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Julie Jumonville, Dede Woodman, and Lisa Rowe have a few things in common. They’ve all started businesses. They all have at least two children. And they're all co-founders of UpSpring, a company specializing in facilitating infant and toddler care, as well as labor recovery.
Since its 2004 inception, UpSpring has offered proprietary lines of products for mothers and babies, including Milkscreen, a paper-based test for alcohol content in breast milk, and Walking Wings, a vestlike item that helps a baby learn to walk while minimizing the strain on the adult’s back.
Now, after approximately a decade of focusing on physical products, Jumonville, Woodman, and Rowe have entered the digital realm. Jumonville has secured a partnership with the health app Doctor on Demand (a venture of Dr. Phil McGraw, AKA Dr. Phil) to deliver lactation consulting to nursing mothers.
The partnership originated after Jumonville posited a simple idea to Dr. Pat Basu, chief medical officer of Doctor on Demand, on LinkedIn. Basu, who receives an average of a pitch a day, was immediately in favor, according to Jumonville.
"Our partnership with Doctor On Demand has created a national platform for elevating the benefits of breastfeeding, which is exciting for UpSpring and as a result we are able to reach moms with the service," Jumonville said.
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"UpSpring’s mission for our breast care line of products is to help extend the life of breastfeeding, so adding the digital lactation consulting service enhances this mission and gives us the opportunity to connect with mom one-to-one to help her reach her breastfeeding goals," she continued.
Each consultation can run either 25 or 50 minutes and is conducted via video chat by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, according to UpSpring’s website.
Jumonville asserts that, while a healthy dose of information about breastfeeding is available online and through birthing classes, the lessons and advice are static. These resources are blanketed over parents, she contends, and are often only applicable before a problem starts, instead of promptly addressing specific problems that can arise unexpectedly.
"When it comes to actually putting baby on the breast for the first few weeks, it needs to be done right to avoid issues that could ultimately discourage mom from breastfeeding," she said.
UpSpring employs 15 and has raised a total of $5.2 million in equity, Jumonville said. The company’s most recent fundraising round was its Series C, in 2009.
Whether Jumonville and her cohorts will continue to explore other digital ventures remains to be seen; in the near future, the three plan to focus on physical product development.
