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Wana Family Network, Offering Babysitting Swaps, Acquires Komae

Los Angeles-based Wana Family Network, which operates a service which lets familys "swap" babysitting services with each other, has acquired Komae, an Ohio-based competitor. Financial details of the acquisition were not announced. Wana Family Network, led by founder and CEO Erin Beck, says that the acquisition adds over 19,000 families to its community, plus a set of mobile apps. Wana Family Network allows families to meet, set up play dates, and trade childcare for "points" instead of dollars; the company's services are similar to the neighborhood babysitting co-ops which had previously been popular with families in the pre-Internet age. The company says that users can swap babysitting time, for example, allowing one couple's date night and another's parents gym session.