EvdekiBakıcım, Turkish Childcare Startup, Decides to Shut Down
EvdekiBakıcım, the Turkish platform that connected families with nannies and playmates, is ending operations after the pandemic and a drop in household purchasing power.
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giftdetect· the right gift in minutesEvdekiBakıcım, the Turkish platform that matched families with babysitters, elderly caregivers and "oyun ablası" (play sitters), has decided to end its operations. Co-founder Miraç Bal described the process, which runs from an attempt to build a digital care model to corporate services, the pandemic shock and weaker household budgets.
According to Bal, the decision was not triggered by a single event. It followed a series of difficulties that built up over the years until the company could no longer keep the platform running.
A digital model for a daily family need
The startup set out to bring families and care providers together online in a field that traditionally runs on personal contacts and recommendations. Over time it expanded from child and elderly care to play sitter services. Bal says digitising care meant more than building a platform: informal work habits and unregistered employment in the sector were among the obstacles.
The company also moved into corporate services, aiming to reach employees through their employers, and worked with insurance companies to offer care and play sitter services alongside insurance products.
Funding, the pandemic and the economy
EvdekiBakıcım received 675,000 TL in investment in 2017 and, in 2019, announced 600,000 dollars from three Canadian angel investors. Its latest valuation stands at 15 million dollars. At that point the focus was on widening services and growing internationally.
The pandemic then hit a model that depended on caregivers visiting family homes. Bal reports a sharp fall in business volume. The team introduced testing and quarantine for caregivers before home visits and went through a long restructuring.
Bal also points to the depreciation of the Turkish lira and falling purchasing power, which reduced families' ability to pay for care and weighed on demand. Despite the restructuring, he says, continuing the existing business model no longer made sense. The company has now formally ended its activities.
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