Our Story
When co-founder Eben Pingree learned in quick succession that both his mom and his father-in-law had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, one unexpected feeling rose alongside the heartbreak: deep gratitude. He felt profoundly thankful for the role both had already played in the lives of his three young kids. Rather than let those bonds plateau, he became determined to find new ways to keep them growing while preserving their wisdom, stories, and love for years to come.
This exploration of how to more deliberately foster intergenerational connection eventually led Eben to the growing body of research on youth loneliness and anxiety. He was particularly struck by evidence showing a sharp decline in strong, meaningful relationships in children’s lives, and began focusing on how relationship-building skills could be learned and practiced. By leaning on the trusted adults who care most about a child, he saw an opportunity to create a platform where kids could build emotional strength while deepening the relationships that matter most.
Co-founder Mike Gerbush, a friend of Eben’s from college, immediately connected with the idea. With his own mom living several hours away, he loved the possibility of bringing her more fully into his two young children’s lives in a lasting and meaningful way. Having spent much of his career in digital health, the Surgeon General’s “Loneliness Epidemic” report had already gotten Mike thinking about how technology can sometimes undermine real human connection. But he also saw the potential to help reverse that trend by designing a platform that helps kids build real relationships by practicing with the loving adults in their lives.
Our 3rd cofounder, Ashley Hocking, has moved on to lead marketing at Boston Venture Studios, but remains a close friend and Advisor to Kinsome!
the team
Mike Gerbush
Mike lives in a quiet suburb of Boston with his wife, Catie, and their two young kids, Dexter and Connolly. His mom and in-laws are both ~3 hrs away, but luckily they visit often! When Mike isn’t coding or chasing around his kids (which doesn’t leave much time), he enjoys playing sports, watching movies, and perfecting his NY-style pizza recipe.
Mike has spent his entire career as a software engineer since dropping out of his PhD with Masters in Computer Science to join a fast-growing startup. Most recently, he was the first hire and CTO at a bootstrapped Women’s Health company called Embryo Options, where he stayed through their sale to CooperSurgical ($COO).
Eben Pingree
Eben lives in downtown Boston with his wife and three kids in an apartment below his parent’s apartment (where he grew up) and above his younger brother’s family (3 more kids). His other brother lives blocks away with his wife and 4 kids. Needless to say, his family is pretty tight! Besides chasing his kids around, he’s an avid Boston sports fan, a Bruce Springsteen diehard, and he loves escaping to VT to mess around out in the woods or in his barn.
On the professional front, Eben founded his first startup while in business school, before moving into the world of product management. Afterwards he spent 8 years in senior Product roles at two successful Boston-area startups, Session M (sold to Mastercard) and EverTrue (sold to Rubicon Technology Partners).
Brianne Baker
Brianne recently moved to Boston from the West Coast to join Kinsome! When Brianne isn’t working, she’s practicing Lagree (it’s not Pilates!), enjoying pretty much any sport that occurs in or on the water, making jewelry IRL and with Midjourney, and exploring the charming neighborhoods of her new home.
As the most recent addition to the founding team, Brianne brings nearly 15 years of experience designing apps for kids and families. With a background in human-centered design, behavioral science and graphic design, she has worked almost exclusively at small companies but delivered outsized results (over 5 million downloads across the apps she was involved with!).
Joe Webster
Joe was born in Boston, grew up in Cambridge, and now resides in Dorchester, just south of the city. Outside of work, Joe is an avid pickleball player, skier, and traveler, with a particular love for exploring U.S. national parks.
Joe is passionate about startups and thrives in the fast-paced, dynamic environment of early-stage companies. He previously worked as a front-end web developer during the formative years of GrabCAD and Alignable, and beforehand as a UX Designer at Disney Studios. As a Full-Stack Software Engineer at Kinsome, he leverages this spectrum of experience to build new and engaging features across both mobile and web platforms. Joe was drawn to Kinsome by the company’s inspiring mission to develop software that strengthens and improves real-world relationships between grandparents and grandchildren.
Sarah Padgett
Sarah grew up in Grafton, MA, surrounded by extended family—including her grandmother, who now lives with her parents. After a fair amount of adventure, from earning a Master’s in Bilingual and Multicultural Education in Spain to traveling the U.S. managing recording projects and facilitating interviews for The StoryCorps Mobile Tour, she’s settled in Somerville, MA, close to her hometown roots.
Moving back to Massachusetts and joining the team at Kinsome reflect what she learned from listening to hundreds of stories, living in a variety of communities, and finding ways to stay connected from afar: relationships are supported by consistent, curiosity-filled interactions, and all communities grow stronger when meaningful connections—like those nurtured by Kinsome—thrive.
Blog
Join the band
Apply to Kinsome
