In collaboration with Sunway iLabs, Disruptr will be featuring 10 startups who have made it to the Top 10 of the LaunchX 2023 programme.
Supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, LaunchX, the first University Startups Accelerator Programme in Malaysia, has recently unveiled the top ten university startups selected from its pre-accelerator phase. This equity-free, no-strings-attached 3+2-month program focuses on empowering budding entrepreneurs to achieve key milestones and take their startups to the next level.
The 3rd startup to be featured is Caressy, a babysitting application that connects parents with trusted and certified babysitters.
Media reports in June this year had highlighted Putrajaya’s plans to develop the care economy into a revenue-generating industry. Reports had also shown that 55.6 per cent Malaysia’s female labour participation rate is one of the lowest in ASEAN although women comprise more than 70 percent of students in universities.
The child-care industry not only in Malaysia but also across the region continues to attract attention and pick up traction. This was further seen when the Asia-Pacific Inclusive Care Economy Forum took place on 22-23 June 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, organised by UN Women, Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) and homegrown child care services startup, Kiddocare.
“Our journey began with the personal experiences of our founders. We understood the challenges parents face when it comes to searching for reliable and personalised baby care services, especially when time is crucial,” says the Caressy team.
Caressy is a babysitting application that connects parents with trusted and certified babysitters for on-demand personalised childcare service. The co-founders who are busy parents themselves saw the chance to create something special, a solution that combines technology and personalised care seamlessly.
“Our goal is to provide easy and dependable on-demand baby care services, ensuring that parents can find the help they need without any worries.”
In the coming year, Caressy aims to solve several problem statements and address the difficulty parents face in finding qualified and trustworthy babysitters. The team also aims to provide a seamless and user-friendly booking platform to simplify the process of requesting babysitting services.
Additionally, Caressy also hopes to ensure that their services are affordable and accessible to a wide range of parents, regardless of their socio-economic background.
Today, the baby care service based startup’s target market is busy parents who highly prioritise personalised and trustworthy babysitting services. This encompasses a wide range of individuals, including working professionals, single parents and families with demanding schedules.
“We understand the needs of these parents who crave a well-deserved “me-time” or find themselves facing unavoidable business trips. Our services cater to parents within the age range of 25 to 40, who primarily reside in urban areas,” the co-founders share with Disruptr.
Overcoming Challenges One Step At A Time
According to the team, Caressy encounters various challenges in bringing their offerings to the market. One major hurdle is establishing trust and credibility among potential customers who may have reservations about entrusting their children to a new service.
In order to address this, plans are in place to implement stringent background checks and screening procedures prior to hiring caregivers. Comprehensive profiles of the caregivers and detailed reviews are also shared with parents to empower their decisions.
“Leveraging word-of-mouth marketing and collaborating with influential figures in the parenting community are also part of our strategy to build brand awareness and instill confidence.”
The team is also working towards collaborating with existing and established childcare centres, which will allow them to tap into the wide-ranging pool of trained professionals who have already undergone rigorous screening processes.
This partnership initiative not only provides parents with peace of mind but also contributes to the sustainability and excellence of Caressy’s services.
So why should investors look their way?
The team shares that investment will expand their business model by allowing Caressy to enhance and grow their service offerings, With additional funding, the team will be able to invest in research and development to introduce new features and innovations to their personalised baby care services.
“This is where we can further improve our existing mobile application innovation, providing real-time updates and notifications to parents, offering them peace of mind and keeping them informed about their child’s well-being.
“We can also invest in training and development programmes for our caregivers, ensuring they have the necessary skills and certifications to deliver exceptional care,” says the Caressy team.
The team is also optimistic that through investment, Caressy will be able to expand its geographical reach, serving more customers in different urban areas and regions. By enhancing their operations and improving the quality of their services, the team hopes to attract a larger customer base and increase their revenue potential.
Ultimately, they believe the investment will fuel growth and help to strengthen their position as a leading personalised baby care service in the market.
Growing With Guidance
As part of the LaunchX programme, the team behind Caressy shares their journey on navigating with support and learning new skills as entrepreneurs through the programme.
“We learned how to navigate limited resources and leverage the support available within the university ecosystem, such as mentoring programs and entrepreneurship courses, especially through LaunchX 2023.
“The University Startup Accelerator Programme. LaunchX has helped us gain insights into market validation, product development, and the art of networking. Overall, it has been a transformative journey that has provided us with a strong foundation for our startup,” the co-founders concluded.