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Deal Flow Insights
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Hi there,
Here at NZVC we're seeing lots of interesting, early stage deals in New Zealand and wanted to share them with our LPs and early supporters. The intent is to show the energy of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of New Zealand and also get your thoughts, advice and possible investment into some of these companies. Please note these emails do not constitute an endorsement of these companies by NZVC.
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NOD
www.getnod.io
On-demand childcare platform solving parents' unplanned care needs in real-time.
Childcare Technology / On-Demand Services
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The Story
NOD emerged from founder Haylee Killip's personal experience navigating the isolation of early motherhood. With a colicky baby, no nearby family support, and a partner working long hours, she experienced firsthand what she describes as the "emotional wall that mothers hit daily." This intimate understanding of parental burnout and the gap in flexible childcare options drove her to build NOD as more than just a booking platform. What started as SOS childcare has evolved into a broader vision of "permissionless parenting" — empowering parents to design the lives they want without being constrained by rigid childcare systems. Killip's 7-year roadmap extends far beyond on-demand nannies, envisioning an AI-powered infrastructure that anticipates parental needs and integrates into daily life.
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Market Opportunity
The childcare crisis across ANZ presents a significant opportunity, with expensive, inaccessible traditional options creating demand for flexible alternatives. In Auckland alone, NOD targets 5,000 families in high-density areas where dual working parents face regular childcare gaps. The platform's expansion into Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and planned rollout across Brisbane and Melbourne positions it to capture a multi-billion dollar market where 80% of bookings occur same-day, indicating massive unmet demand for responsive childcare solutions.
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Traction
NOD has delivered impressive early metrics with 20,000+ childcare hours completed and 500+ families supported since launch. The platform maintains a 70% repeat booking rate within three months, climbing to 100% within six months — demonstrating strong product-market fit. Key performance indicators include:
- 30-39% month-on-month GMV growth with $100k revenue milestone achieved
- 500 monthly active users in Auckland with 200+ app sign-ups monthly
- 250 vetted nannies (up from 100 in May) maintaining 95% acceptance rate
- Average booking value of $147 with 30% take rate
- Meta advertising delivering 5-8x ROI with 30% growth from word-of-mouth
- Successful PlayPods pilot exceeding expectations in Auckland
- Sydney launch underway with 40 nannies recruited ahead of market entry
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Why We're Excited
NOD represents a rare combination of solving a genuine pain point with exceptional execution and ambitious vision. The founder's deep personal connection to the problem translates into product decisions that resonate — 80% same-day bookings with 20-minute response times address real parental emergencies, not theoretical use cases. The repeatability of their suburb-by-suburb playbook, demonstrated through consistent metrics across Auckland and early Sydney signals, suggests genuine scalability. What sets NOD apart is Killip's recognition that on-demand childcare is merely the wedge into a much larger opportunity. Her roadmap toward predictive, AI-powered parenting infrastructure — calendar integrations, burnout detection, proactive suggestions — positions NOD to become the operating system for modern parenting rather than just another booking platform. The company's ability to maintain strong unit economics (30% take rate) while building defensible network effects through nanny density gives us confidence in both near-term execution and long-term defensibility.
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Useful Reads
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Test change
Published days ago, this RNZ piece documents the structural collapse of NZ's formal ECE sector — 443 centre closures since 2022, mounting waitlists, and costs rising again after FamilyBoost relief — providing LPs with real-time evidence of the supply-demand gap that makes NOD's on-demand model not just convenient but essential.
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Startup Stories: Haylee Killip - NOD - MoA
A September 2025 founder profile from Ministry of Awesome giving LPs direct insight into Haylee Killip's product philosophy, safety roadmap for the Australian market, and the AI-powered matching features in development — key context for evaluating execution capability and scalability ambition.
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