Parenthoods' online community that fits in your hand or your baby bag raises $1.32M

In 1999, online forum UrbanBaby sprung up and quickly caught the attention of the wealthy mothers of New York City, who used it to anonymously vent, gossip, and swap important advice such as the ethical limits of bribery to get their kid into private school.

While the site that once employed Tumblr founder David Karp is best known for its users’ specialized culture, Y Combinator-backed Parenthoods is building a fresher alternative with its mobile-based community for parents. And today, along with rolling out a search feature, the startup is announcing that it has raised $1.32 million in seed funding.

Like online forums and communities, Parenthoods is a place where parents can come together to find and share information, advice, and support. But unlike these forums, it’s optimized for the palm of your hand and the bottom of your baby bag.

Along with the main feed in which parents can post and comments, the app has an events section and a bookmarking feature. Readers have the ability to “like” posts and comments, and the authors’ earned likes appear on their profile. The app also has the ability to search for keywords.

Above: The new search feature

Image Credit: Parenthoods

Parenthoods is also free, unlike such communities as Golden Gate Mothers Group, which charges $75 in annual fees, plus another $75 when joining. Eventually, Parenthoods might add a paid subscription tier with premium features, cofounder Jeni Axline said in an email to VentureBeat.

But there’s one more thing Parenthoods shares with UrbanBaby: the ability to post anonymously. While most parents are proud of their children — and asking where the most kid-friendly restaurants in town are isn’t exactly controversial — parenthood also comes with some sensitive issues. Not every mother feels comfortable openly asking for resources for dealing with postpartum depression, for example.

Parenthoods’ mobile focus also means that it can be a real resource for parents anywhere they are and provide help on-the-go.

Since launching in San Francisco in the summer, Parenthoods users have already started to form real-life relationships, organize, meetings, and even serendipitously run into each other around town. The company plans to expand into other cities soon.

Parenthoods raised its round from Dave Morin’s Slow Ventures, Lowercase Capital, Oliver Jung, Liberty City Ventures, 500 Startups, Paul Buchheit, Justin Kan, Clara Shih, Eugen Miropolski, David Breger, Ole Ruch, and Y-Combinator.

Parenthoods was founded in 2014 by Jeni Axline and Siobhan Quinn. The startup was part of Y Combinator’s Summer 2014 batch.