A series of unlikely meetings put a University of Michigan biopsychology graduate in business with a pair of The Ohio State University computer science graduates to create an app called Tandem, which connects parents with babysitters - entirely for free.
Particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a child care shortage has made finding sitters difficult. As of June 2022, the industry is more than 100,000 jobs short of its pre-pandemic numbers, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. Tandem formed out of its founders’ interest in creating an easy way for families to connect with reliable care providers.
Tandem CEO and co-founder Olivia Weinstock grew up in Bexley. There, she kickstarted her entrepreneurial journey at age 10 when she began Kiddie Kamp, a summer camp program she hosted in her backyard. Weinstock ran Kiddie Kamp until she headed north for college, growing the program to include more than 100 campers in its final year.
Weinstock didn’t find herself in commerce right away; she chose to enroll in the science program at Michigan. Despite the success she’s since had in the business world, she was denied a business minor at the school.
“When I got to college, I definitely had a lot to learn,” she says. “Michigan has these big weed-out classes, and I thought I wanted to start pre-med and those classes were really hard. Learning the root of how to stay motivated and how to split up my time and multitask has been what has helped me most. I don’t think anything can prepare you for a job like this until you’ve done it.”
Her entrepreneurial journey with Tandem came almost by accident. Dating back to Kiddie Kamp, she’d built a network of trust between babysitters and people who needed them. Eventually, she had the realization all budding entrepreneurs encounter: There was an enormous need for an easier way for parents to connect with sitters.
Weinstock now runs Tandem alongside co-founders Natalie Amling and McKenzie Kennelly. Amling and Kennelly met in OSU’s engineering program, which is also where they connected with an investor who introduced them to Weinstock. The two engineers put their knowledge to the test to construct an app that could connect parents with babysitters based on variables such as preferred skills, schedules and pay rates.
Following the app’s creation, Tandem has grown to 18 employees, mostly engineers. Sitters are not employees of Tandem.
“What has been an amazing learning journey is what it meant to build a tech platform,” Weinstock says, “because I had no exposure to engineers or this side of the tech world.”
Tandem has remained free since its launch, and Weinstock says it’s one of the key elements to the app’s success. Rather than charge either the families or providers, the app acts like a bank for care providers’ earnings. The app also adds a 5 percent bonus to providers’ pay, courtesy of Tandem. Providers receive a Tandem debit card to use their money.
The app being free for users removes a barrier for parents and enables them to connect directly with sitters with no hidden fees. For Weinstock and the other founders, that’s essential to establishing trust – one of the most fundamental aspects of childcare.
Tandem is currently limited to central Ohio, but its founders hope to expand to other markets in the future.
Tyler Kirkendall is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at tkirkendall@cityscenemediagroup.com.
