4moms® Announces $20M in Funding with Bain Capital Ventures

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 4moms®, a developer and marketer of innovative juvenile products, today announced a $20 million funding round led exclusively by Bain Capital Ventures. The funds will be used to fuel continued growth by expanding product development, accelerating the company's investment in supply chain and logistics to meet growing customer demand, and focus on global expansion.

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Founded in 2005, 4moms is the first and only company to introduce innovative robotics technology to baby and juvenile products, a $8.9 billion market in which the products have essentially stayed the same for the past 50 years. The company has disrupted the industry by offering elegantly designed strollers, infant seats and playards that meet the needs of today's busy parents.  4moms sells its product in over 500 retailers in the U.S. and has distribution in 23 additional countries.

With the skills and hard work of a team of expert engineers and designers in combination with feedback from communities of real parents, 4moms has introduced multiple game-changing juvenile products.  The company's mamaRoo infant seat mimics parents' motions by way of a dual-motion robotic platform, and its Origami Power-Folding stroller not only folds at the touch of a button, it charges a cell phone, recharges itself via a built-in generator, and provides a whole host of other safety and convenience features traditional strollers can't. The company expects to launch its next product, the Breeze in September.  The Breeze is a playard that exemplifies cutting-edge mechanical engineering and industrial design, making it the industry's easiest to use playard of its kind without adding any motors at all.

"Today's parents have more information available to them than ever before, so they demand better options when it comes to choosing baby gear," said Robert Daley, CEO of 4moms. "We use advanced robotic technology to deliver differentiated products to meet the needs of today's new parents. We provide our customers with the most elegantly designed, high-quality products available to make daily lives of parents easier."

"We've been long-time observers of the juvenile product category, with unique insight from other Bain Capital portfolio companies including Babies R Us and Gymboree.  The team at 4moms has built the first products in decades that truly disrupt this industry, combining a rare blend of Apple-like design brilliance with world-leading robotics and engineering expertise from Carnegie Mellon," said Scott Friend, Managing Director of Bain Capital Ventures. "The results are products like nothing the world has ever seen."

About 4moms

4moms has introduced robotics technology to the juvenile industry, creating innovative, well-designed products that meet parents' real needs. The experience of the four namesake moms who formed the company's first focus group, plus the expertise of a team of over forty engineers, designers, and developers, gives 4moms its innovative edge in the field of juvenile product design and has put their products in over 500 stores in 24 countries.

4moms develops and markets products for the $8.9 billion juvenile products industry. For more specifics on all 4moms' products, visit www.4moms.com.

About Bain Capital Ventures

Bain Capital Ventures is the venture arm within Bain Capital, which has approximately $66 billion of assets under management worldwide. The firm's history of investing in early stage companies dates back to 1984 with over 125 venture investments since inception. Bain Capital Ventures manages $2.0 billion of assets, has over 70 active portfolio companies, and has offices in Boston, New York, and Palo Alto. The firm has helped steer many ideas to success by working in partnership with management teams, pairing talented and passionate entrepreneurs with industry experts, opening doors to customers, and collaborating on long-term strategies. For more information, please visit www.baincapitalventures.com.

SOURCE 4moms