Silicon Valley entrepreneur finds a new ‘baby’ in India, invests in Tinystep

Photo credit: R Glasgow.

Guess who just invested in a six-month-old Indian startup? The Silicon Valley entrepreneur behind one of the world’s biggest parenting portals.

Matthew Glickman, who was co-founder of the hugely popular BabyCenter, which claims to reach more than 45 million parents across the globe every month, finds Bangalore-based Tinystep right up his alley.

“I obviously resonate with the domain, and in a mobile first country where users love to chat, I think Tinystep is doing a great job,” says Matt, who has put an undisclosed amount in the Indian startup and will also be an advisory board member.

Tinystep is a social network for moms set up by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) grad Suhail Abidi in September last year.

Tinystep founder Suhail Abidi

When Tech in Asia covered it last month, it had seen 20,000 downloads. The startup says its user base has tripled over the last one month.

“They are showing some great early traction, getting great customer feedback and are moving in the right direction to solve a big problem,” Matt said in a press statement.

Tinystep plans to use the money to improve its product and strengthen its team, it said in a statement.

About having Matt on board, Suhail said, “His domain expertise and entrepreneurial experience in the Valley will be of great help in taking the right steps forward.”

Making moms and investors happy

Photo credit: Gabriela Pinto

Tinystep lets parents ask questions, connect with each other, and share experiences. It is especially turning out to be a good resource for couples, who are starved for time, live in nuclear families, and often find themselves struggling to cope with parenthood.