Startup Spotlight #142: Ensemble

Ensemble helps co-parents to track and manage shared expenses for their children more easily.

Jul 26, 2021

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I got the chance to speak with Jacklyn Rome, founder and CEO of Ensemble, about what she’s working on at her startup, and any advice she has for emerging entrepreneurs.

Rome spent her entire career working in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She started her career at an early stage consulting firm helping founders prepare to raise capital and build the operational plans to launch their businesses. From there she spent time in venture capital learning how start-ups get evaluated and then 4+ years gaining hands-on operating experience at Uber and Blue Apron. While she joined both Uber and Blue Apron on the operations team, her passion for innovation ultimately led her to propose and launch new business lines for both companies - ExpressPOOL for Uber and a new same-day delivery channel at Blue Apron.

Rome left Blue Apron to start her own company and joined a venture studio based in NYC called Co-Created, where she was connected with a team at Citi Ventures that was looking into the divorce space given divorce is one of the few times that people regularly change banks. This connected with her personal experience having seen her own parents go through a divorce at the age of 14 and argue over shared finances both during and after the divorce. After speaking to dozens of divorced parents and hearing the same pain points articulated over and over again, she developed a passion for building a product to help diffuse tension among divorced parents and create happier homes for their children.

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Startup Spotlight: Ensemble

Problem: Divorce is one of the most emotionally taxing events in a person’s life, especially when children are involved. Money is often the #1 cause of arguments among co-parents and nearly half of all expenses are not covered by child support payments, leaving co-parents to figure out expenses ad-hoc via text messages and emailed spreadsheets - both of which can get contentious quickly.

Market: There are 50M+ divorced parents with children under the age of 18 in the US.

Solution: Ensemble is an app which helps divorced and separated parents to track and manage shared expenses for their children. Ensemble enables co-parents to streamline the often tense communication about finances, quickly share past or future expenses, upload receipts, view a clear balance of who owes who, and export their spending records.

Team: Joining me on the team is Zack Babin as Head of Product (formerly at a FinTech company called Steady) and Sean Choi as Head of Growth (formerly at Main Street). We’re looking for a Head of Engineering to join the team if you know anyone!

Recent Success:

Rome: The thing we’ve been most successful at is conveying the deep pain points felt by divorced families in a way that is intuitive and approachable even to those who have not been through a divorce themselves. I have yet to speak to a potential investor who doesn’t understand the problem that we are solving or someone who hasn’t been through a divorce and doesn’t recognize how difficult it must be to manage shared finances with a co-parent. From day one, we have been successful at communicating this pain point, standing out as a mission driven organization, and building strong team values of empathy, teamwork, and optimism that we live by both internally and externally.

Recent Struggle:

Rome: As a founder, particularly in the early stages, you are constantly doing things you’ve never done before. Getting up to speed quickly and not being intimidated by what you don’t know is critical. Over the last six months, I’ve had to negotiate over 200 pages of legal documents, hire a Head of Engineering for the first time even though I had never interviewed an engineer before, set-up payroll in three different states, and learn the ins and outs of setting up FinTech payment rails. You’ve got to constantly be willing to be humble in what you don’t know, invest time to teach yourself the basics, and make quick decisions in a new field.

Founder Advice:

Rome: Get a great team of advisors in place that you feel comfortable being completely open with to help you with critical decisions. As a solo founder, I have a group of 3-5 people I regularly speak to about the company, our progress, and anything that’s on my mind. I have found their willingness to listen, share their perspectives, and provide feedback to be invaluable in feeling supported along the journey.

Three Cool Founders You Should Know About:

Rome: Here are three founders you should check out next!

Patrick Burns, Founder of Commons: Commons is your team’s place to talk.
Meeta Gournay, Founder of Three Spirits: Three Spirits provides functional and healthier non-alcoholic drinks.
Tara Cappel, founder of FTLO: FLTO is a modern group travel company.

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