# brightwheel

> Brightwheel is the all-in-one operating platform for early education centers, combining billing, attendance, family communication, enrollment, lesson planning, and compliance reporting into a single product. Founded in 2014 by Dave Vasen and backed by $88.8M in funding, it serves 150,000+ childcare programs and 2.2 million monthly active users across 50+ countries, holding over 53% market share in childcare management software.

- **Founded:** 2014
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Dave Vasen (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~498 employees (2024), including 43 engineers and 94 sales reps
- **Products:** Attendance & Digital Check-In, Billing & Payments, Family Communication, Admissions & Enrollment, Assessment & Observations
- **Notable:** 53.82% market share in childcare management software category, 150,000+ childcare programs served across 50+ countries, 2.2 million monthly active users

## Products & services

- **Attendance & Digital Check-In** — Contactless QR-code and app-based check-in with real-time room ratio monitoring and capacity compliance tools.
- **Billing & Payments** — Automated invoicing, recurring payments, autopay setup, late fee automation, online payment processing, and year-end tax statements for families.
- **Family Communication** — Real-time daily updates, photos, videos, and direct messaging between teachers and parents via mobile app.
- **Admissions & Enrollment** — Custom online enrollment packets, digital signatures, waitlist management, and family application portals.
- **Assessment & Observations** — Child progress tracking, pre-loaded state developmental standards, DRDP tools, and milestone reporting shared with families.
- **Lesson Planning & Curriculum** — Integrated curriculum tools including Experience Early Learning (acquired 2023), HighScope alignment, and classroom management features.
- **Staff Management & Payroll** — Staff time tracking, scheduling, time-off management, and one-click Gusto payroll integration.
- **Financial Reporting** — Expense tracking, P&L reporting, general ledger, customizable chart of accounts, and CACFP management.
- **Multi-Site Management** — Centralized dashboard for enterprise childcare operators managing multiple locations with consolidated reporting.

## Achievements

- 53.82% market share in childcare management software category
- 150,000+ childcare programs served across 50+ countries
- 2.2 million monthly active users
- $75M annual run rate as of mid-2024
- 74% year-over-year revenue growth from 2023 to 2024
- Over $700M valuation
- Featured on ABC Shark Tank Season 7, secured $600K from Mark Cuban and Chris Sacca
- First early education app to introduce two-factor authentication
- Largest engineering team dedicated to early education technology
- Acquired Experience Early Learning (2023) to expand into curriculum management
- 99.9% platform uptime
- 97% customer satisfaction rating

## Latest updates

- **2024-07** — Annual run rate crossed $75M; company valuation reported at over $700M
- **2024** — Launched 23+ new platform features including enhanced financial management with expense tracking and P&L reporting
- **2024** — Expanded team to ~498 employees; grew engineering team to 43 dedicated members
- **2023-04** — Acquired Experience Early Learning to integrate research-based curriculum and assessment directly into the platform
- **2021-02** — Closed $55M Series C round led by Addition, bringing total funding to $88.8M

## Links

- Website: https://mybrightwheel.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/brightwheel
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/brightwheel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybrightwheel

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brightwheel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-19