Kango is a company that prioritizes the emotional and physical safety of every passenger. Its mission is to empower families to do more. This startup is changing the game for childcare and ride-share for kids.
What is one industry trend you hope to see this year?
“As a parent and a founder, I hope to see ridesharing for kids – and transportation for children overall – continue to innovate in safety, combining people, operations and technology. As this type of flexible transportation for smaller groups of children continues to complement the traditional school buses, and scale correspondingly grows, I hope the relationship between the two modes of transportation becomes even more symbiotic. Schools should also become more connected to their various transportation providers, through technology.”
What are your goals for Kango this year?
“The COVID-19 outbreak has completely changed the landscape of Q1 and Q2 of 2020, and likely beyond. As a young, nimble company, Kango is moving quickly to adapt to the needs of our customers, drivers, and our HQ team. Our top priority has always been safety – and now our focus is to continue to maximize and safeguard the safety and health of everyone who interacts with the platform – and this, as we support the transportation and childcare needs of essential healthcare workers who are parents, and other vulnerable populations. Our second goal is to adapt to a new customer and community needs that have emerged during this time and to leverage our platform to provide those services safely and help as much as we can, during this period. Last, but not least, we are preparing for growth in our transportation business when schools reopen around Back to School, even though that transition may take on a different shape in 2020 than in years past.”
Where did you get the idea of Kango from?
“I started Kango after experiencing my own challenges as a working mother of two lively, young children. At the time, I was leading a global product team at online photo and video startup Snapfish.com, in San Francisco. Working across multiple time zones, with two young kids in different schools across town from each other, and a spouse who worked an hour away from the city, proved nearly impossible. When it came time to carpool pickups, drop-offs, baseball, guitar, and work meetings, it was simply impossible to be in three places at once. I saw that other working parents were facing the same issues, and created Kango as the solution.”
What is your main mission behind the company?
“Kango is dedicated to empowering parents and families to “go places.” While establishing specific safety measures and going the extra mile to ensure each child is safe, our mission is to enable both parents and kids to pursue their dreams without having to sacrifice the goals of the people they love.”
What’s been the most challenging thing about building a startup?
“The most challenging part of building a startup is ensuring safety for each child and making sure the safety measures taken are held to the highest standard. We are committed to growing responsibly and thoughtfully.”
What’s the biggest piece of advice you’ve learned since starting your business?
“Remain confident in yourself and in your vision. Even if you’re in a room filled with people who can’t relate to what you’re building, or who don’t believe what you are building is possible, realize that YOU determine the path ahead, not others. Recruit a driven startup team and support network that you trust, who believes in you as a leader, and in your mission.”
