Faced with the challenge of finding his infant daughter a spot in one of Toronto's highly in-demand daycare facilities, Regnard Raquedan got a bright idea. Why not create an app that matches up daycare-seeking parents and care providers with openings?
"We talked to our friends, we ran some surveys of maybe 100 parents and they all came back the same," Raquedan said in a TechVibes profile. "Finding available daycares was hard. There's some information online but it's very fragmented and not very useful."
The resulting business, CubbySpot, has rapidly expanded from Toronto to all of Canada's major cities in less than a year. Founded by Raquedan and his wife, Liza, CubbySpot has also been quick to gain accolades, including a finalist spot at the 2015 Ignite Capital competition and a 2016 Brightlane Entrepreneur Award.
The Beginning: Raquedan Draws on Experience, Help From The Founder Institute for CubbySpot Concept
While balancing life as a new father, Raquedan decided to also launch his business, drawing on 15 years as a user-experience designer who could build websites and apps.
I don't think anybody in their right mind would build a startup as soon as they have a baby. Nobody would do all-nighters at work when they are doing all-nighters already at home. It was difficult." - Regnard Raquedan
Raquedan had launched other businesses in his native Philippines, but needed guidance in seeking funding and managing administrative and legal issues like incorporation in Canada. Seeking help, Raquedan enrolled in a four-month program at The Founder Institute to help him navigate the challenges of a startup.
CubbySpot is a Graduate of the Toronto Founder Institute, which helps entrepreneurs with the training they need during all the stages of launching a business. While working with The Founder Institute, CubbySpot also applied for and was named a finalist at the 2015 Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Tech-I Competition at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
For us, it's really more to validate what our idea was. If there are any awards, that's good. If there's any recognition, that's good, but if parents can find a spot for their child and daycares can get their spots filled, that's a success for us."
The Present: CubbySpot Expands to Other Cities
CubbySpot's goal hasn't varied much from Requedan's original vision: The app and connected website help parents throughout Canada locate reliable and high-quality daycare places for their children. Major cities that have recently been added include Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Edmonton and Saint John, as well as additional listings throughout British Columbia and Ontario.
While the original app, which launched in August 2015, was specifically for use in the Toronto area, Raquedan moved quickly to bring his business to the rest of Canada. Other major metropolitan areas also faced similar issues with frustrated parents unable to find daycare places, and so in February 2016 the business expanded to include all of Canada's major cities, plus Ontario and British Columbia.
Looking to the Future: CubbySpot Can Grow to Help Parents for Years
What's next for CubbySpot? Raquedan says he hopes to be able to fill other needs that parents have, like finding a summer camp or class for children.
Imagine a parent using the app from when their child is 0 to when their child is 12. It's like a 12-year relationship."
Right now, though, Raquedan plans to work on strengthening the current workings of the CubbySpot app so it "will do one thing well." While the concept is very specific, he wants it to be the best it can be before considering areas for expansion.
