2houses is a web platform and mobile app that helps separated parents communicate and organise themselves better. Making their lives, and most importantly, their child’s life, easier. 2houses offers custody and school scheduling, shared expenses tracking and many other set of tools.
2houses is fundraising for a minimum of €50,000 from the crowd, with a minimum of €150,000 from professional co-investors, for a total financing round of a minimum of €200,000 with a maximum of €249,750. The funding will be used for member acquisition, monetisation of current service and marketing for the mobile app.
– There are 40 millions divorced parents in Europe and more than 1.6 million new divorces or separations involving children every year.
– 75% of their users are based in the US.
“Divorced parents still have to communicate, whether it is face to face or through phone conversations. But this often generates conflict. Having a web interface removes the emotional element and improves the communication.”
Gill Ruidant, founder
2houses is a web platform and a mobile application designed to help separated parents communicate and organise their lives for the wellbeing of their children. It is a suite of special tools for managing the custody calendar, keeping track of shared expenses and exchanging school and medical information in a neutral way.
2houses was founded in 2011 by Gill Ruidant. Gill has been there… After his separation, he very quickly felt the need to communicate differently with Noé’s mother for the wellbeing of all three of them.
Five years later, 2houses is a fast-growing start-up with a proven business model that has allowed the skyrocketing company to quadruple its turnover in 2016 compared to 2015.
A launch with a bang
Launch of a beta version of the product at the end of 2011: remarkable press coverage in Europe and the United States. In a few days, several thousand users were using the service.
A first fund-raiser in September 2012
The first investors quickly appeared and 2houses was able to raise €675,000, including €137,000 via crowdfunding (MMi), allowing 147 investors to join in the adventure very early.
An evolving product, a developing market
2houses is becoming an established start-up. A natural traction has already become apparent in North America.
A second fund-raiser in September 2014
To develop its business model and continue to expand its market, 2houses raised €500,000, including €50,000 via crowdfunding.
A business model built up by iteration An innovative, disruptive product… a business model that also had to be invented.
2houses tested different models in the field and ultimately landed on an ideal subscription model that allowed the start-up’s sales to take off at the beginning of 2016.
A new opportunity to participate in the adventure The results of the first half of 2016 pushed the team to accelerate development of its turnover and so to invest in marketing and acquisition. A fund-raiser has become necessary. Professional investors have already expressed their support.
Communication between separated parents is sometimes very awkward. When emotions take the upper hand, the children are often the first to suffer from this situation. Sometimes, they even end up being the ones conveying messages between their parents. The negative impact of this on a child’s education, development and self-confidence can be significant.
2houses provides a real solution for precisely this problem. User feedback shows every day that the challenge has been met!
The neutral interface of 2houses allows parents to eliminate the negative emotional aspect and move toward calmer communication. It permits neutral exchanges, allowing parents to focus on managing the practical organisation necessary for the child’s wellbeing.
The 2houses application has been developed 100% in-house. The entire code belongs to the company, which enhances its value but also allows it to be very flexible and responsive.
2houses relies on an online marketing strategy and targeted campaigns on Facebook, Google AdWords and Display, YouTube and Gmail. 2houses constantly experiments with new methods of acquisition. Through organised and thorough review, the start-up manages to keep its acquisition costs under control while expanding its target.
2houses has also established an offline marketing strategy via distribution of a paper mini-guide on co-parenting. 2houses has created a network of intermediaries (mediators, attorneys, psychologists, family coaches) who are in contact with separated and divorced parents. The tool is also a follow-up resource for these professionals.
Registration in 2houses can take place via various channels:
– on the web, 2houses.com, via the registration form
– via the iOS app (Apple’s App Store)
– via the Android app (Google Play)
Each means of acquisition has its own process and therefore also its own conversion rate.
2houses is available in four languages (English, French, Dutch and Italian). The campaigns are weighted and targeted geographically on the basis of the various factors that influence the contact cost and the conversion to a paying plan.
The online marketing campaigns are geographically targeted on the basis of the acquisition cost, the conversion to a paying plan and the retention rate.
The network of professional intermediaries has been developed in Belgium, France and the United States.
Seventy-five percent of the active users of 2houses are located in North America.
In 2014, 2houses signed a licensing agreement with the Ligue des Familles. The services of 2houses were incorporated as a white label into the range of services offered to members of the organisation under the name ‘My Kids&Co’. This contract was renewed for a period of two years in 2015 and generates a covering recurring revenue.
2houses conveys a positive image of co-parenting, where everyone has a place.
The pricing strategy is medium-high and by geographical area. This is in line with a strong ‘pain point’ and a competitive advantage (see below).
2houses aims to be the leader in the market within the next 18 months.
‘One in two marriages ends in divorce’. This French statistic is also true in the United States.
The target market is substantial: there are 42 million separated or divorced parents in the United States (40 million in Europe) and 2 million (1.6 million in Europe) new divorces or separations involving children each year.
Since its launch, several initiatives competing with 2houses have been created in France, England and Italy – without a solid marketing strategy. In the United States, one serious competitor has been established for almost ten years: Our Family Wizard.
2houses positions itself with a ‘fresh’ product, equipped with an intuitive user interface that is accessible to everyone. We have created a product anyone can use!
The price is on a subscription system: $120/year for the entire family. Both parents, the children and third parties (grandparents, etc.) have access at no extra cost. OFW is positioned with a higher price, at $99/year/parent.
Our pricing differs by geographical area – this emerged from a price test conducted in the field in the second half of 2015.
Founder
Gill is a born entrepreneur. His second technology-based start-up was acquired by an international group in 2003. His international and managerial experience has helped him create a strong company.
Gill also pilots a paramotor, a ULM that allows him to gain some perspective… ;-)
Gill is 40, has a 15-year-old son and lives in Belgium.
Sales
Alexandra worked for over 15 years in the IT distribution sector. She managed customer and supplier commercial relations. She went to school with Gill and now shares the same professional experience. She joined the team in 2012. Alexandra is 41, has a four-month-old son and lives in Belgium.
CTO
Martin is a young entrepreneur fascinated by the web and new technologies. After developing his first sites and applications as a teenager, he co-founded his first start-up, a web and mobile application in the field of fashion, at the end of his computer science studies at UCL. Martin is 27; he joined the team in 2015.
COO
Sébastien worked for over seven years in banking IT before creating his own start-up. Fascinated by new technologies, he joined 2houses in 2016. Sébastien is 30 and will become a father in July.