Babson Senior Launches Innovative Childcare Startup to Support Busy Families

Mawena Tafa, a senior at Babson College, is the founder of Pickup Buddi, a service that connects local high school and college students with busy parents in need of short-term childcare assistance.

The idea for Pickup Buddi emerged when Tafa identified a gap in the childcare market. Through her early market research, she discovered that few professional caregivers were willing to take on short, 30-minute jobs once they accounted for travel time, transportation costs, and other operational expenses.

“A single mother I knew needed help picking up her child from school, but none of the professional caregivers were interested in such a brief task,” Tafa said.

This realization led her to develop a business that meets a real need for parents—providing flexible, short-term childcare services that fit into their busy schedules.

While building Pickup Buddi, Tafa spent weekends interviewing parents in New York City and Boston Common to better understand the challenges they faced.

“I knew it was important to validate the idea before jumping in, so I listened to the community,” she said. Her research helped refine the business model, ultimately focusing on connecting parents with local students who had flexible schedules and could quickly step in when needed.

Pickup Buddi gained traction rapidly. After receiving $2,000 in seed funding through a Babson College pitch competition, the startup partnered with an afterschool program in New York and earned $10,000 in its first month. Balancing a fast-growing business with academic demands presented challenges. Tafa credits her disciplined time-blocking system for helping her manage the workload.

“I plan my day in 30-minute increments, and if I don’t finish something, I move it to the next day’s list,” she said. To fellow Posse Scholars interested in entrepreneurship, Tafa offers clear advice: “Believe in yourself and your mission. Entrepreneurship is hard, but having a strong reason behind your business will keep you motivated.”