'On demand' childcare app in London gets investment from Made In Chelsea star

Former Made in Chelsea star Binky Felstead has entered the UK tech industry by investing in on-demand childcare platform bubble.

The app is said to help parents arrange trusted childcare. Binky, being a mother of one, has been using bubble for almost two years.

She first came across it when trying to find care for daughter India, calling the service a “saviour” for working mums. bubble is a marketplace, supposedly giving parents choice and control to choose the right babysitter for them.

The app connects parents to childcarers recommended by their friends and community. bubble’s rating system showcases a user’s reviews from previous sits, and every sitter on the platform must pass identity, background and reference checks before going live.

Binky Felstead said: “Being a single and working parent can be quite overwhelming sometimes. Motherhood isn’t easy and it’s invaluable to know that trusted help is always an option.

“I first started using bubble because I realised I couldn’t do everything on my own and needed a helping hand. I’ve always been interested in investing and knowing bubble so well, it was a no brainer to back a company I love.”

Parents are said to use the app for social and work purposes, as well as for emergency or unexpected situations that arise. Around 40 per cent of sits on the app are booked during the daytime and 35 per cent are booked within 48 hours’ notice.

Ari Last, bubble’s founder, added: “We’re so happy to have Binky join our team of investors. She has been a power-user since early on so she knows the value of our service to parents.

“Like the thousands of parents in our community, Binky is smart, loving, hard-working and ambitious - and we set bubble up to support and enable mums and dads like her. We’re so excited to have her on board.”