On the House

When Abbey Donnell and Jules Lairson launched Work& in 2017, they weren’t just creating another workplace perk. 

This wasn’t about having 12 different types of milk in the office kitchen, unlimited kombucha on tap, or other nice (but ultimately inconsequential) perks in the workplace. 

If you’ve been around here long enough, you know that this is a hill we’ll die on: Workplaces were not built with working parents in mind, especially not working mothers. 

For most parents, it comes as no surprise that caregiving is one of the biggest drivers of turnover, burnout, and underutilized benefits. So, why are leaders still ignoring the loud, persistent call for change?

In corporate America, leadership training often focuses on hard skills. Skills like strategic planning, financial acumen, or managing performance are in high demand. 

During her years inside Fortune 500 and biotech organizations, Jess Ringgenberg started focusing on what was missing from all leadership training. 

When two founders combine lived experience with technical expertise, the result is usually pretty impressive. This combination yields a product or service that feels both intuitive and indispensable. 

When Carly Buxton and Michelle Cunningham launched Parentswarm, we wondered how we lived without it? 

Let’s start off with a quick scenario. 

Every parent has been there. The regular sitter canceled. The must-attend dinner that you swore was scheduled for Friday is actually….tonight. 

Whether the reason, you need childcare — and you need it now. You text Lily, but she’s booked. So you text Kaylee, but she is busy until 8pm. She has a friend named Madison who babysat for you once. Then, you reach out to Rachel, but she doesn’t text back right away. Did you try Kaylee? What about Cindy? Who is Madison, anyway? 

If you’ve ever been caught in a scheduling Maelstrom like this, we see you — and so do the two founders of Parentswarm.