an Android version expected in the coming weeks.
Image credit: Oggy
The app aims to help parents find advice, friendship, and practical tips as they navigate parenting. Parents can explore topic-based spaces to dive into discussions on everything from food to sleep to travel and more. They can also find communities based on due dates and geographic location.
The app is currently free to use, but the startup may consider a subscription model at some point in the future.
In March, the company launched the second part of its mission: a desktop marketplace that leverages recommendations shared by parents in the community. The marketplace currently has 10,000 products from popular brands such as BabyBjörn, UPPAbaby, and Skip Hop. In addition to products, they also offer services, and parents can use the marketplace to find pediatricians, lactation consultants, doulas, and more.
The marketplace is not directly integrated into the mobile app, so when a user clicks on a recommended product, they are linked to the web app. However, Aggie plans to integrate the marketplace into its app in the near future.
Auggie's current business model is based on affiliate marketing, so the company earns a commission on each product sold through its marketplace. Looking to the future, Wala said Oggy is working to diversify its business model by opening up dropshipping and partnering with brands.
This startup targets default parents. Wala says it's often mothers who suffer from decision fatigue. The startup is also primarily targeting parents with children under the age of five.
“Our goal is to cut through the noise by bringing content, community and commerce all in one place for every step of parenting,” Walla said. “We are focused on growing our community and retail partners and building an ecosystem of recommendations when it comes to parenting.”
Augie raised $1.7 million in seed funding in August 2023 from NFX, Accel, Alison Stern of Mother Ventures, XFactor Ventures, and several strategic angel investors.