Durham startup helps moms get back to work, plans virtual summit next week

What does the future of work look like for moms? A Durham startup up plans to ponder that question during a three-day virtual summit that will feature top speakers from across the country, including the founders of Girls Who Code and the Noonday Collection.

"MOMentum: The Future of Work for Moms" will run online from May 19 to May 21. Tickets are $35 and free for women who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organizer behind it is Brooke Markevicius, a Durham mom of two who launched MOMentum Marketplace in fall 2019. The website, which now has more than 50,000 users, is an employment platform where companies can connect with women who provide the professional services they need, such as copywriting, web design, bookkeeping and graphic design.

Until this week, MOMentum also had been offering mom-made goods on the site, but it's pivoting to offer up only services. Next week's website reboot also will feature some other updates, including a free online community for moms where they can connect via different channels that include meditation, kids programs, a virtual gym and a separate place where they can sell their own handmade goods.

Most of the women on the site, said Markevicius, are at the point in their lives where they might stay at home with their kids, but are ready to start earning a paycheck again. Nearly all of the women on the site have bachelor's degrees and nearly half hold a master's degree, she said.

"It has really educated women who are in this in-between period like I was," she said, "and I didn't know what I was going to do during that time and didn't know if I was going to go back to work or not."

Markevicius, who worked for nonprofits and startups before launching MOMentum, knows what it's like to leave the workplace to raise kids. She stayed at home for a bit when her first child was born before launching a freelance web development and IT project management business. She later helped found a co-working space in Washington state for moms where they could bring their kids and connect with other moms.

"That's where the idea of MOMentum came from," she said.

The site, she said, allows moms to get back to work without building and marketing a more formal freelance business.

"We really take out that hustle and provide a space where they can come and get a job," she said.

Markevicius had hoped to hold the summit in person later this year. But as other mom-focused events, such as Mom 2.0 in Los Angeles get canceled, she decided to go virtual.

"Really, it's even better for moms," she said. "They don't have to travel."

The more than 30 speakers include Jessica Honegger, founder and CEO of Noonday Collection, Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Girls Who Code and Sara Mauskopf, CEO and co-founder of Winnie, a marketplace for daycare and preschools.

"It's going to be a mixture of fireside chats, more intimate conversations with these big names and some breakout sessions," Markevicius said. There also will be a couple of storytimes so moms can include their kids.

Sessions will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, but participants can watch recordings for up to a week.

More information about the summit and joining the marketplace are on MOMentum's website.