Wyndy Receives $3 Million from NFL and NBA Owner Gayle Benson’s Fund

Company is positioned for growth with new investment and CEO transition

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA (Aug. 4, 2021): Benson Capital Partners, a venture fund created by Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL team and the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team, has recently invested $3 million in Birmingham-based startup Wyndy.

"Mrs. Benson’s vision behind our fund is to invest in promising Southeastern startups like Wyndy. Not only is Wyndy poised to aggressively grow its babysitting business, but now has the opportunity to expand to additional industries in need of technology to match skilled labor with talent," says Mike Katz, the fund's managing director.

Created in 2017 by parents Ginger and Tommy Mayfield, Wyndy is a mobile app that makes it convenient for families to find, book, and pay vetted, background-checked college babysitters. "While trust is what brings parents to the Wyndy app, what keeps them coming back is the convenience and reliability Wyndy provides. The most common amount of time it takes to connect a parent to at least one sitter ready to work their job is less than five minutes. Moreover, almost 20% of all Wyndy jobs are posted, booked, and completed on the same day. Before Wyndy, if we wanted to go out on a Friday night, we'd have to start looking for a sitter on Monday morning. Wyndy has eliminated that. Today I can post a job on Wyndy and, in minutes, I'll have someone great ready to take care of our girls," says Mayfield. Parents interested in using the service can visit wyndy.com or download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store.

Local college students also benefit from Wyndy, as it provides them with a viable part-time income that works with their schedule and also allows them to build relationships within the larger community. To date, Wyndy has put almost $3 million dollars into the pockets of Birmingham college students alone. In order to keep up with rising demand, Wyndy is looking to approve at least 1,000 new sitters in Birmingham, Nashville and New Orleans. Students interested in applying online can visit wyndy.com/sitter.

Following the funding round, which closed earlier this year, Mayfield and the Company’s board of directors sought to determine how to best harness the organic growth the Company was already experiencing and accelerate it with the fresh infusion of capital. Wyndy’s weekly bookings have increased over 700% since the beginning of the pandemic, and the number of parents signing up has increased 80% since the first quarter of this year.

“In order to maximize the Company’s momentum moving forward, I’ve decided now is the right time to hand the reins to a CEO who has not only leadership experience, but also the skills and experience necessary to build and lead a world-class marketing department. We’ve found such a leader in Missy Polhemus, and I am thrilled to pass the torch to her,” shares Mayfield.

Polhemus, Wyndy’s new CEO, has a long and successful history with the Birmingham tech community. She was an early marketing leader at Shipt, helping lead the company to its $550 million acquisition by Target. For the past two years, she has served as Chief Marketing Officer at TaxSlayer. “From my earliest conversations with Tommy, Mike Katz with Benson, and the Wyndy team, it was clear that the Company is poised for rapid growth and the team is focused on making that happen! It's an amazing honor to take over the reins from Tommy, who has poured so much of himself into getting Wyndy to where it is today,” shares Polhemus.

About Wyndy

Wyndy is a free app with a network of thousands of vetted, background-checked college sitters. Launched in 2017, the app currently operates in over 20 markets across 8 southeastern states. Through the app, families have received more than 325,000 hours of childcare. For more information, visit wyndy.com.

About Benson Capital

Benson Capital Partners (“BCP”) is a New Orleans-based, for-profit entity founded in 2019 by Gayle M. Benson, principal owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. BCP is an organization that facilitates new business formation, workforce expansion, and wealth creation by investing capital and providing resources to the most promising companies that are addressing large markets. Benson Capital Partners is a partnership to honor the legacy of her late husband Tom Benson by fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in the Gulf South Region. For more information, please visit www.bensonCP.com.