THE DREAM TEAM.
Matt, Erica and Tom. Two pediatric occupational therapists and a doctor.
This trio designed the award winning 3-in-1 Learn & Lounge. A baby product created by clinical experts that not only prioritizes safety but also has a positive impact on the course of a child’s development.
Proud to share the Rahoo Baby team has ties to the South Shore (and we hope they stay!)
Learn more about the team and how this awesome product came to be.
◇ This is a mom’s dream. A product created by a doctor and two experts in the field that prioritizes safety. I want to first hear from Erica. Please tell us a bit about how a North Shore gal ended up down here!
Matt and I always joke about this. We’re a great example of the classic south shore – north shore divide. Matt grew up in Norwell with Tom, our third co-founder but I grew up in Malden. So we’re always joking about which side of Boston we would rather end up living long term. (Matt and Erica are engaged to be married in 2021 and our bets are on South Shore living)
◇ Tell us why you moved here in the first place and what it is you love about it.
We moved here to start this company. It’s really given us the opportunity to fully commit to Rahoo Baby. Starting a company is a huge undertaking, so if we were going to do it, we were going to do it right. We were living in South Boston before this and we are really enjoying the fact that we even have a drive way to come home to at the end of the day! Anyone who has lived in Southie knows they can appreciate that. So, living in Scituate is great. We are just a ten-minute walk from the harbor.
◇ Collectively, you’ve worked at 7 different hospitals and clinics in Boston. Can you share more about your background and experience?
In college Matt and I studied occupational therapy while Tom was pre-med, and now we’re practicing as two pediatric OT’s and a doctor. We have a tremendous amount of experience from top institutions, place like Boston Children’s Hospital. We’re all healthcare professionals. We all have a passion for neurodevelopment. The three of us make a great team. Most people don’t realize that all babies benefit from early exposure to therapeutic principles, not just those who actually qualify for therapy because of an already existing delay.
◇ So, what makes Rahoo Baby unique?
Think of it this way – As a parent, would you rather surround your baby with products designed by pediatric development experts who know how to facilitate motor and cognitive development – or marketing experts who know how to create “perceived value” and get you to spend your money? We’re developing products like the Learn & Lounge that have actual value, meaning they’re designed to have a lasting impact on infant development – that’s our goal. If we continue doing that then the marketing and sales will take care of itself.
◇ Amazing. I always say moms trust moms but we also really trust doctors and experts in the medical field so I couldn’t agree more. All moms need the Rahoo Baby Learn & Lounge (or need to gift it at the next baby shower). Where can we buy it?
Yes, our expertise is built into the design of every product. This first product, the Learn & Lounge, is now starting to show up in day care centers and homes all over New England because people are starting to catch on – that if your spending money on a baby product, the return should be peace of mind knowing that it keeps your baby safe, and the fact that its actually helping them learn new skills.
The Learn & Lounge is a great example of this – It’s designed to help prevent babies from developing a flat head (seen in almost half of all babies) and helps them master tummy time. On top of that though it’s a safe, cozy place for your baby relax where they can observe and interact with the environment. Right now the Learn & Lounge can be found on our website www.rahoobaby.com. A lot of our customers are writing to us and sharing the reasons they love their Learn & Lounge- some we didn’t even anticipate which has been cool too. It’s an incredibly versatile product.
◇ So, what makes Rahoo Baby unique?
Think of it this way – As a parent, would you rather surround your baby with products designed by pediatric development experts who know how to facilitate motor and cognitive development – or marketing experts who know how to create “perceived value” and get you to spend your money? We’re developing products like the Learn & Lounge that have actual value, meaning they’re designed to have a lasting impact on infant development – that’s our goal. If we continue doing that then the marketing and sales will take care of itself.
◇ Let’s talk about how Rahoo Baby came to be.
The creation and growth of Rahoo Baby has been an organic process which we are so proud of. Working at Children’s Hospital, Matt started to realize that parents were always asking his advice about which baby products they should buy and trust. Over the years, he realized that from his perspective as a pediatric therapist, baby products on the market were not actually all that impressive in terms of function. From our view there are two cornerstones of a baby product worth buying – 1. It prioritizes safety 2. It’s designed to have a lasting impact on infant neurodevelopment. Every product we make, beginning with the Learn & Lounge, is based off of these two values. Other companies value having a sleek style, or being the most (or least) expensive, but those products will not actually bring much value, or in some cases may even be downright unsafe.
◇ Doctor and OT’s turned entrepreneurs. Time for Shark Tank!
It’s really just been one big learning experience for us. Since we are health care professionals, we don’t have much experience in a traditional business sense. So, for every component of Rahoo Baby beginning with the initial spark more than 2 years ago, it’s been the never-ending process of figuring out first what we need to do, how to do it, then actually doing it. Now that we’re seeing parents actually enjoying and above all valuing our products it is starting to pay off.
◇ What is the best advice you have for other entrepreneurs?
We’re big believers in “you don’t know what you don’t know”. Part of our success is due to the way we’ve surrounded ourselves with mentors and advisors who have a lifetime of experience in the baby product industry – it would be naïve to think we could do this all on our own.
◇ So impressed. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
I think people would assume that Matt and I met each other at the University of New Hampshire or through our jobs as pediatric occupational therapists, but we actually didn’t! However, it’s definitely nice having so much in common.
◇ Anything else you would like to share with TSSM?
We are in the process of establishing relationships with high-risk pregnancy centers in and around Boston. The Learn & Lounge is machine washable so eventually we want to incentivize our customers to donate their Learn & Lounges to these centers when they’re done using them. We would be so proud to create something like that.
Thanks so much, Erica & Team! So excited to watch Rahoo Baby grow.
TSSM,
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