WALTHAM, MA- Zenobia Moochhala is co-founder of Care.com, one of the very few publicly-traded companies founded by an Indian-American woman in the United States. She is recognized as one of Boston Business Journal’s “40 under 40”, a “Pinnacle Award Emerging Executive” by The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the recipient of the “Asper Alumni Entrepreneurship Award” from Brandeis University.
As Co-Founder and Senior Vice President at Care.com, Moochhala is responsible for growing the company’s global footprint, as well as the full scope of consumer marketing initiatives. Today, Care.com is the world’s largest online destination for finding and managing family care, providing a sweeping array of services to support the 24 million members across more than 20 countries and approximately 1.2 million employees of corporate clients who have access to the company’s services.
In the four years prior to co-founding Care.com, Moochhala worked as a Senior Marketing Manager for Upromise, where she helped families prepare and save for college. From 1998-2001, she served as Senior Product Manager at financial software startup, WorldStreet.
INDIA New England News: Please tell our readers about your work and what you enjoy most about it?
Zenobia Moochhala: I am a Co-founder of Care.com, a platform that helps families find great care for their kids, parents, homes and pets and helps caregivers find the jobs they need. Care.com started in 2006 as a mission driven business and over the past 10 years has helped match millions of families and caregivers and scaled from a startup all the way through IPO and continued growth.
In my role as SVP/GM at Care.com, I manage the marketing team and have P&L responsibilities for our HomePay and International businesses. I’m an entrepreneur at heart – and passionate about building a consumer marketplace, growing the business and leading a team of smart and committed people. What I enjoy most about my job is feeling like I am making a real difference for families. Finding quality care is one of the top stressors in modern family life – and we’re making it available both nationally and globally. I feel fortunate to have been a part of building a mission-oriented company and seeing it succeed!
INE: To which charitable, community and professional group do you belong and why?
ZM: I have been a member of TiE for 2 years and that has given me the opportunity to connect with their amazing network in Boston. I’m also on the board of NFTE – the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship – that runs classes for local high school students in low income communities. What I love about these organizations is they’re a way to share my passion for entrepreneurialism with the community here in Boston.
INE: What are your hobbies and interests?
ZM: As a mom to a kindergartner and toddler – hobbies are a luxury. I like to spend time with my family and cook. I love to read, which is a hobby I’ve really enjoyed sharing with my children. My kindergartner and I are in the middle of a book on Thomas Edison. And, I’ll admit it: I’m really looking forward to this season of ‘Game of Thrones.’ I also do yoga for relaxation and I like to take long walks to clear my head.
INE: In what way do you feel you have positively influenced or served the local community and your company/organization and professional field?
ZM: To be a women-led technology company whose business is care feels in some ways like paying it forward. If you think about it, caregiving is something that disproportionately impacts women – whether it’s the ability for a mom to work and pursue a career, or an adult daughter to care for her parents – these duties usually fall on women’s shoulders. And on the caregiving side, paid caregivers are largely made of women, and they need access to well-paying jobs and benefits. We’ve created a professional marketplace that is helping both sides of this need. When you can help women work, you’re helping them support their families!
INE: Your rare talent?
ZM: I had to ask a co-worker to help me with this tough question. I’ve been told that I have a rare talent of speaking my mind, even when it’s unpopular. This talent, of course, gets me in quite a bit of trouble!
INE: Your favorite books?
ZM: At the top of my list would still be ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R.Tolkien. I first read it as a teenager and continue to go pick it up again every few years and discover something new to enjoy.
INE: Your favorite quotes?
ZM: “Keep your face toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.” Walt Whitman
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Dr. Seuss
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
-Robert Frost
INE: Who inspires you the most?
ZM: My family is my biggest source of inspiration – my dad for being an amazing entrepreneur, my mom for the balancing act of being a working mom, my sisters for their support and advice through the years. And, most of all, my wonderful husband and kids for being there for me.
INE: The one person you would like to meet and why?
ZM: Angela Merkel. She is a powerful, well-respected female leader who has successfully led her country through challenging times and done so with empathy. A wonderful example of that is the welcoming policy toward asylum-seekers.
INE: Your core value you try to live by?
ZM: To live a life in equal parts of passion and reason.
