Oh baby, Citrus Lane bags $5.1M to send care packages to new moms

Betting that new mommies will want to supply baby with the best toys, outfits, snacks, and goodies vetted by other mommies, investors have handed startup Citrus Lane a bundle of a joy in the form of $5.1 million in fresh funding.

One year-old Citrus Lane is in the monthly care package business, specifically targeting moms-to-be and parents with children under three years of age. The startup takes a pay-per-month subscription approach, so parents are charged $25 a month for a themed package that includes four to five age-appropriate products for their child. Products are curated from partner brands such as Weleda and Green Toys, and are only boxed up after receiving the seal of approval from real moms.

“When I was pregnant with my first child, I knew nothing. I had to do all my own research … and I started by asking my mom friends what products they suggested. And then I realized there is a market for that kind of real-life wisdom,” Citrus Lane founder and CEO Mauria Finley told VentureBeat. “Parents need help cutting through the noise and figuring out what products are really best for their child.”

Citrus Lane’s first institutional round of funding, from GGV Capital and Greylock Partners, will be used to grow the business and hire more aggressively.

“We’re using the money to make our customers’ experience even better in every way we can think of — from expanding our social media presence to offering our loyal customers more opportunities to purchase from the company,” Finley said. “We need to staff up in engineering, design, marketing and operations to continue to deliver a great experience to our customers as we grow.”

The tried-and-true monthly subscription model seems especially appropriate for the new moms market, and the company hopes to reach this highly influential group by supplementing its boxed product offerings with tips and advice on its Facebook Page.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Citrus Lane has 14 employees. The startup previously raised a $1.5 million seed round of funding.

Photo credit: Citrus Lane/Facebook