Portfolio overview

tiney.co

tiney.co is on a mission to extend top-tier childcare accessibility to more families while empowering a new generation of micro-childminders to provide care from their own homes. They empower childminders to enhance their skills, manage their businesses efficiently, and join a supportive community. On the user end, parents can book childcare, handle payments, and track their child’s development through the tech platform.

Revolutionizing childcare

Accessible, affordable childcare is still a big issue in many European countries. This status quo is holding back the academic and social development of a generation of children, and is putting a huge strain on parents and often preventing them (particularly mothers) from re-entering the workforce.

In the UK alone, half of parents have resorted to borrowing or dipping into savings to cover childcare expenses in the past year. Faced with escalating fees, 1 in 10 mothers have been forced to exit the workforce. Meanwhile, nursery closures surged by 50% in 2023 as providers grapple with financial sustainability.

For Tiney we track the impact targets:

➡️: Number of people educated & empowered to run a childcare business via Tiney
➡️: Number of children provided with quality childcare through Tiney.

SDG Alignment

Becoming England’s premier childminder agency

To address this, tiney has revolutionized the childminding landscape. By training and supporting ‘micro-entrepreneurs’ to transition into childminders and establish home-based childcare facilities, tiney is meeting the pressing demand for affordable, high-quality early years education. In addition to comprehensive training and certifications, the tiney app streamlines administrative tasks associated with running a childcare business. Childminders also gain access to marketing support, business guidance, lesson plans, peer networks, and expert advice. Furthermore, tiney’s impact extends beyond providing childcare; it attracts, educates, and empowers a new demographic to pursue careers as “childcare education entrepreneurs.”

Founded in 2019 by Brett Wigdortz OBE (former CEO of Teach First), Graze co-founder Edd Read, and design entrepreneur John Newbold, tiney has swiftly risen to become England’s largest childminder agency. Backed by a team of industry experts, tiney has implemented scalable safety and quality processes to ensure that childminders deliver exceptional care. With this advantageous position, tiney is poised to expand within the UK and launch into the European market, beginning with France and the Netherlands.