Smile Family
closedYour local moms community. Find moms in your area with similar age kids - to get real-time advice, swap&sell used baby items, and arrange playdates&meet-ups..
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | $49.9m | Late VC | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Smile Family, established in 2013 by founder John Kim, operated as a mobile-first social networking platform targeting mothers. Based in Seoul, South Korea, the company aimed to create a dedicated online community where mothers could connect and support one another. Kim, who also founded Paprika Lab and the successful communications API company Sendbird, brought his experience in app development to this venture. Smile Family was a participant in the Techstars S14 accelerator program, indicating early validation of its business concept.
The core of the business was the 'Smile Mom' application, a social network designed to help mothers find and connect with peers whose children were of a similar age. This platform facilitated the exchange of parenting advice and the organization of social events like playdates. Beyond its primary social features, Smile Family also developed the Jiver platform, a tool designed to help other app developers integrate real-time communication channels into their own products, suggesting a potential B2B revenue stream or a pivot strategy.
The company's business model was centered on creating a high-engagement user base within a specific demographic, which could be monetized through various channels. Financially, Smile Family demonstrated significant traction in its early years, securing a total of $69.2 million in funding over three rounds. Its investor roster included notable firms such as Capstone Partners and Albatross Investment Services. The funding rounds included a Series A of $18.6 million in December 2017, followed by a substantial Series B round of $49.4 million in February 2019. Despite these financial milestones and a clear market focus, the company eventually ceased operations and is now considered deadpooled.
Keywords: mobile social network, parenting app, community platform, social app for mothers, John Kim founder, Techstars S14, Paprika Lab, Sendbird, family technology, child development, parent networking, playdate app, venture capital, Capstone Partners, Albatross Investment, Seoul startup, deadpooled startup, Jiver platform, real-time communication API