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HiMama, now operating as Lillio, provides software solutions for early childhood education, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company offers a SaaS platform designed to streamline operations for childcare programs and enhance communication with parents, facilitating the sharing of children's activities, progress, photos, and videos. Its comprehensive suite includes tools for attendance tracking, daily reports on meals and naps, developmental observations, program planning, and payment processing, serving a global market across Canada, the US, Middle East, Europe, and Asia. HiMama maintains an estimated annual revenue of $20 million and an estimated valuation of $64 million, supported by 51-100 employees. The company secured a $7.25 million CAD Series A funding round in 2019 from investor Round 13 Capital, and its board includes Bruce Croxon, co-founder of LavaLife. HiMama was founded in 2013 by Ron Spreeuwenberg and Alana Frome.
HiMama has raised $65.4M across 3 funding rounds.
HiMama has raised $65.4M in total across 3 funding rounds.
HiMama has raised $65.4M in total across 3 funding rounds.
HiMama's investors include Bain Capital Double Impact, BDC Venture Capital, Round13 Capital, Bruce Croxon.
HiMama builds an all-in-one digital platform for childcare providers, offering tools for attendance tracking, daily sheets, parent communication via real-time photos/videos/updates, billing, assessments, and curriculum management to streamline operations and boost family engagement.[1][2][4][5] It primarily serves daycare centers, early childhood educators, and families in licensed childcare facilities, solving pain points like paper-based documentation, inefficient admin tasks, and poor parent-teacher connectivity—replacing binders with tablet-based apps that save time and improve child outcomes.[1][2][3][4] With roots in Canada and expansion into the US, HiMama (now operating as Lillio) reports strong growth, including $20M revenue, use by thousands of programs, 2.1B family moments shared, and high customer satisfaction (4.9/5 rating).[1][5]
HiMama emerged in 2012-2013 when founders, including Co-Founder & Chief Technician Alana Frome, identified a critical gap in early childhood education tech after consulting childcare owners, directors, and educators who relied on outdated pen-and-paper methods for documenting activities and sharing with parents.[2] Incorporated in Toronto, Canada in 2013 (with some sources noting 2014), the company released a white paper titled *Documentation in the Early Childhood Setting* in September 2013, followed by a rapid launch of its tablet-based documentation app that gained quick traction in Canada by enabling real-time updates via email and mobile apps.[1][2][6] Early US market entry built on this momentum, attracting investments like from Bain Capital's impact fund, humanizing its mission through direct educator input and a focus on busy parents' needs.[2][6]
HiMama rides the edtech and childcare digitization wave, capitalizing on post-pandemic demand for contactless tools, remote admin, and data-driven early education amid labor shortages and rising enrollment in formal childcare.[1][3][5][6] Timing aligns with market forces like working parents needing flexible updates (77% want more daily details) and regulators pushing quality standards, where HiMama's assessments and reports help centers exceed guidelines while Bain Capital's impact fund investment signals VC confidence in scalable social-good tech.[2][5][6] It influences the ecosystem by setting benchmarks for family-centric platforms, inspiring competitors like Lillio's evolution (its rebrand), and empowering 35,000+ centers to retain staff, evaluate performance, and share 2.1B moments—amplifying efficiency in a $60B+ US childcare market.[5]
HiMama (as Lillio) is poised for accelerated global expansion, leveraging its #1-rated status, massive user base, and funding to integrate AI-driven insights, advanced analytics, and state-aligned curricula amid trends like hybrid work boosting childcare demand and edtech consolidation.[1][5][6] Expect deeper ecosystem plays, such as partnerships for CEUs and staff training, potentially doubling revenue through enterprise features for multi-location chains. Its influence will grow by redefining childcare as tech-enabled, family-bonded care—echoing its origin gap-filling mission to connect providers and parents at scale.
HiMama has raised $65.4M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $56.0M Series B in November 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2021 | $56M Series B | Bain Capital Double Impact | BDC Venture Capital, Round13 Capital | Announced |
| May 1, 2020 | $4M Series U | — | BDC Venture Capital | Announced |
| Apr 11, 2019 | $5.4M Series A | Bruce Croxon | — | Announced |
