FamilyID

FamilyID is a Massachusetts-based Internet technology company founded by Rochelle Nemrow. Nemrow, a busy, over-scheduled mom and the unofficial CEO of her family, was frustrated with the inconvenient, repetitive process of registering her children for their activities — school, sports, camp, and recreation — filling out the same information on the same registration forms again and again and again. FamilyID is dedicated to connecting people with programs and activities through a centralized online marketplace. Nemrow believes that finding, sharing, and signing up for programs should be convenient, secure and easy for both program providers and their customers, and so she created FamilyID with program providers in mind and families at heart.

Tell us your origin story – what was the spark that took you from concept to startup?

As a busy, over-scheduled mom, I am the unofficial CEO of my family. With two kids, this means a lot of paperwork and I was frustrated. Every time they signed up for an activity it was an inconvenient, repetitive process to register them. From school to sports to camp, I was filling out the same information again and again and again.

I gave out personal data about my children on obscure web sites. I received forms by email, downloaded PDFs, and opened piles of mail — all to painstakingly fill out lengthy registration forms by hand and mail them back before the deadlines passed and the programs were full. I’d had enough!

At the same time, it’s a time-consuming nightmare for program providers to collect all that information on participants. I saw a way to take control of my information and my time, while solving ongoing administration problems for program providers. That was the inspiration for FamilyID.

Did you use any source of crowdfunding and if so which one and was it successful?

We bootstrapped the company and were able to secure some initial funding from friends and family.

How did participating in Mass Innovation Nights help you?

Participating in Mass Innovation Nights was great for us! It gave us significant visibility when we were just starting out. Through Mass Innovation Nights we became connected to the larger startup community. The first time we pitched FamilyID was to the MassInno audience. It was an environment that allowed us to gain immediate feedback on both our pitch and our business.

Connecting with other startups we were able to learn from them and think more strategically about how we positioned ourselves as a company. The MassInno attendees and broader community were an invaluable resource of expertise and support.

The FamilyID website.

What are the significant milestones you have achieved or need to achieve in the growth of your company?

As a company we’ve achieved a number of milestones due to the dedication of our team and support of our customers. First, we built and delivered a product that organizations and parents needed. Our customers validated that we were solving a critical problem for them. This helped us grow.

A more recent major milestone is that we closed our first institutional round of funding, $850K from Boston Seed and Common Angels. This will allow our company to scale and move faster bringing FamilyID to new markets. It is an exciting time for us and we anticipate achieving many milestones in the coming years.

Is this the first company you’ve formed and if so – has the experience been what you anticipated? Please give an example of one major eye opening experience that was unexpected (if you’ve had one!)

I’ve co-founded other startups, but this is my first time starting a company on my own. There were a few things in particular to me that were eye opening, first from a timing stand point. The tools available to entrepreneurs in this day and age make the logistical hurdles you need to look like a “real business” much easier. For example, an online phone system or Customer Relations Management software. You just push a couple buttons and you can be up and running in a way that was not possible a decade ago.

Second, I was amazed at how much the marketing and communication landscape changed. Today marketing and communications is a constantly moving target, that very few people understand. There are businesses today that can easily become overwhelmed by what is out there. It is critical for our team to remain focused on where we put our energy and how we communicate with our customers.

Do you think as a woman you face any different challenges as an entrepreneur? Did you tap into any women networks for funding (angel investors) or for general support?

I haven’t tapped into women-specific networks but yes, I think women definitely face different challenges — they are held to a higher entrepreneurial standard and don’t have access to some of the same networks. To be honest though, I have always been a woman so I only know what I have personally faced. In a world where everyone thinks they have the next big thing, it’s critical for entrepreneurs to prove they have a successful business model.

I do think FamilyID experienced the success it did because we addressed a specific need, built a successful business model and were able to acquire customers. If our success as a company serves as an example of what women entrepreneurs can accomplish, I am honored to be in this position.

This article appears in our May issue of Banner Biz which you can read here.