Class of 1995 alum Brett Wigdortz and his co-founders, Edd Read and John Newbold, are revolutionizing the childcare landscape in England. Since 2018, their startup, Tiney, has empowered a new generation of childminders (a British reference to a child-care worker) while giving parents access to affordable, regulated, and enriching care for their children.

Wigdortz's path to England from his home state of New Jersey began with international opportunities he had while at the University of Richmond. UR’s focus on global education drew him to UR where he served as the first residential advisor at the International House and spent his junior year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

With international studies and economics degrees, he entered the consulting world and was given global assignments that took him to Indonesia and Singapore. He went on to earn a master’s in economics from the University of Hawaii and three honorary doctorates thereafter. In 2002, he transferred to London from Jakarta for a banking project. He would there found the Teach First teacher training program and then Teach for All, a collaboration with Teach for America, now available in 60 countries.

“Those degrees were really about thinking and learning how to learn,” he said, “I was always interested in being an entrepreneur, and [Tiney] was a really great entrepreneurial idea.”

Wigdortz seized the opportunity to help the childminders industry. He built a tech-enabled platform that made it easier for people to become high-quality childminders. The platform provides the training, tools, and ongoing support needed to run a successful small business out of their homes. Tiney also vets and inspects the childminding establishments.

“We regulate them and help ensure they are run at a really high level, with great support and activities for the children,” Wigdortz said.

Tiney’s digital platform also provides caregivers with tools to assist with the necessary chores to keep their businesses running smoothly, including creating contracts, paying taxes, getting insurance, and collecting payments.

By assisting with the administrative burden, Tiney ensures childminders can focus on providing exceptional early childhood experiences, following England’s Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Childminders have access to the platform’s more than 1,000 “Tiney Tips,” which are engaging activity plans and lesson ideas to make their jobs easier.

In just five years, Tiney is considered the fourth-largest provider of preschool care in the UK, with more than 1,300 childminders on the platform. Tiney currently represents 40% of all new childminders in the country. Wigdortz is in talks to expand the Tiney platform to Australia and perhaps to the United States.