Alumni

Grad Chriselle Lim Secures $3.5 Million in Seed Funding for Bümo

Social media superstar, entrepreneur, and FIDM Merchandising & Marketing Graduate Chriselle Lim has secured $3.5 million in seed funding, according to Women’s Wear Daily. The digital influencer-turned-businesswoman has investors including Jessica Alba, Coco Rocha, and Whitney Port, for her online educational platform for kids, BümoBrain, and new childcare and coworking space, BümoWork, at Westfield Century City. Lim, who has worked as a stylist and designer of her own clothing collection, also hosts a podcast, BeingBümo, geared towards modern parents.

The mom of two young children invested in the idea when she was unable to find a child care business in a coworking space that met her needs, according to WWD. “There were a few places that had unlicensed child care, and they never really mention that it's unlicensed until you ask them,” said Lim, chief marketing officer at Bümo. “That is the biggest difference. If you're unlicensed, the child can only be at the location for no more than two or three hours. They can't change their diapers, can’t feed them. And so, even though that is better than no child care at all, I knew that it wasn’t a long-term solution for a working mother like me.”

Meaning “parents” in Korean, Bümo, currently has a team of 24 full-time employees and 40 contractors. BümoWork offers longer and more flexible hours than traditional childcare businesses and there will be a “weekender” membership option with three-hour camps and earlier drop-off and pickup times. Lim and her partners plan to use the funds to grow the company and see how their online platform and physical spaces “can complement corporate America, where there’s an exodus of working women” and better support working parents. 

Learn more at bumowork.com and on Instagram @bumoparent.

Photography by Karla Ticas

Categories:  Merchandising & Marketing Alumni