Pumpspotting, a Kittery startup, raises another $2.2M to fund growth
Courtesy / pumpspotting
Amy VanHaren, founder and CEO of pumpspotting, was honored on the Mainebiz Next list in 2021.
Pumpspotting, a Kittery-based breastfeeding support platform, has completed a $2.2 million seed financing round, bringing the startup’s fundraising total to $3.35 million.
The latest round, announced Wednesday, was led by Sincere Corp., a Framingham, Mass.-based software development company whose founder and CEO Matt Douglas serves on pumpspotting’s board, and Maine Venture Fund.
Both were also investors in a $1.15 million seed round two years ago.
New investors in 2023 include Unum Business Ventures and Maine Technology Institute, along with Ad Astra Ventures, a San Diego-based venture capital firm that supports female founders through bootcamps, one-on-one mentorship and strategic investments.
“We started a relationship when I attended one of their bootcamps,” Amy VanHaren, pumpspotting’s founder and CEO, told Mainebiz in a phone interview. “They were excited about what we’re building.”
VanHaren was honored on the Mainebiz Next list in 2021 and shared her startup story in an episode of the Mainebiz podcast archived here.
Growth ambitions
Pumpspotting, which was founded in 2015, has served more than 70,000 parents and helped more than 70 companies in the U.S. and Canada implement comprehensive lactation programs. Clients include Allagash Brewing Co., Maine's largest brewer.
Pumpspotting teamed up with the Portland Sea Dogs earlier this year to provide the app free of charge to all fans, employees and partners of the minor league baseball team.
The startup's plans for the $2.2 million include commercial product expansion and a foray into health care, prompted by a query from a large hospital in New York, according to VanHaren.
“We’ve always seen the opportunity for how pumpspotting as a solution can support the goals of health care organizations,” she told Mainebiz. “That will be something we will start to explore.”
'Sweat and hustle'
VanHaren leads a team of eight full-time employees, six of whom are in Maine, with plans to add further hires including a head of operations.
“I’ve always been so proud of building a company here in Maine,” VanHaren said.
Asked whether fundraising was easier the second time around, VanHaren noted that while the climate is very different from what it was in 2021, it remains challenging.
“It was still a lot of sweat and hustle,” she said.
Offering an investor's perspective, Sincere Corp.'s Douglas said, “The team at pumpspotting has built a strong community-driven product, and we’re excited to continue to support them in the next chapter of their growth.”
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