Kiddocare, Malaysia’s trailblazing on-demand caregiving platform, is excited to announce the successful completion of its Pre-Series A funding round. This round saw strategic investments from prominent investors, led by Artem Ventures, with participation from Gobi Partners, MSW Ventures Asia Fund X, and ScaleUp Malaysia.
Gobi Partners’ involvement through the Khazanah Nasional Bhd-backed Gobi Dana Impak Fund (GDIV) underscores Kiddocare’s pivotal role in driving impact within the Malaysian economy and its promising future.
This infusion of capital strategically positions Kiddocare for accelerated growth and innovation. The company intends to leverage these resources to expand its platform, reach a broader demographic of users, and create new opportunities for women, not only in caregiving but also across various sectors.
Established in 2019, Kiddocare is a homegrown childcare services platform connecting parents with verified childcare providers based on their preferred time and location. These caregivers undergo rigorous screening and training, adhering to Kiddocare’s strict protocols before becoming part of the platform. To ensure utmost safety, a dedicated customer service team manages each booking, providing real-time updates to parents.
Kiddocare simplifies the booking process through its user-friendly app, currently serving the Greater Klang Valley and expanding into regions like Seremban and Johor Bahru, with plans for nationwide expansion in the pipeline. The platform primarily caters to urban millennial mothers, who wield significant purchasing power and seek reliable childcare solutions.
The driving force behind Kiddocare’s success lies in its dynamic co-founders, both working mothers themselves. Nadira Yusoff, Kiddocare founder and CEO, brings over two decades of experience, having previously co-founded a tech company specializing in education solutions. Muhaini Mahmud, Kiddocare co-Founder, brings over a decade of corporate expertise, with her most recent role as director of corporate affairs at Weststar Group of Companies.
Nadira said, “Central to our mission is the professionalization of caregivers. In an industry that often lacks recognition, we are committed to setting new standards. Through innovative technology, necessary training and certification, career paths, and social safety nets, Kiddocare ensures that caregivers are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and support necessary to provide top-tier care. This investment reinforces our resolve to elevate caregiving as a respected and professionalized career of choice.”
A 2018 Time Use study by The Khazanah Research Institute revealed that Malaysian women spent an average of 3.6 hours (15.2%) of their time on unpaid care work, compared to men’s 2.2 hours (9.3%). This disparity highlights that women spent 63.6% more time on unpaid care work compared to men.
According to the United Nations Development Program report, structural changes in this area have the potential to generate millions of jobs for women and contribute significantly to Malaysia’s GDP.
Although the care economy is undeniably significant, it is often underappreciated. Kiddocare is on a mission to change this perception by advocating for the care economy and highlighting its pivotal role in strengthening families, communities, and the broader economy.
Low Zhen Hui, managing partner at Artem, remarked, “When we first met Nadira, we recognized Kiddocare’s potential to magnify the care economy by empowering women to become highly skilled caregivers.
“Through the application of technology, caregivers have more options to not only expand their capabilities and knowledge but also explore new ways to evolve their careers with Kiddocare. With our partner FWD Group, we aim to collaborate closely with Kiddocare in further enriching caregivers and enhancing customer experience.”
While traditional childcare roles often offer earnings of less than RM2,000 per month, Kiddocare offers the potential for weekly earnings of up to RM1,500, providing women with the flexibility to balance motherhood and pursue education.
The Kiddocare Academy further offers opportunities for career advancement through specialised training programs for caregivers, including counseling, eldercare, tutoring, and entrepreneurship.
Jamaludin Bujang, Managing Partner (Malaysia) at Gobi Partners, noted, “We’ve been monitoring Kiddocare’s progress for several years, and we believe the current momentum warrants our investment.
“While we recognise that managing the gig industry poses challenges, as it is inherently subject to leakages and low stickiness, we think that Kiddocare’s operating model is defensible. As such, we believe it is poised to make a significant economic impact in the country. We’re confident in Nadira and her team’s ability to reach this ambitious goal.”
Jeffrey Seah, General Partner at MSW Ventures Asia Fund X, added, “Acquiring childcare services is a stressful, high-involvement parenting process, with quality, availability, and consistency being key factors.
“Kiddocare has significantly reduced these parenting insecurities through their focus on quality, market-leading training programs, qualification-based service standards set by industry experts, and building up a caregiver base motivated to constantly upgrade skills and service delivery.
“Nadira and her team have injected trust into a family care service acquisition platform built on the logistical reach of the gig economy. This is my second investment in support of Nadira and Kiddocare; she epitomises the characteristics of an Asia Fund X founder.”
Dr. Sivapalan Vivekarajah, senior partner & co-founder of ScaleUp Malaysia, stated, “We invested in Kiddocare in 2020, amidst the global crisis, recognising the untapped potential in the care economy.
“Nadira’s vision to empower families and professionalize caregiving resonated with us. Today, we’re thrilled to see Kiddocare evolve into a catalyst for economic growth and women’s empowerment. We’re committed to fueling this transformative journey.”
GDIV is part of Khazanah’s Future Malaysia Programme (FMP), an initiative under the sovereign wealth fund’s Dana Impak (Impact Fund) mandate, aimed at supporting the Malaysian startup ecosystem.
Dana Impak is a key pillar of Khazanah’s Advancing Malaysia strategy, with the goal of delivering socioeconomic impact across six themes, including Digital Society and Technology, Quality Health and Education for all, Decent Work and Social Mobility, Food and Energy Security, Building Climate Resilience, and Competing in Global Markets.
Kiddocare’s alignment with three of these themes, namely Digital Society and Technology, Quality Health and Education, and Decent Work and Social Mobility, makes it an ideal candidate for the fund.
