MotherNation Circles

After the baby is born, maternal health and well-being is largely ignored. MotherNation creates spaces online and offline for Mothers to care for themselves and each other. Our technology platform gathers Circles of up to 8 Mothers based on location, age of children and any shared experience (i.e., Moms of Multiples or LGBTQ+ Families). We then provide the training, structures and support necessary for the Circles to meaningfully connect making Circles the sweet spot between a coffee klatch and group therapy. We also host an online community where we facilitate subgroups, host events and connect MotherNation Citizens across the community. If scaled globally, together, we could not only combat the loneliness epidemic, crush mom guilt and battle burnout but also learn from the cross-cultural variations of Motherhood liberating MotherNation Citizens to be the Mothers they want to be and enabling families across the world to thrive.

In the U.S., there are 18 million new Mothers with 4,000 new Mothers born each day. Approximately 15% of American Mothers experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder and maternal mortality rates are rising. American Mothers today are looking to a disparate collection of resources to manage the many logistical and emotional challenges of Mothering. They’re searching for tactics and practical support in order to problem solve, information about their own physical and mental health postpartum, and stories or emotional anecdotes that can provide reference points as they navigate their matresence journey. Logistically, they are fighting the weight of a never-ending load and the burnout that it leads to. Emotionally, moms report overwhelming feelings of guilt around how they navigate these challenges. And, in the modern era, the "village" no longer exists to support them.

Across the world, COVID-19 has exacerbated these negative emotions leaving the 116 million Mothers who will give birth this year to battle burnout in isolation with even fewer tools and resources.

Being a Mother will never be easy, but it shouldn't be this hard. Mothers need and deserve a community that cares for them and permission to prioritize their own mental health and well-being.

MotherNation is a Mothers-first community built on the idea community care through social support and objective resources will improve maternal well-being.

Through a proprietary process and machine-learning, our technology platform gathers small groups of Mothers into Circles based on their location, the age of their kids, and shared experiences. Circles meet monthly (virtually or in person), and provide a dedicated space where Mothers can invest in themselves and support each other. MotherNation provides exercises and tools specifically designed to encourage Mothers to take up space, to articulate their needs, and define their version of Motherhood. We know that this kind of growth does not happen without hard work and vulnerability, so all Mothers are required to attend our proprietary empathy and supportive listening training and honor the MotherNation Declaration of Interdependence to ensure a safe and supportive space for all Mothers. Every Mother that joins our community commits to investing in their personal growth, embracing a diversity of perspectives in other Mothers, and lifting up the other Mothers that make up the nation.

Our target market is pregnant people and Mothers with children under four but anyone who identifies as a Mother is welcome in MotherNation. We currently serve Mothers in the U.S. only but plan to eventually scale our offering and deliver MotherNation to mamas across the world.

By hosting events and building our social media presence, we grew the MotherNation community and leaned on them extensively to help craft our Circle offering. Overwhelmingly, through multiple market surveys and beta tests, we heard that Mothers feel alone and seek meaningful connection with other Mothers. We also learned that Mothers prefer a small group instead of 1:1 "Mama Match" and they are willing to host Circles in their homes but also welcome virtual Circles.

We formed a customer advisory board that meets monthly to discuss the MotherNation offerings and strategy. This group was fundamental in crafting MotherNation's new initiative, The Bridge, where MotherNation Citizens unite with the Black Mothers of our community and our country to build an anti-racist world.

MotherNation is a movement with the community at its core and the personalized small groups and wider connection online provides the community and support mamas are looking for. 

Meaningful social support through a safe community of Mothers can improve maternal mental and emotional health. In fact, social support is a widely recognized social determinant of health. But Mothers are finding it difficult to find that village.There is a disconnect among Mothers, made worse with COVID-19, that our technology can bridge. We form personalized Circles and create a space where Mothers feel less alone and overwhelmed. We encourage Mothers to join a Circle during pregnancy so Mothers can journey through the transition to Motherhood together and create a bond that is a foundation of strength for years to come. 

There are allies in the ecosystem supporting Mothers including Peanut (“Tinder for Mom Friends”), Chairman Mom (a Q&A platform for working moms) and HeyMama (a lifestyle platform for self-employed Mothers). None, however, combine the convenience and reach of digital resources and the deeper community that comes from meaningful connection.

Mothers need a resource that doesn’t claim to have the answers.

Mothers needs a community that does not spend time putting “types” of Mothers in buckets.

Mothers should be encouraged to take up space, to reflect on their needs and gain the courage to advocate for their own path.

Through personalized Circles, supported by an online community platform and designed with compassionate values, MotherNation does just that.

Our proprietary algorithm is designed to gather Circles based on the individual needs of the Mother based on the Mother's own dynamic ranking of factors related to her desired community. For example, rather than being gathered with other Mothers in her neighborhood, a Mother can indicate that she would rather gather with other Mothers who are cancer survivors.

Our proprietary structures, tools and training are rooted in the belief that Mothers are capable of providing safe, and even transformative, spaces to each other through empathy and listening. The meta change we believe is possible is that the reminder of our oneness and the power of listening will lead to a ripple effect of empathy as MotherNation Citizens hold that same space for others in their life, including their families.

Our proprietary technology is an application powered by machine-learning that gathers Circles of Mothers based on their individual needs for community. Once the Circles are gathered, we built integrations with existing technologies (including our email provider and private online community) to ensure that Mothers have a seamless onboarding and ongoing experience. We have a number of improvements on our technology roadmap that would allow us to better serve Mothers through data analysis.

We used our technology to gather our first cohort of Circles. Not only did it create efficiencies and limit administrative burden, but it provided data insights regarding the make-up of the Circles that informed how we are recruiting our next cohort. We will continue to use the application to gather Circles on a rolling basis. 

Our private online community runs on an existing platform called, Mighty Networks. Eventually we would like to develop our own native application but this platform provides the baseline functionality we need to engage the community, create sub-groups, provide content, host events, etc.

(Unfortunately, we do not have a product demo available at this time due to the sensitivity of the data both in the application and our private online community.)

MotherNation Theory of Change: When a Mother participates in a Circle and provides supportive listening according to our training (activity), they continuously get and give meaningful peer support (output) making them feel valued, connected and empowered to ask for what they need (short-term outcome), which leads to improved maternal mental and emotional well-being (long-term outcome).

We are currently raising money to support a longitudinal study to prove this theory of change and would be interested in working with healthcare providers or insurance companies on a pilot. 

In the meantime we have referenced the Johns Hopkins's Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality roadmap for creating peer support programs that aligns to our theory of change, including the "potential benefits for a person seeking support are finding another person in a similar situation who has “lived the experience,” and being able to talk with them in a safe and judgement-free setting."

In addition, below are sample testimonials from Circle participants: "MotherNation is so much more than a "mom group." It is a place where I feel safe and accepted no matter what with absolutely no judgement." - Katelyn, Mama to Cam & Summer

"Thank you so much for the wonderful Circle this evening. This was one of the first times that a Zoom call actually relaxed me. I really appreciate that you both took the time to create norms/rules for us to follow. It made the experience so much more meaningful to not have people say..."Oh me too, let me tell you about that time when..." - Elise, Mama to Zev

We currently serve 150 Mothers. By leaning on a strong mama word-of-mouth referral program and partnerships with established brands, we project significant growth in the near-term allowing us to serve 2,000 in one year and 250,000 Mothers by year five. Please note that (i) these numbers represent only the number of Mothers participating in Circle and not their family members and supporters that will inevitably benefit from their improved well-being and (ii) these number assume we will continue with a B2C strategy with an annual membership model. If we can achieve our goal of partnering with healthcare providers and insurance companies, thereby decreasing or eliminating any costs to the Mothers, these figures would increase exponentially. Further, if we are able to scale globally, embracing the diversity of cross-culture Motherhood, the numbers would be even higher.

In the next year, we hope to partner with one or more healthcare providers or insurance companies to (i) complete the study that verifies our theory of change with hard data and (ii) makes MotherNation Circles accessible to more Mothers. We are currently exploring a partnership with a prenatal telehealth app that serves over 200,000 users in our market. With a partnership like this in place, we can help healthcare providers deliver more holistic care to their patients, including social support, and avoid maternal health slipping through the cracks after the baby is born.

In the next five years, we can scale and grow with our existing community to support them through Motherhood as their children grow and the challenges change. But we can also replicate the magic of our technology, structure, tools and training to bring people together to meaningfully hold space for each other as they journey through any shared experience- including Circles based on medical conditions, jobs or interests. We are starting with the Motherhood journey - a life-changing transition- but we, as humans, need connection, community and support in many other aspects of our life. Teaching empathy and planting seeds to foster more love and connection is our ultimate purpose.

Market (Mom Guilt) - Ironically, we sometimes joke that "mom guilt" is our biggest barrier to entry. Mothers commonly put their needs last and investing the time, energy and money into a MotherNation Circle seems impossible to them. 

Technical - We are currently running our private online community on a third-party platform. It would be ideal to have our own native app now to directly connect with our users. Also, once we implement our roadmap, including a no-waste mama marketplace, we will need to develop our own application. We would also like to make improvements to our backend to enable scale and leverage data insights to better serve our community. 

Financial - Re. financial barriers - we just started raising pre-seed money but as a women/mom/LGBTQ+ led business that serves Mothers, it is difficult. Then the economic uncertainty caused by COVID has made capital raising more challenging.

Cultural - As we look to scale globally, there will be both cultural and language barriers. Motherhood is inextricably linked to culture and society. For example, many cultures require a Mother to rest for 30-40 days after giving birth while in America, the average length of leave from work after giving birth is 10 days. We will need to account for and embrace these cultural differences while allowing all MotherNation Citizens to learn and grow.

Market (Mom Guilt) - We need to flip the script and encourage Mothers to invest in themselves. Attending Circle is like a hard workout- it may not seem like you have the time and is maybe a little uncomfortable but, afterwards, you feel so good. We are hopeful that feeling will carry over and convert participants into advocates that refer other Mothers to MotherNation. We also have planned social media campaigns (#whatguilt) that highlight Mothers taking time and space for themselves-- emphasizing that the power of being a model (not a martyr) for your children. 

Of course, partnerships with healthcare provide

rs and insurance companies would bring down the cost and further incentivize Circle participation. This would both mitigate the guilty feelings and also make MotherNation more financially accessible. The first step to these partnerships will be a pilot study.

Financial Barriers - We are scrappy! We are focusing on grants/partnerships like MIT Solve and targeting women angel groups that focus on women-owned companies. 

Technical- We are utilizing existing platforms and exploring partnering with developers that will accept equity in exchange for services. We are also investing in patent protection regarding our backend technology and have registered trademark protection. 

Cultural - Scaling globally will require specific analysis of each geography to be sure that we introduce MotherNation in an informed way and meet Mothers where they are.

1 full-time, 1 part-time and 2 contractors.

With four children, a pregnancy loss, prenatal anxiety, postpartum depression and a postpartum hemorrhage between us, we tapped into both our personal and professional experience to build MotherNation. We are real talk and bear hugs.

Read our story and bios below for reference.

Adrienne Prentice is a technology attorney turned leadership coach focused on helping working parents succeed. Before leading a team of 35 attorneys at Hewlett Packard, Adrienne practiced in BigLaw supporting tech companies with specific expertise in the eHealth space. Adrienne's coaching practice was driven by helping clients discover their values and empowering them to use that knowledge to fulfill their potential. Adrienne is committed to translating that same passion into helping every MotherNation Citizen own their version of Motherhood as her Motherhood continues to evolve alongside her children, Evelyn (3) and Jack (1).

As a perinatal social worker, Cait Zogby has always focused on supporting young families, most recently at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Washington, DC. With her infant and child development expertise, a passion for maternal health and a fundamental belief in equity, Cait was instrumental in supporting over 65 under-resourced families. Her ability to provide education and execution strategy under the parenting umbrella contributed to her department’s 99% reduction in reported cases of abuse or neglect. Cait left the public workforce in 2016 to prevent the early-term birth of her twins, now 3, but channels the fierce belief she has in the resiliency of Mothers into her work at MotherNation every day.

Once we bring Mothers together on the ground in Circles, we stay together to demand the systemic supports that all Mothers deserve. Below is a list of our three main social impact partners-- two advocacy organizations and local grass roots organizations that supports low-income Mothers across our region. 

• March for Moms- March for Moms is an advocacy organization focused on improved outcomes re. maternal health, including perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and maternal mortality. We have been a fundraising sponsor, sat on the Steering Committee for the past two years and organized grassroots advocacy efforts among our community. 
• PL+US - PL+US is our 2020 Make Change partner. PL+US is an advocacy organization working hard to obtain paid leave for all Americans by 2022. We are an outreach partner spreading the word re. PL+US initiatives to our community, encouraging donations, and also collecting stories from "real moms" regarding the value of paid leave to support their legislative efforts.
• Greater DC Diaper Bank - Both founders are Diaper Bank ambassadors so we collect donations at MotherNation events and bring them to the warehouse. We also recently hosted a virtual event with all proceeds to the Diaper Bank to help with the spike in demand due to COVID.

We deliver support, connection and community empowering Mothers to navigate Motherhood more confidently.

Our annual membership includes an invitation to join a personalized Circle of up to 8 Mothers and access to our private online community where we facilitate subgroups, host events (such as "ask me anythings" with experts) and connect Mothers from across the community. We are also developing a partner perk program to "momsource" discounts for our community. 

Sponsorship revenue is another potential revenue source in the near future.

Combination of all - grants, membership revenue, capital raises.

On top of the money the over $60,000 we have already personally invested, we are currently raising a pre-seed financing round that that will help us refine our offering and reach product-market fit by the end of the year. We then plan to raise our next round early next year with an eye towards implementing our roadmap and growth. With that growth as well as strategic partnerships and potential sponsorship revenue in place, we will be in a position to decrease the costs of our offering making it more accessible to Mothers and therefore able to have a broader impact on the mental and emotional well-being of Mothers.

We would be THRILLED to work with the Solve team and partners regarding the following: 

1) Conducting a valid study to prove our theory of change. We need assistance from a research/data scientist with the design of the study, recruitment of participants and assessment metrics. A successful pilot study will validate our offering in a powerful way and open up the door to partnerships with healthcare providers. This would be key in mitigating the "mom guilt" barrier because Mothers are more likely to invest in themselves upon their healthcare provider's recommendation, and of course, if it does not have a cost.

2) Improving the sophistication of our backend algorithm. Currently, we utilize machine learning but we think there is significant opportunity to use artificial intelligence to more "smartly" gather Circles to maximize the value and connection we provide. In other words, we want to use AI to better predict compatibility but also transformative potential of the Circle participants. We also would also like to explore how we can further leverage the data we collect to better serve our community and influence broader change to support all Mothers.

3) Lastly, funding would a long way in the current moment and allow us to focus more on the product development the rest of this year. While we will continue to invest personal funds, collect revenue and raise capital, every dollar counts and we would greatly appreciate an introduction to any organization interested in joining the MotherNation family.

Solution technology - We would appreciate assistance improving the sophistication of our backend algorithm and integrations with other aspects of our technology platform. 

Product/service distribution - Connection to healthcare providers, hospital systems or insurance companies would be appreciated to (i) explore pilot studies and (ii) receive feedback re. the design of our offering. Guidance from research and data scientists in this effort would also be appreciated.

Monitoring and evaluation- We are committed to continuous improvement beyond our planned pilot and would appreciate support re. the design and methods we can implement (including member surveys).

Marketing, media and exposure - Being accepted into the Solve program will bring MotherNation immediate credibility both with potential partners as well as investors.

There are a number of labs and initiatives at MIT that we would be honored to work with - specifically regarding the improvement to our gathering algorithm and the design and implementation of a pilot study. While our understanding is that the Center for Collective Intelligence focuses on how computers can work intelligently, we would be interested it explore whether the same logic can be translated into empathy. Specifically..."explore how people and computers can be connected so that – collectively – they act more empathically than any person, group, or computer has ever done before." This could start simply by researching how to gather Circles with the best "fit" or potential to meaningfully support each other but the possibilities seem endless!

We would also be thrilled to work with the Connection Science group. Their mission of "revolutionizing technology-mediated human networks through analysis, prediction, data-driven design, and evaluation" is exactly what we need! We emphasize the value of in-person connection but also are curious and excited about the role technology can play to help Mothers feel connected to both themselves and each other.

Other MIT organizations that we would be interested in working with include the Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab and the Sloane School of Management (including experts in Digital Business and Entrepreneurship) regarding how we can grow MotherNation and maximize the impact we have on maternal mental and emotional well-being.

We would also love to learn more about Women Deliver, Girls Who Build, E-Heza and Care Mother.

Being a Mother is hard and often isolating. MotherNation creates spaces online and offline for Mothers to care for themselves and each other. Our technology platform gathers Circles of up to 8 Mothers based on location, age of children and any shared experience (i.e., Moms of Multiples or LGBTQ+ Families). We then provide the training, structures and support necessary for the Circles to meaningfully connect making Circles the sweet spot between a coffee klatch and group therapy. We also host an online community where we facilitate subgroups, host events and connect MotherNation Citizens across the nation. Together, we combat the loneliness epidemic, crush mom guilt and battle burnout enabling Mothers and their families to thrive.

Our proprietary gathering algorithm and training focused on supportive listening and empathy provide the safe space Mothers deserve to reflect and connect with each other. Mothers not only find their "village" but they develop habits that improve their quality of life, including their mental and emotional health. They more confidently ask for what they need, take time to themselves, challenge others' expectations and feel free to be the Mother they want to be. The role of a Mother as a selfless martyr has been idolized across the world leaving little room for Mothers to prioritize self-care and Mothers constantly feel judged and overwhelmed. It's time for a change.

If honored, we would use the prize to implement our tech roadmap and feedback from Circles to better serve and meet the needs of Mothers.

Our gathering algorithm currently utilizes machine learning to gather Circles of Mothers to provide community care to each other. There are three factors that we currently consider (location, age of children and shared experience) but, with further development including the incorporation of AI, we can more accurately gather the "right" peer group to maximize the connection and support provided to each Mother. 

If awarded, we would use the funds to study the human dynamics and interaction of each Circle through interviews and surveys. We can then determine success factors and "teach" our algorithm how to better gather the peer support Circles. Similar to dating app that suggests pairs, we want to use AI so that we can gather small groups that are not only compatible as a group but have the potential to transform each other.

In addition, we would like to weave data science into the fabric of MotherNation - not to profit but to better serve our community. For example, it can help us tailor content or connect two members with a similar experience. Most importantly, we need to develop a study that uses data to validate our theory of change -- that peer support leads to improved maternal mental and emotional well-being.

While MotherNation is limited to serving Mothers in the U.S. during this pilot stage, we are committed to both scaling globally and making MotherNation more accessible through partnerships with healthcare providers and insurance companies as well as sponsorship revenue. We also welcome the opportunity to develop or implement our solution in coordination with the public sector as we expand.

Being a Mother is hard and often isolating. MotherNation creates spaces online and offline for Mothers to care for themselves and each other. Our technology platform gathers Circles of up to 8 Mothers based on location, age of children and any shared experience (i.e., Moms of Multiples or LGBTQ+ Families). We then provide the training, structures and support necessary for the Circles to meaningfully connect making Circles the sweet spot between a coffee klatch and group therapy. We also host an online community where we facilitate subgroups, host events and connect MotherNation Citizens across the nation. Together, we combat the loneliness epidemic, crush mom guilt and battle burnout enabling Mothers and their families to thrive.

In short, MotherNation delivers support, community and connection to Mothers. While a MotherNation Circle does not serve the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs (phsyiological and safety needs), it certainly serves the top: love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization. And every Mother deserves these. Further, it is widely accepted that social support is one of of the social determinants of health. Participating in a MotherNation Circle - getting and giving support to Mothers- will improve the Mother's mental and emotional well-being.

If honored, we would use the funds from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Award to focus on our product development, including hiring key talent to focus on community management, content creation and technology improvements to enable scale. Because we want every Mother to have access to the community care and support that MotherNation Circles provide.

At MotherNation, we have an enormous problem to solve, a growing market and a passionate team that executes. In fact, we recently completed the Seed Spot accelerator program and were honored with the "Most Promising Social Innovation" award by Booz Allen Hamilton.

Being a Mother is hard and often isolating. MotherNation creates spaces online and offline for Mothers to care for themselves and each other. Our technology platform gathers Circles of up to 8 Mothers based on location, age of children and any shared experience (i.e., Moms of Multiples or LGBTQ+ Families). We then provide the training, structures and support necessary for the Circles to meaningfully connect making Circles the sweet spot between a coffee klatch and group therapy. We also host an online community where we facilitate subgroups, host events and connect MotherNation Citizens across the nation. Together, we combat the loneliness epidemic, crush mom guilt and battle burnout enabling Mothers and their families to thrive.

There are over 18 million Millennial Mothers in America today along with 4,000 new Mothers born each day. MotherNation fits squarely in the $46 billion “new mom economy” as well as the $50 billion “femtech” industry. In addition to the subscription fees, additional potential revenue streams include sponsorships, merchandise and events. Our target market are moms with children under 4 years old in urban areas with middle to high income. Based on this model, there is a $1b addressable market in the U.S. only.  We are committed to both scaling globally and making MotherNation more accessible through partnerships with healthcare providers and insurance companies as well as sponsorship revenue.

We are currently exploring a potential partnership with prenatal telehealth app that serves over 200,000 users in our market and a local hospital is interested in bringing MotherNation to the 4,000 Mothers who deliver there. In order to maximize these partnerships and achieve product-market fit, we are currently raising pre-seed money. If awarded this prize, we would be able to focus on our product development, including hiring key talent to focus on community management, content creation and technology improvements.

As a woman/mom/LGBTQ+ led company, we appreciate your inclusive approach across the Future Planet Capital ecosystem - including your partners and portfolio companies. While we just began raising capital, we've already noticed that Motherhood and fundraising have a lot in common...it ain't easy but it shouldn't be THIS hard. Thank you for your efforts to make it easier.