Seattle startup PairTree announced Thursday the launch of an app that will make it easier to connect expectant mothers with families across the United States interested in adopting.
According to PairTree, birth mothers often do not have access to desktop or laptop computers, making mobile phones and apps their primary means of communicating with adoptive families. This app makes these connections easier.
“PairTree is one platform that offers all the services families need to navigate private domestic adoptions in the United States,” said GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch competition in Seattle last week. Founder and CEO Erin Quick, presenting at the GeekWire Summit, said:
Quick said her startup serves adoptive families at a fraction of the cost and on a faster timeline while avoiding potentially discriminatory practices compared to traditional adoption processes. I’m here. The expectant mother is using her PairTree for free, and the platform additionally donates her 5% of net profits to organizations that provide ongoing support to birth mothers.
Since its launch in 2020, over 4,500 adoptive families and over 450 pregnant women have registered on the PairTree platform. About 5 million U.S. families consider adopting each year, says Mr. Quick, who started the company following his own family’s arduous journey of adopting two children.
About 90% of adoptions today are “open.” That is, there is ongoing contact between the birth mother and the adoptive family. Quick said the reality is that it becomes even more important for both parties to make compatible matches.
The new app gives expectant mothers “more choice and control over the process than ever before,” Quick said.
