Our Story
How Kindred started
The birth of an idea
The idea for Kindred was born out of personal experiences. In early 2017, our daughter was born while we were living in a flat in Notting Hill, West London.
As first-time parents, Adam and I found ourselves overwhelmed, not just by the demands of parenting, but also by the challenge of finding family-friendly places that accommodated our needs.
It often felt like an endless trial-and-error process to discover the cafés with space for a pushchair, the restaurants with changing tables, the location for baby music classes, or basically anywhere that catered to parents with babies.
Need for a better way
We’d spend hours searching Google, TripAdvisor, and Facebook groups, only to get the best recommendations through word of mouth from other moms or by scouting locations where we could see pushchairs.
Eventually, we found our favorite go-to spots. But many days, it was easier to stay at home than face the stress of trying to find a new place that worked for us.
It was in these moments of frustration that the seed idea for Kindred was planted — we knew there had to be a better way for parents to navigate this.
New city, new challenges
Later in 2017, we moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, with our 7-month-old daughter, only to start the process all over again. In a new city, with its infamous wind and rain, the search for family-friendly indoor spots became an important aspect.
And by late 2018, we had welcomed our son, and the search expanded. Which museums were free and had play areas? Are there microwaves to reheat homemade toddler meals? Which cafés had high chairs, pushchair access, and kid meals? Which playground was fenced so our toddler could run around safely while I breastfed our baby?
It became clear that parents needed a one-stop solution, and the idea for Kindred continued to grow.
Taking root in Sweden
In 2019, our family relocated again — this time to Gothenburg, Sweden. With three countries now under our belt, the challenge of finding family-friendly places in yet another new city was daunting.
Thankfully, I found active Facebook groups where local parents shared valuable tips, and that’s when I realized the power of collective parent knowledge.
I began pitching the idea of Kindred to friends and family, and the response was overwhelming: “Is it available in my area?” and "When can I download the app?" It was then that Adam and I decided to start working on Kindred in earnest and let the idea of Kindred take root and grow.
Resilience through the pandemic
Then, 2020 hit. Like many families, we faced the challenges of the pandemic, but we also welcomed our third child, born in early 2021.
Despite the chaos, the dream of Kindred remained strong.
In fact, the need to support parents became even more urgent as lockdowns and isolation made parenting even more stressful and family outings and community connections harder than ever.
Creation of Synova Technology
By early 2022, we had built many of the first Figma prototypes and started conducting early user interviews. Yes, progress was slow—balancing life as parents of three kids in a country where we were still learning the language was overwhelming—but our commitment to Kindred and seeing it flourish never wavered.
In October 2022, Adam and I officially founded Synova Technology, the company behind Kindred. As bootstrappers funding our dream, Adam balances his work as a CTO coach and Fractional CTO for startups, while also serving as Kindred’s co-founder and CTO.
My background in product development and commercialization complements his expertise, creating a strong partnership as we build Kindred from the ground up.
Our mission and vision
At its core, Kindred is about making parenting a little easier. We know firsthand the struggles parents face when trying to find family-friendly places, and we’ve built Kindred to be the solution.
Our mission is simple: to make it quick and easy to find and plan family-friendly activities so parents can spend less time planning and more time making memories.
Our vision is a global community where families effortlessly connect with the best family-friendly experiences, no matter where they are. A world where parents create lasting memories with their children—without the stress of planning—ensuring every family outing is enjoyable and accessible.
We invite you to follow us on this journey as we grow Kindred into the app we envision—one that supports parents around the world.
Meet our founders
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Jenine's journey started in the medical device industry, where she spent over 17 years refining her skills. As an R&D engineer and later a manager at a California startup, she led product teams in developing implantable cardiovascular devices. She was deeply involved in every stage, from early development to regulatory approval and commercialization.
Transitioning closer to the commercial side, Jenine discovered her passion for customer engagement. She focused on training and educating medical doctors and sales teams. As the Director of Marketing and Training in Europe, she gained valuable insights into the customer journey from product development to market adoption.
Innovation and leadership have always been at the heart of Jenine's career. She holds four US patents, including a pivotal one for the Endologix Alto stent graft system. Leading people and teams on multi-million-dollar projects in both venture-backed and publicly listed companies has given her a wealth of experience.
Though software development is a newer field for Jenine, her background in engineering and startups has equipped her with a versatile skill set. Her career, largely rooted in startups, offers a unique perspective and agility in navigating the challenges and opportunities of scaling innovative technologies, and has made her adept at wearing multiple hats to drive product development from concept to market.
As a parent of three, Jenine's personal experiences enrich her professional journey. This dual perspective allows her to be both a subject matter expert and an ideal customer for Kindred.
Her work is not just about developing technology; it's about making a real difference in the lives of families like hers.
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With an expansive 30-year career in software engineering, Adam has navigated various industry sectors and countries, accruing a wealth of expertise.
As Synova Technology's CTO, Adam leverages his extensive knowledge in MarTech, FinTech, big data, and information security to align the technology strategy with the business goals so companies can reach their technological and operational goals.
Solution oriented and a positive driver of change, Adam has guided countless teams through critical points in their transformation process with the balance of his expertise and the client’s business needs.
His commitment to the industry extends to coaching CTOs, guiding them to lead engineering teams, craft strategies, and excel as executive leaders. Additionally, Adam is the host of "The CTO Playbook" - the podcast dedicated to helping CTOs excel.
When he's not busy shaping the future of technology or imparting wisdom to the next generation of CTOs, you can find him out and about, enjoying the Swedish wilderness with his family, proving he's as skilled at navigating the great outdoors as he is the tech ecosystem.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
CTO at Synova Technology
As the CTO Adam focuses on leading the development of Kindred. Additionally, he helps CTOs, startups, and scaleups accelerate through CTO coaching and fractional CTO services.
CTO at Realforce
Restructured the engineering teams and overhauled the marketing technology platform, aligning the technology strategy with business objectives, financial sustainability, and market dynamics through turbulent times.
Co-founder & CTO of Satago
At the VC-funded fintech company, he delivered a disruptive solution in single invoice finance and accounts receivable management, now a leading product within TruFin PLC.
Palantir Technologies
Embraced multiple roles in technical sales, big data management, information security, and technical recruitment during its hypergrowth phase. Contributions were instrumental in escalating European sales from minimal to tens of millions of US dollars annually.
