Meet Willa
Air traffic controller for working parents and their village.
Thu, Aug 14
Can Grandma get Sofia from soccer today? I'm stuck till 6
DeliveredAsking Grandma now. Soccer pickup at Almond Park, 5:15
Grandma's got it. I'll remind her this afternoon and text you once Sofia's in the car
What you can do with Willa
Save time with less manual, last-minute village coordinating.
Quickly assign driver changes with pickup or dropoff assignment.
Reduce scheduling problems. Spot schedule changes early.
You text Willa
I can't handle Felix's swim practice. Look for help.
You text Willa
Have Grandma cover Sofia's soccer dropoff and pickup this week.
Willa texts you
Heads up, Tuesday's practice moved to 4:00PM. You have a 3:45PM meeting. Want me to find coverage?
How it works
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1Connect your calendar Available for Google or iCloud calendars.
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2Add your village Your partner, grandparents, caregivers, and the families you already lean on.
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3Start texting Ask for help and Willa works down your village until someone says yes. Or name a person and it goes only to them.
Rebuilding the village
We've forgotten what "it takes a village" really means.
For most of human history, raising kids was a village effort. The American nuclear family, with two parents managing their entire family alone, became the norm. Our society's changed in the last 80 years. Just by the numbers alone:
increase in the number of households where both work, since 19601
increase in 65 year-old workforce (grandparent workforce) since mid-80s2
more work hours worked each year, vs a family in 1975 (+2.5 months)3
Combine that with cultural & socioeconomic changes, including constant messaging to be self-reliant, and it's no surprise that many parents feel like they're struggling, or have trouble asking for help.
Willa is our attempt to rebuild the village, and help families lean on each other again.
Any working parent who says they don't have logistics problems is lying.
House rules
Our commitments to you.
- Parents first.
- What matters most to you, matters most to us.
- Privacy-centric.
- Privacy is our First Officer. It's in the foundation of everything we do.
- Exceptional by default.
- You deal with enough already, so we make sure Willa works for you when you need it.
Frequently asked questions
How are you approaching privacy?+
Privacy's our First Officer. We are selective about who we work with (human-wise and tech-wise). We are always thinking about ways to improve the state of privacy and security, and where that fits in the roadmap.
Can my village members see my calendar?+
No, they cannot by design. We've also implemented safeguards and designed Willa to prevent accidental cross-leaks too.
Will Willa ever change my calendar without asking?+
No. Nothing is written to your calendar until you reply yes.
Who is Willa for?+
Working parents with recurring weekly schedule changes, who rely on grandparents and/or friends for carpooling.
How do you maintain quality?+
We currently use human curation to evaluate every confirmation, notification and proposal that goes out to you.
Do I need to install an app?+
No. Willa's SMS-only by design. Willa should fit into your routine, and not the other way around.
Which calendars does Willa work with?+
Google Calendar and Apple/iCloud.
Can I connect my work calendar?+
Yes, if your company permits it. Willa works best when she can see work calendars.
What if Willa gets it wrong?+
If something still falls through our safeguards and measures, reach out to us directly. You'll receive the contact information after signing up.
Are you SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified?+
Not currently, but we plan to down the road.
Interested?
Willa is in a small pilot right now. Request an invite to get notified when there are more spots available. You can also follow our Substack to learn more about how we are building Willa.