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PairTree, a startup that connects expectant mothers with families seeking adoption, is expanding its services into a comprehensive platform supporting various aspects of the adoption process. Based in Seattle, the company recently secured $650,000 in funding for this expansion, with investments from Urban Innovation Group, Trust Ventures, and Cubit Capital, bringing its total funding to $7.85 million.
In order to enhance its offerings, PairTree is onboarding professionals onto its platform who specialize in facilitating the adoption process. This includes adoption lawyers and agencies, as well as state-licensed professionals who conduct necessary home studies to assess and approve adopting families.
By bringing together all stakeholders in the adoption process within one online community, PairTree aims to streamline the adoption process and assist participants nationwide in navigating the complexities of adoption.
“Until everybody is connected on one platform, we can’t create the change that we’re all craving in the industry,” said PairTree co-founder and CEO Erin Quick. “So it’s a huge endeavor. But it’s one that has a massive upside.”
PairTree ensures quality control by exclusively hosting ethical and licensed adoption professionals on its platform. Quick has set a target this year to onboard 30 agencies, attorneys, and home study providers exclusively onto the platform. Currently, there are 16 providers signed up, including a provider offering home studies for families interested in fostering children, thus offering additional pathways to adoption.
Families seeking to adopt pay PairTree for packages that may include profile creation, social media promotion, adoption education, and home study acquisition.
Founded in 2020 by Quick, PairTree was inspired by her own challenging and costly adoption journey, which ultimately resulted in the adoption of two children. Initially marketed as a more affordable and expedited alternative to traditional adoptions, PairTree aimed to minimize reliance on attorneys and agencies, particularly in states where their services aren’t mandatory. Quick asserts that the company still offers these benefits by streamlining the adoption process, even when families engage adoption professionals.
In her endeavor to enhance the adoption sector as a whole, Quick is spearheading the creation of the National Consortium of Ethical Adoption Professionals. This organization aims to combat scams and establish protective measures, including support for birth mothers, facilitation of open adoptions allowing continued contact between birth mothers and adoptive families, and ensuring that potential birth mothers aren’t coerced into adoption.
Consortium members will also commit to serving a diverse range of families. Many adoption agencies have religious affiliations, and in some states, agencies can refuse to work with certain clients, such as gay couples or single mothers. These values are in line with the ethics embraced by PairTree.
The 8-person team at PairTree includes a mother who has undergone the adoption process twice and can offer guidance to expectant mothers. Additionally, the company allocates 5% of fees paid by adopting families to organizations that support birth mothers. PairTree is dedicated to collaborating with LGBTQ families and accommodating various religious beliefs.
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