Fran Maier has consistently been a pioneer in the sharing economy, and her latest venture caters to busy families.

In the last couple of decades, the sharing economy has become the norm. We now comfortably stay in strangers’ homes through platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, borrow e-books on Kindle, and use Zipcars instead of owning vehicles. Plus, we rent outfits for events so we can always look fresh on social media.

But what about the needs of our little ones? Fran Maier, the driving force behind BabyQuip, is addressing this gap. This service allows families to rent premium baby gear, including cribs, toys, and car seats, whenever they travel.

Maier gained popularity as the co-founder of Match.com, a brand synonymous with online dating. While she enjoyed her tenure there, she reflects on a significant missed opportunity: “I wish I had secured the seven or eight million dollars from the sale. I lacked the confidence to seek help. If I were a man, I believe someone would have encouraged me to pursue that,” she recalls. “It sold for less than 8 million initially, but a year later, it was valued at ten times that. I walked away with a couple hundred thousand dollars, but I felt short-changed.”

After several years in the tech world, Maier found her niche in the sharing economy after purchasing a home near Airbnb's headquarters in San Francisco. She began profiting from renting rooms to visitors. “I started pondering the impact of this shift and the new travel dynamics,” she explains. During her time advising at Women’s Startup Lab, she met an entrepreneur who pitched a baby gear rental business in Santa Fe. Inspired, Maier suggested that she take the helm, and they launched the company together.

Though Maier stepped away from BabyQuip early on, she later revamped the brand and pitched it on Shark Tank alongside her son and a live donkey. “We brought a donkey to illustrate the need for extra hands to carry all this baby equipment when traveling. It got their attention,” she shares. “In the end, it came down to us and Mr. Wonderful. He showed interest but wanted a deal that didn’t align with my vision. So, we parted ways without a deal.”

Ultimately, they thrived without that investment. Last year alone, BabyQuip fulfilled 83,000 orders and now collaborates with over 2,100 mothers who rent out baby gear to families at their destinations. This initiative taps into Maier's enthusiasm for the sharing economy. “Our equipment is owned by moms who have multiple cribs, car seats, and strollers, allowing them to build their own businesses through our platform,” Maier explains. “They truly go above and beyond because they support families like their own.”