Business Venture

OurFamilyWizard Brings In New CEO, Funding To Move Company Forward

OurFamilyWizard is going in a new direction with a new CEO and the first institutional investment in its 19-year history, the company announced Thursday.

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The Minneapolis-based company has appointed Nick VanWagner as its new chief executive officer. He most recently served as the senior vice president of product and operations at subscription software company, When I Work. He also has prior experience in user connection and engagement from leading the insights team at LinkedIn.

Nick VanWagner, CEO, OurFamilyWizard

“I’m super excited about the value that the product drives for parents, children and professionals in the space and the way it can impact lives,” VanWagner told Crunchbase News. “My experience in other fast-growth subscription businesses is super complimentary.”

Former CEO and co-founder Jai Kissoon will continue with the company as president, while his co-founder, Larry Patterson, will remain chief technology officer, the company said. Bryan Altman will stay on as chief operating officer.

OurFamilyWizard has nearly 1 million users tapping into the application for co-parenting and professional capabilities. On the co-parenting side, users can share calendars, messages, journals, files, expenses and important information about their children, such as health and school records. On the professional side, judges, family law attorneys and mental health practitioners use OFW to help parents maintain an amicable connection post-separation and avoid unnecessary trips to court.

It is not just an app, though, VanWagner said, the company has invested 20 years in building relationships with the entire co-parenting market.

“We also have an international network of educators who can help people be co-parents, no matter what stage of the journey they are on,” he said. “It’s an application with tools that connect the community, from lawyers and therapists to grandparents.”

A subscription to the application is $99 annually per parent.

Meanwhile, OurFamilyWizard received its first institutional investment of an undisclosed amount from Spectrum Equity.

“This is a huge opportunity to modernize the app’s core features, especially with growth in mobile usage,” VanWagner said. “We would like to make the app more intuitive to use with new design elements, as well as more options around calendars, storing information, expense tracking and the ways people can communicate with each other.”

The company will also be using the funding to invest in marketing and support, adding team members domestically and internationally. In addition to the U.S., OurFamilyWizard has a presence in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

In conjunction with the transaction, Ben Spero and Parag Khandelwal of Spectrum Equity will join the company’s board of directors.

Spectrum recently participated in a $52 million Series D investment in Lucid Software on April 16.

Illustration: Li-Anne Dias

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