Family matching app

01 · Why it matters

The biggest decision, with the least support

For many people, the path to parenthood runs through a surrogate, a donor, or a co-parent. It’s one of the biggest decisions a person can make, and for a long time it happened through forums, word of mouth, and luck. No structure. No safety net.

HeyBaby set out to give it both, and to make the whole thing feel a lot more human along the way.

02 · Where it started

From swipe to substance

The first concept borrowed the most familiar pattern in matching: a photo, a check, an X. It was fast and easy to understand. But this isn’t picking a date for Friday. It’s choosing who helps bring a child into the world.

So the design slowed down, in the best way. The final profile leads with who people are, what they value, and whether they’ve been verified, before anyone decides anything.

You don't swipe on the person who'll help start your family

03 · The people

Four ways in

Everyone arrives with a different hope. So the very first question isn’t “who are you looking for?” It’s “who are you?” Each answer is written in plain, warm language that describes the role without jargon.

• Intended parentsTrusting a stranger with the most important thing in their lives.Verified, values-first profiles and a safe place to ask hard questions early.
• DonorsWanting to help without a lifelong commitment.Clear boundaries, stated up front, so everyone knows what they're agreeing to.
• Co-parentsRaising a child together, even as friends.Profiles built around values and communication, not just logistics.
• SurrogatesCarrying someone else's child is a profound act.Respect for their choices, including whether to be compensated, built into the flow.

04 · Trust

Trust is the product

Every profile is reviewed by a real person before it goes live. People can verify themselves through social media, government ID, or a one-on-one interview. While they wait, the app keeps them in the loop with a little warmth: their profile “has been sent to the storks for verification.”

If something’s missing, there’s no dead end, just a way to fix it. And every conversation that follows stays private.

05 · Connection

Start with a “Hey”

A match is a big moment, so it gets a real celebration, followed by one clear next step: start the conversation.

From there, messaging keeps families, donors, and surrogates connected, with secure document sharing for when things get serious. The message box even suggests the first word.

06 · The brand

Warm on purpose

Family planning is often clinical, anxious, and full of paperwork. HeyBaby’s brand pushes the other way: a sunny orange, a friendly serif, and a stork carrying a drop, a quiet nod to how this kind of family begins. The line says it simply: expand the family.

07 · Where it went

Finding the right home

Matching people was only half the job. The other half was everything around it: health privacy, HIPAA compliance, legal agreements, and medical coordination. Doing that well takes a lot of infrastructure, more than a small team could responsibly build on its own.

So HeyBaby found a home with a company that already had it. They acquired the product and launched it under their own name. The matching, verification, and messaging designed here are still helping people build their families today.

Sometimes shipping means handing it to the people best equipped to carry it