Daring voices: Ann-marie kinlock
Welcome to Daring Voices, our series spotlighting the founders in the Daring Capital community. In each edition, we sit down with a founder to hear their journey in their own words: from their origin story, to the challenges they’ve faced, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
This week, we talk to Ann-Marie Kinlock, founder of Kindhaus.
What problem is your business solving, and what inspired you to tackle it?
The main problem we are solving is the lack of affordable and accessible quality childcare in the UK. Currently, childcare is extremely expensive, inflexible, and difficult to access. This simply does not meet the needs of modern families. Our goal is to completely reshape the way childcare works.
This issue became urgent and personal to me when I had children myself. I experienced first-hand how the current system fails parents, particularly mothers. It inspired me to do something about it. I saw not just a gap in the market, but a deep societal need that was being ignored.
Why does solving this problem matter to you personally?
Solving this problem matters deeply to me because I’ve lived through it. As a mother, I felt the impact on my career, my mental health, and my sense of identity. There is a term called the “motherhood penalty” which describes how women’s careers can be set back by up to ten years after having children. That has been my own experience.
This work is personal. It’s about reclaiming dignity, opportunity, and joy for parents who are currently unsupported. What keeps me going is hearing from other women who are going through the same thing and knowing that we are building something that can truly help.
Why is now the right time to solve this problem?
Now is a crucial time to address the UK’s childcare crisis. It has become a political issue and is being discussed in Parliament. The public is more aware of the problem and increasingly frustrated. People are ready for change.
There has also been a shift towards expanding free childcare hours, which is promising, although it brings new challenges. Still, the momentum is here. We now have a window of opportunity to create and introduce better solutions.
How does your solution stand out from existing alternatives?
Our approach stands out in three key ways.
Firstly, we are built for flexibility. Most childcare models are rigid and outdated, and they do not reflect how modern families live and work. Our service gives parents more control over when and how they access care.
Secondly, we focus on community. Parenting can be incredibly isolating. We are building environments where families can connect, and where both children and adults are supported. We create spaces for shared experiences, which is rare in this sector.
Thirdly, we are outcome-focused. We’re not just providing childcare. We’re supporting child development, improving parental wellbeing, and strengthening families overall.
What does success look like to you—not just financially, but in terms of impact?
Success for me means improving the mental health and wellbeing of women after they have children. That’s at the heart of everything we do.
Long term, I want to see a cultural shift in how parenthood is viewed in the UK. Right now, it is often seen as a burden. I want to create something that is joyful, supportive, and empowering. If we can help parents feel more connected, more supported, and more in control, that’s success.
Have you ever had to choose between your mission and making a profit? What happened?
We’ve definitely faced decisions where doing the right thing for families didn’t align with short-term profits. One example is in our pricing. We wanted to remain accessible to a wide range of families, even though it meant slower revenue growth at times.
We’ve chosen to prioritise impact, and we are building for long-term sustainability. That can mean growing more slowly, but we believe it builds stronger foundations. Staying true to our mission has kept us focused and earned the trust of the community we serve.
What’s been your biggest challenge so far, and how did you get through it?
The biggest challenge has been personal. I do not come from a finance background, so I had to learn about investment and fundraising while going through the process. It was an intense learning curve.
What got me through was mentorship and support, particularly from our time with Daring Capital. Their guidance helped me build confidence and understand what investors look for. Beyond that, the challenge of trying to fix a broken system is enormous. The childcare sector is highly regulated and inflexible, and innovation in this space is hard. But our belief in the mission keeps us going.
What achievement are you most proud of to date?
The achievement I’m most proud of is hearing directly from parents about the difference we’ve made. When someone tells us they wouldn’t have been able to return to work or maintain their mental health without our support, it means everything.
Those stories are reminders that our work is having a real-world impact. They make all the late nights, the hard decisions, and the challenges worth it.
What’s your long-term vision for the business and the change you want to create?
My long-term vision is to completely transform how childcare is experienced and valued in the UK. I want us to shift the narrative around parenthood from struggle and isolation to community and support.
If we succeed, parents across the UK will have access to high-quality, flexible, and affordable care. Families will feel more connected and empowered, and women will be able to pursue their careers without penalty. We are trying to rebuild a system that better reflects how people actually live.
What challenges have you faced raising investment, and how have you navigated them?
Fundraising was a huge challenge. I had no previous experience and didn’t have the networks that many founders take for granted. I had to learn fast and push through a lot of doubt.
At times, I definitely felt overlooked or underestimated. Childcare is not seen as a ‘hot’ sector like AI or fintech, and that made it harder to get attention. But I was fortunate to have access to the right mentors and introductions at key moments. That support helped us raise our first round of funding and grow from there.
What advice would you give to other underrepresented founders just starting their fundraising journey?
To any underrepresented founder: high five to you. What you’re doing matters. Your perspective is powerful and needed.
My advice is to hold onto your value and know that your experience gives you insights others don’t have. Also, prototype and test as early as you can. Get your idea into the world, gather feedback, and use that evidence to build traction. Real-world feedback is one of your best tools when speaking to investors.
And finally, find your community. It makes a world of difference when you are surrounded by people who believe in you.
What do you think needs to change about the fundraising ecosystem?
The fundraising ecosystem needs a serious shake-up. Right now, too many people who already have the answers to complex societal problems are being ignored simply because they don’t fit the typical investor profile.
Investors have a responsibility to seek out and support underrepresented founders, not just wait for them to show up. If they don’t, they are missing out on some of the most innovative and impactful ideas out there.
We need a more inclusive, transparent, and supportive funding environment. Only then can we unlock the full potential of the ideas that already exist in communities across the country.
If you’d like to find out more about Kindhaus, you can visit their website.
A big thank you to Ann-Marie for sharing her journey. You can catch the next in the Daring Voices series next week.
Jem
and the team at Daring Capital