We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Roxie Alsruhe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Roxie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At HoopDee, our mission is to make parenting easier through innovative and affordable solutions that truly support the day-to-day realities of raising a baby. We believe that the early days of parenthood are hard enough so anything that reduces mental load and gives parents more time back is a win.

We started with our free app, which helps new parents track and manage every bottle and bag of breast milk or baby formula with ease. It’s a simple, intuitive tool that removes the guesswork, minimizes waste, and helps parents feel more in control of their feeding routine.

But we’re just getting started. Soon, we’re launching products that enhance and automate the app experience, specifically hardware that syncs seamlessly to amplify the app’s power and potential. Whether it’s streamlining milk storage or reducing manual data entry, everything we build is designed to lighten the load for parents and fit into their lives affordably and effortlessly.

Roxie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Roxie, the founder of HoopDee, a parenting support brand built from lived experience, a lot of trial and error, and an unwavering belief that technology should make life easier, not more complicated.

I started HoopDee as a new mom who was overwhelmed by something I never expected would be so stressful: managing breast milk. My wife and I were storing and labeling her pumped milk, but trying to remember what needed to be used first, and constantly worrying about wasting something so valuable was still a challenge. I kept thinking, “There has to be a better way.” When I couldn’t find it, I created it.

That led to the development of our free HoopDee app, which helps parents track and manage bottles and bags of breast milk and baby formula. It handles the details like storage location, feeding history, and calculates and recalculates expiration times so parents don’t have to. The app eliminates the mental math and second-guessing, and brings calm to the chaos of early feeding routines. It even sends you reminders.

But HoopDee isn’t just an app, it’s a mission. We’re developing affordable, integrated hardware that syncs with the app to automate the process even further. Think of it like a smart assistant for your milk stash. No more digging through the freezer or wondering when something was pumped. With these new products, we’re amplifying the power of our app and delivering even more peace of mind.

What sets HoopDee apart is our commitment to empathy-driven design. We’re building tools that reflect what parents actually need, not what sounds good in a boardroom. Everything we offer is designed to be affordable, intuitive, and genuinely helpful, whether you’re a first-time parent or a seasoned pro.

What I’m most proud of is that HoopDee has already helped hundreds of parents feel more confident and less alone in one of the most demanding parts of early parenthood. And we’ve done that by leading with heart and listening closely to our community.

At the end of the day, HoopDee is about making the invisible labor of parenthood a little more visible and a lot more manageable.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

HoopDee began as a very personal solution to a problem I was facing as a new parent. Like many early-stage founders, I bootstrapped the initial development using my own personal savings. I believed so deeply in the potential of this idea that I was willing to invest in it myself before asking anyone else to.

As the concept grew, I shared the vision with close friends and family who not only believed in the product, but also in me. Their support helped me raise our first round of capital through SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) notes, which gave us the ability to build the first version of the app and start getting it into the hands of real parents.

Now, we’re in the process of raising funding from angel investors, again through SAFE notes, to help us launch our next phase: integrated hardware products that amplify the power of the app. We’ve come a long way on a lean budget, and each new dollar raised is fueling innovation that directly benefits parents navigating one of the most demanding and important stages of life.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that every minute of the day needed to be “productive,” especially when it came to work.

Before becoming a parent, I thrived on hustle. I equated constant motion with success and filled every spare moment with tasks, planning, or pushing a project forward. But once our son arrived, that mindset collided hard with reality. Suddenly, my time wasn’t fully my own and neither was my energy.

I had to unlearn that old definition of productivity. I had to reframe what it meant to “get things done.” I started giving myself permission to pause. I began recognizing that rest, presence, and time spent simply holding my child or stepping away from my screen were valuable and often led to better ideas, clearer thinking, and a healthier me.
Ironically, it made me a better entrepreneur. It taught me to work smarter, set boundaries, and design HoopDee with empathy for the real lives of parents (because I was living it too).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://getHoopDee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gethoopdee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getHoopDee/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxie-alsruhe/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gethoopdee

Image Credits

Bailey Bryn Photography (expo booth photos)