Draft:Brightwheel
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|  |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Early Childhood Education, Software |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Dave Vasen |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Website | mybrightwheel |
brightwheel is an American software company that develops a child care management software platform for early childhood education programs, including childcare centers, preschools, and after-school programs. The platform provides tools for communication with parents, digital attendance tracking, tuition billing, staff management, and curriculum planning.
History
[edit]brightwheel was founded in 2014 by Dave Vasen. Vasen, who previously worked at Amazon and had a background in education, was inspired to create the platform after observing the challenges faced by early childhood education providers when his own daughter started daycare.[1] He recognized the need for modern technology to streamline administrative tasks and improve communication in early childhood education settings.[2][3]
The company officially launched its platform in June 2015. Initially, brightwheel focused on core features such as digital check-in/out, photo and video sharing with parents, billing, and daily reports. This early focus aimed to alleviate the time-consuming manual processes prevalent in many childcare centers.
In April 2016, Vasen appeared on ABC's Shark Tank season 7 and secured a $600,000 investment with Mark Cuban and Chris Sacca for 6.67% of the company.[4][5][6]
In the following years, brightwheel expanded its feature set to address a wider range of needs for early childhood education providers. Key additions included:
- Curriculum and Activities: In April 2023, brightwheel acquired Experience Early Learning, a nationally recognized curriculum system developer of a research-based early education program. This acquisition expanded brightwheel's offerings in the curriculum and activities space.[7]
- Payroll and Time Tracking: Launched in September 2023, this provided tools for staff scheduling, time tracking, and communication with employees. Brightwheel partnered with Gusto to provide a seamless payroll solution that synced staff timecards and calculated taxes.
- Billing and Payments in Canada: Introduced in September 2024, this original feature became available to childcare providers in Canada, allowing programs to manage invoicing, collect payments digitally, and track financial information.
brightwheel has also focused on integrations with other platforms and state-level systems to further streamline operations for childcare providers. The company has raised several rounds of funding from notable investors, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which has fueled its growth and product development.[8][9][10][11]
Throughout its history, brightwheel has emphasized its mission to empower early childhood educators and improve the overall experience for children and families. The platform has gained significant traction in the United States and has expanded its reach to Canada.
Products and Services
[edit]The brightwheel platform offers a complete suite of features designed for early childhood education programs:
- Tuition Billing and Payments: Automated invoicing, online payment processing, and financial reporting.
- Staff & Family Communication: Real-time updates, messaging, photos, and videos shared with parents.
- Learning & Curriculum: Tools for creating, sharing, and aligning learning activities.
- Site Management: Digital check-in/out, attendance reports, and ratio management.
Reception
[edit]As brightwheel continues to launch impactful features, it has been recognized as one of the best cloud companies in the world by Forbes and one of the best startups serving small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by Notable Capital.[12][13][14][15]
States like Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio, and Iowa partnered with brightwheel to provide its childcare management software to licensed childcare providers for free. These initiatives aimed to reduce the administrative burden on childcare centers, streamline operations, and enhance communication between educators and families.[16][17][18][19]
References
[edit]- ^ "Brightwheel Early Education Platform Update: Shark Tank Season 7". Shark Tank Recap. 28 December 2022. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Dave Vasen (brightwheel) – Problem-Solving for a Unique Market" (Podcast). Stanford Technology Ventures Program. 8 Feb 2023. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ^ "5 Must Know Facts About Brightwheel CEO Dave Vasen" (Interview). ICT Mirror. 14 May 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ brightwheel Pitch - Shark Tank. ABC. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 21 Aug 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ Learning Care Group Featured on Shark Tank with Brightwheel Founder/CEO. Learning Care Group. 24 January 2018. Archived from the original on 7 Aug 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Brightwheel Raises $600K from Mark Cuban, Chris Sacca on Shark Tank". EdSurge. 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Brightwheel Acquires Experience Early Learning; Advances Early Education Space with All-in-One Offering" (Press release). Business Wire. 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Preschool Software Firm Brightwheel Tops $600 Million Value" (Press release). Bloomberg. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Brightwheel Raises $21M to Expand the #1 Early Education Platform" (Press release). Business Insider. 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Brightwheel raises $10 million to keep parents in-the-know about their kids' day at school" (Press release). TechCrunch. 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ FROM VISION TO IMPACT: A Decade of Investing in Transformative Solutions (PDF) (Report). Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. May 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ From OpenAI To Figma, These Are The 100 Hottest Cloud Companies. Forbes (Report). 6 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ 2023 Cloud 100 By The Numbers: Market Pullback, AI Reshuffles The Ranks Of Cloud's Elite Players. Forbes (Report). 8 August 2023. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Notable Capital Announces 2024 SMBTech 50" (Press release). PR Newswire. 4 September 2024. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "GGV Capital Announces 2023 SMBTech 50" (Press release). PR Newswire. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "HHS increases support for business coaching tied to automation with extended payments for monthly CCMS subscription fees & additional funding to meet technology needs". Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral. 8 June 2023. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "How Child Care Software Can Elevate Your Child's Early Education". ChildCare Aware of Kansas. 6 November 2023. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Announcing: FREE access to brightwheel childcare management software!". ChildCare Aware of Kentucky. 1 December 2023. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "What You Need to Know: Brightwheel" (PDF). Ohio Department of Children & Youth. March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2025.