In Their Words: Karmel Larson

Pete CodellaIn Their Words

Interview with Momni Founder Karmel Larson

This article is part of a series featuring business executives who choose to live and work in Utah. If you know of an executive we should interview, please contact us.

Wife, mother, and entrepreneur, Karmel Larson has assumed a lot of roles throughout her life. She and her husband are equal partners, both in business and life.

After learning about the global childcare crisis, she took on another role and launched Momni. The funded tech startup is a caresharing platform that enables parents access to childcare. Momni is designed for parents seeking additional childcare resources in today’s sharing economy. Parents can search a database by location, availability, price, and a variety of filters, to schedule a Momni host for a paid playdate with their children. The company provides access to ratings, reviews, references and background checks available to assist with the screening process. Momni offers convenient solutions for parents seeking dependable childcare with trusted caregivers, and hosts set their price and schedule.

How did you initially get started in the industry?
Once the idea of Momni came to me, I devoted all my energies into seeing it come to fruition. Although I had 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, I had no experience in tech or scaling a business to a national and global level. The first place I turned to was my network of friends, family, and mentors. I asked for recommendations on training I could attend and books to read. I was on a mission to learn everything I could about the global childcare crisis.

What are the top two most recent professional accomplishments you are most proud of?
The closing of our recent seed round of investment is one of my greatest professional accomplishments. That round brought our total investment to over $2 million and has facilitated the growth of our team.

I’m very proud of our growing team at Momni, and how well we work together. Every team member takes the mission of Momni personally and is devoted to its vision. I am fortunate to have an amazing team and board of advisors.

What drew you to Utah?
Initially, I came to Utah to attend school at BYU. I always thought my husband and I would move to another state after college and start our lives together. After graduation, we loved Utah so much we couldn’t leave.

What do you like most about living in Utah?
I love that Utah is very family focused. I am pleasantly surprised how businesses prioritize a work-life balance. Business and family coexist great in Utah.

Great Utah families produce an ambitious, hard-working, mission-driven, and powerful Utah workforce.

What do you like most about doing business in Utah?
The generosity of individuals to make introductions, share resources and bend over backward to help our business has been overwhelming. Utah is a startup mecca dreamland with many events, networks, and conferences for entrepreneurs who are eager to learn.

What advice do you have for individuals considering starting a business, or relocating their business, to Utah?
The sooner, the better. Utah is booming with growth and resources for supporting entrepreneurial success. I have been pleasantly surprised at the focus among tech leaders and business mentors to prioritize a work-life balance.

What is your primary challenge of doing business in Utah?
The challenge of hiring tech talent, especially coders, is very real. We need to encourage youth to sign up for coding camps. Silicon Slopes is growing faster than we can nurture young talent.

Tell me a fun fact about yourself?
Nine of our ten family members play the piano, and we perform an annual concert to share our talents.

Is there anything else you would like the reader to know about you?
Motherhood is my passion, and I love to share ideas with mompreneurs on how to grow a bold business while simultaneously growing a strong family.

Karmel Larson, Momni Founder, started Momni after learning about the global childcare crisis.
To learn more about Karmel, check out her LinkedIn profile.