OfficeSitters attempts to solve the 'early parenthood' challenge for working professionals by integrating co-working spaces with on-site childcare. The deck, dated 2018, proposes a dual-revenue model: membership fees for work-childcare bundles and weekend event space rentals. Notably, the company advocates for a 'Purchase, Don't Lease' real estate strategy to build asset value, intended to be scaled through a franchising model. While the deck highlights strong advisory support from industry veterans like Diana Rothschild, it lacks specific financial projections, unit economics, or a clear cap…
Key takeaways
- The business model combines co-working space and Early Childhood Education (ECE) on-site to facilitate stronger family bonding (Slide 2).
- Pricing is structured around 'half days' per week, ranging from $646/mo for 2 days to $1,485/mo for 5 days (Slide 3).
- A core competitive advantage is the strategy to purchase properties rather than leasing them to capture market appreciation (Slide 4).
- The company plans to operate a franchising model to leverage 'other people's money' for geographic expansion (Slide 4).
- The advisory board includes Diana Rothschild, who previously founded NextKids and managed 9 locations (Slide 5).
- Revenue diversification includes weekend space rentals for events like birthday parties (Slide 4).
- The project timeline shows the idea originated in April 2017, with a website launch in August 2017 (Slide 7).
- The deck identifies the 'shared economy' as an explosive industry driving the timing of the investment (Slide 8).
Executive Summary
OfficeSitters is a social enterprise concept that merges the worlds of commercial real estate and early childhood education. The deck, originating from 2018, presents a solution for the modern working parent: a place to work that is physically integrated with a place for their children to learn. Unlike many asset-light startups, OfficeSitters leans heavily into property ownership as a core competitive advantage, aiming to build a franchise-ready brand in the shared economy space.
Slide 1: Title Slide
The title slide introduces the brand name 'OfficeSitters' with a logo consisting of two semi-circles. The tagline is represented by the URL 'www.WhenYouNeedBoth.com.' The slide confirms the legal entity as OfficeSitters LLC and dates the deck to 2018. It is marked as a 'Confidential Pitch Deck.'
Slide 2: The Concept
This slide uses a simple architectural cross-section graphic to explain the value proposition. The top floor shows a co-working space with professionals at laptops, while the bottom floor depicts an early childhood education center with a teacher and children. The text explicitly defines the model as 'Co-working Space + Early Childhood Education ON-SITE.' The stated mission is to create a social enterprise to make early parenthood easier for working professionals.
Slide 3: Vision - Family and Focus
Slide 3 breaks down the benefits into two categories: 'Focus' and 'Family.' Under Focus, the deck lists career continuation and predictable work windows. It provides specific example pricing for the service: $1,485/mo for 5 half days per week, $900/mo for 3 half days, and $646/mo for 2 half days. Under Family, it emphasizes quality academic content, stronger bonding for both parents, and the convenience of 'one commute.' It also mentions the facility doubles as an event space for weekend birthdays.
Slide 4: Competitive Advantage - Ownership and Diversification
This is the most strategic slide in the deck. It outlines two main pillars. First, the company insists on purchasing properties rather than leasing them, arguing that assets can be offloaded when the market is high. Second, it proposes a franchising model where the company provides technical and marketing support to franchisees. This is described as a way to leverage 'other people's money' to achieve a scalable and repeatable model.
Slide 5: Advisor - Diana Rothschild
The deck leverages social proof by featuring Diana Rothschild. She is described as an 'Adviser and Social Entrepreneur' and the founder of NextKids in San Francisco, which operated 9 co-working and childcare locations between 2012 and 2016. A quote from 2017 expresses her belief in the model and the uniqueness of the OfficeSitters solution. The slide includes her LinkedIn profile and a Huffington Post article link.
Slide 6: Advisor - Professor C. Sara Minard
A second advisor slide features Professor C. Sara Minard, PhD, from Columbia University. She is listed as an 'Unofficial Adviser, Social Entrepreneur, and Mentor to CEO.' Her quote emphasizes the social mission: 'to raise healthy kids while working.' Like the previous slide, it includes a LinkedIn link to verify her credentials.
Slide 7: Launch Timeline
The timeline tracks the company's progress starting in April 2017, when 'Jamiah and Ryan' first discussed the idea. Key milestones include purchasing the domain in May 2017, conducting research and recruiting the founding team through the summer, and launching the website on August 21st, 2017. The final entry indicates a 'Launch Seed Fundraising' goal for January 2018.
Slide 8: Why Invest NOW?
The final slide in this set summarizes the investment thesis. It lists five reasons: a superstar team and mentors, an explosive industry (shared economy), a proven concept and market, immediate impact for families, and scalability through franchising. The graphics are simple icons intended to reinforce the 'proven' and 'scalable' nature of the business.
What Works
Clear Value Proposition: The deck does an excellent job of explaining exactly what the business does within the first two slides. The architectural graphic on Slide 2 is a highly effective way to communicate a physical business model without using excessive text.
Strategic Diversification: Mentioning weekend event rentals as a secondary revenue stream (Slide 4) shows that the founders are thinking about maximizing the utility of their real estate assets during off-hours, which is a common pain point for co-working spaces.
High-Quality Advisors: Including Diana Rothschild is a significant win. Since she previously ran a similar model (NextKids) with 9 locations, her endorsement helps mitigate the 'execution risk' that investors might feel regarding a complex, regulated industry like childcare.
What is Missing
Founding Team Details: While the advisors are prominent, the actual founders ('Jamiah and Ryan') are only mentioned by first name on a timeline slide. Investors need to see the full professional backgrounds, roles, and equity stakes of the people running the company day-to-day.
The Ask: The deck mentions 'Launch Seed Fundraising' on Slide 7, but it does not state how much money is being raised, the valuation, or how the funds will be allocated. Without a clear 'Ask' slide, the deck functions more as a brochure than a fundraising tool.
Unit Economics and Financials: For a real estate-heavy model, the lack of a pro-forma or even a basic 'unit' breakdown (e.g., cost to acquire a property vs. expected annual yield per square foot) is a major omission. Purchasing property is capital-intensive; the deck needs to explain how they will finance the initial acquisitions before the franchising model kicks in.
Regulatory and Licensing Strategy: Childcare is one of the most heavily regulated industries. The deck does not address how they plan to handle state-level licensing, insurance, or the specific ratios of staff to children required by law, which are critical operational hurdles.
Founder Takeaways
Asset Strategy Matters: If your startup involves physical space, be clear about your 'Buy vs. Lease' strategy. OfficeSitters makes a bold claim on Slide 4 that purchasing is a competitive advantage. This appeals to investors who prefer 'hard assets' over pure software plays, but it also changes the type of investor you should target (e.g., real estate PE vs. traditional VC).
Use Social Proof Early: If you have an advisor who has already done what you are trying to do, give them their own slide. OfficeSitters uses Slides 5 and 6 to build immediate credibility by association.
Address the 'Off-Hours': For any business with a physical footprint, showing how you generate revenue when your primary customers aren't there (like weekend rentals on Slide 4) is a smart way to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and creative thinking.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary problem OfficeSitters aims to solve?
- OfficeSitters targets the difficulty of balancing early parenthood with a professional career. By providing co-working spaces and early childhood education in a single on-site location, the company aims to eliminate separate commutes and provide parents with 'predictable work windows' while remaining close to their children for bonding, as stated on Slide 3.
- How does OfficeSitters plan to generate revenue?
- The deck outlines three primary revenue streams: monthly co-working and childcare memberships (with example pricing up to $1,485/mo), weekend space rentals for birthday parties or special events, and long-term franchising fees from third-party operators who use the OfficeSitters brand and technical operations assistance (Slides 3 and 4).
- Why does the deck emphasize property ownership over leasing?
- Slide 4 explicitly states, 'PURCHASE THE PROPERTIES! DON’T LEASE!' The rationale is that real estate assets become part of the company's valuation and can be sold if the market is up. This strategy is intended to solve cash-flow problems and provide a hedge against the volatility of the co-working market.
- Who are the key people mentioned in the deck?
- The deck highlights two main advisors: Diana Rothschild, founder of NextKids (which operated 9 locations), and Professor C. Sara Minard of Columbia University. The timeline on Slide 7 mentions 'Jamiah and Ryan' as the individuals who discussed the original idea in April 2017, though their full names and titles are not provided in the slides.
- What is the proposed scaling strategy for the company?
- OfficeSitters intends to scale through a franchising real estate model. According to Slide 4, the company will provide technical operations and marketing assistance to franchisees. This allows the brand to expand quickly by leveraging the capital of local partners while maintaining a repeatable model through brand recognition.
