Mama Space — a startup that offers reliable support for every mom

Gulnaza Khalmanbetova, city — Bishkek, founder and CEO of Mama Space, @naza_khalman_

How it all began

Since school, I have been passionate about social projects, always finding creative approaches to solving problems. During my university years, I launched small businesses — from a creative workshop to a gift shop. I love organizing and optimizing processes.

“From the operating table to a startup” — that’s how I would describe the story of our startup’s creation.

For the past six years, I have been coordinating programs in an international organization. In addition to my main job, my curiosity and passion for creativity, as well as my desire to try new things and seek adventure, led me to create a startup.

The startup idea was born from personal motherhood experience. My first experience with motherhood was filled with anxiety and a constant search for information, which prompted me to create a community of mothers in Bishkek and organize a large-scale event, Mama-Fest, with top medical experts. I call Mama-Fest a bright holiday of pregnancy and motherhood. Recently, on April 21, we with our partners held the third Mama-Fest and gathered over 380 mothers and pregnant women, where we presented our Mama Space app.

It was my second experience with motherhood that pushed me toward the app. My second pregnancy was difficult and could have ended in tragedy. During one of the surgeries, in the fifth month of pregnancy, I promised myself that if everything went well for me and my unborn son, I would do everything possible so that every mother could find support and not be left alone with her problems. Thus, the idea for Mama Space was born — a platform created so that every woman could go through the stages of motherhood with confidence and support.

The Team

With each step, our idea became clearer and more defined. Our team was formed based on shared values and aspirations, and this is our greatest strength.

“A person needs a person,” — Chingiz Aitmatov.

We started with enthusiasm and determination, and in just three months, despite everyone having full-time jobs, we developed and launched the app. Imagine what we can achieve when we can fully dedicate ourselves to the startup after securing the necessary funding.

Of course, not everything went smoothly, and we had to learn on the go. Interestingly, in the startup, I use all my skills to the fullest: programming experience, business education, graphic design, and song arrangement — all these skills definitely help save money, which is important for a startup at the launch stage.

Our entire team is also involved. For example: Murat, the CTO, translated the app into Kyrgyz himself. Irina, the UX/UI designer, presented the app at exhibitions. Ilgiz, the mobile developer, has no parenting experience but knows better than anyone how pregnancy goes and how to count contractions. Nurgul, an obstetrician-gynecologist, personally works on the library database.

Target Audience

Our users are women planning pregnancy, pregnant women, and new mothers. Currently, the section for pregnant women is ready.

Mama Space is a reliable companion for every mother, providing informational and emotional support.

Key features include:

— the “Eiva” chatbot with a CBT program and a knowledge base ready to answer any questions

— a library of up-to-date articles and useful videos

— support tools for every stage of motherhood

— an online community where every mother can find support and understanding.

We are still in the testing phase, but we already have over 600 downloads in 4 weeks and about 70 active users daily.

This statistics confirms that we are creating a sought-after and useful product. Recently, we also attracted four partners for B2B collaboration, which opens new horizons for development. The app is available on iOS and Android.

Incubation Programs

After long deliberations, we participated in a startup battle in Bishkek and then advanced to the Prosperity Cup program by Accelerate Prosperity. We did not take a prize place, but we received many questions and feedback.

Although we failed to secure investments, we gained valuable experience and feedback. This moment became decisive: either give up everything or move forward. Together with co-founder Murat Jumayev, we decided to take the risk and invest all our efforts and resources into the project. We went through bootstrapping.

I think this was the most crucial moment — a test of faith in the startup’s success.

Challenges

1. Criticism can be harsh and sometimes makes you doubt yourself. But it is precisely because of it that we grow and develop. However, it is also important to accept feedback and remember that this is your business, and you are responsible for making every decision.

2. For me, it is important to choose teammates, partners, and investors based on shared values and principles.

3. Difficulties make us stronger. I never thought that a tragic story about my health during pregnancy could give so much strength, motivation, and drive. And so, the idea born on the operating table is gradually being realized.

Achievements

Our team is a powerful team at the startup formation stage, which I consider a great achievement. We launched the app in three months. We attracted our first B2B clients. For a whole week, we held the 11th place in the App Store in the region in the Health & Fitness rating.

And all this without external funding.

Currently, Mama Space is undergoing the Investment Readiness Accelerator program by MOST with the goal of attracting investments.

Plans

We are actively interacting with our users to improve and refine Mama Space. The next step will be creating an online community. Here we have our own “secret sauces” to make the community interesting, engaging, and useful.

Our goal is to develop the #1 product for parents in Central Asia, including those living outside the region. Next, we plan to scale our product to new markets.