French startup Coot, which simplifies family organization, has raised €3.7 million from a family office and Bpifrance, and re-branded as Share(d). The fresh funds and new name will prepare the team for its expansion across France and beyond, bringing an international dimension to the project.
Founded in 2017, Share(d) helps separated and blended families stay organised, and avoid disjointed multi-channel communications like across post-it notes, whatsapp and email. Firstly, Share(d) offers a shared diary, highlighting which ‘care time’ is designated to each parent and what each parent has coming up, overall ensuring that no parent is forgotten or overloaded. Next up, there is a shared ‘to-do’ list, accessible and visible to all, such as parents, grandparents and nannies. Furthermore, important information can be integrated, such as the contact details of a doctor, or administrative documents like identity cards or health insurance cards. Another important point is the management of finances; accounts are finalised at the end of each month and everyone is notified of what owe each other.
To add a bit of fun and facilitate shared experiences, there is also a news feed (that acts a bit like a Whatsapp group), where it is possible to share photos, notes and conversations. Everything is set out to “reduce tensions within families and succeed in freeing up quality time to enjoy those close to them while knowing that our data is protected”, explains founder Anthony Amouyal.
With the new funds, Share(d) will be expanding to target different family structures. “We have received many requests from non-divorced families who had the same need for organization, sharing of tasks and managing agendas”, explains Amouyal. From September, the application will be available to parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, nannies and children, whatever the configuration of the family.
The startup also plans to continue to expand across France and Belgium, as well as further afield internationally, starting with Germany in 2021. The future goal will be to eventually translate the application into more languages, and expand across the rest of Europe, the UK and the US. “Organizational needs are the same everywhere and there are very few solutions offering this type of service, especially in a single application”, explained Amouyal.
