Who is Scott Klipper? New York father who used AI to build childcare app after a school pick up struggle

Scott Klipper, a 39-year-old hedge fund executive and father of two, created Trot My Tot, a platform that helps parents find caregivers for brief childcare tasks such as school pickups, short walks to after-school programs, and other time-sensitive commitments, reported Business Insider. The service now operates across New York City and nearby areas and has attracted hundreds of users since its launch.

The idea came from a problem Klipper faced himself. One day, he needed someone to pick up his son from school and escort him a short distance to an after-school activity. Both he and his wife were tied up at work. After searching local Facebook parenting groups, he struggled to find anyone willing to take on a task that lasted only a few minutes.

“I just wanted someone to walk my kid a couple of blocks,” Klipper told Business Insider. “I would see all these parents posting in these Facebook groups saying, ‘I need someone just to pick up my kid,” he added. Instead of giving up on the idea, he turned to AI coding platform Lovable and began building a solution.

Can AI help non-coders build an app?

Klipper does not come from a software engineering background. He describes himself as someone who could easily break code rather than fix it. Yet within a week, he had created an early version of Trot My Tot using AI-generated code and design suggestions, reported Business Insider.

The platform belongs to a growing category of projects built by so-called “vibe coders”, people who use AI tools such as Lovable, Cursor and Replit to create software products without writing most of the code themselves, according to Business Insider report. 

Klipper’s first prompts asked Lovable to create a service similar to the dog-walking platform Rover, but adapted for children. He wanted parents to find trusted caregivers for short trips and brief supervision tasks. Safety and trust remained central to the design.

The AI system generated mock-ups showing how the website could look. Klipper then built user profiles, booking features and an early payment system. However, the process proved more complicated than simply typing instructions into a chatbot, reported Business Insider.

He found that many parts of the platform failed to connect properly. Pages existed independently of one another, and several functions did not work as intended. He spent between $25 and $50 each month on AI coding credits while refining the product, reported Business Insider.

Despite the challenges, Klipper said AI allowed him to reach a stage that previously would have required hiring developers. “Every conversation I would have in college was like, ‘I have an idea for an app that should do this or do that,’ and no one could actually do it unless they spent thousands of dollars to pay a programmer to create it,” he told Business Insider. “This cuts that barrier down completely,” he added. 

Although AI built much of the prototype, Klipper still needed to complete several technical tasks himself. He connected payment processor Stripe to the platform so caregivers could receive compensation. He also managed databases and debugging work, often spending late nights solving technical problems.

To improve safety, he required caregivers, whom the platform calls “trotters”, to provide Social Security numbers and photographs for verification. Users can also upload driver’s licenses, childcare experience details and CPR certifications, reported Business Insider.

How does Trot My Tot work?

The platform acts as a marketplace connecting families with local caregivers available for short assignments. Many trotters work as part-time nannies or are college students with flexible schedules. Parents can search for available caregivers and arrange transportation or short-term childcare services.

Klipper compares the service to a matchmaking platform rather than a traditional childcare company. “We’re really a facilitator of introducing these parents to these trotters, similar to a dating site,” he told Business Insider.

Parents can conduct phone calls or in-person meetings before selecting a caregiver. Klipper said he is developing a verified trotter program that would involve more extensive background screening.

After launching the service in September, he promoted it through parenting communities across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Hoboken. He also shared the platform with parents in his son’s school network.

The response exceeded expectations. Over 600 users have joined the platform so far. Since launch, users have completed 149 childcare assignments through the service, reported Business Insider.

Klipper currently limits caregiver rates to $25 per assignment while the platform expands. Parents can subscribe to a premium membership for $8 per month to access unlimited messaging features. Caregivers can pay $4 monthly for profile promotion and increased visibility in searches, according to Business Insider report.

He told Business Insider that many users appreciate the platform’s affordability and convenience compared with searching for childcare help through social media groups.

For now, however, profitability remains a distant goal. “This isn’t a money-making venture at this time,” Klipper told Business Insider. “Everything right now is a cost. It’s a cost to pay for the vibe coding credits. It’s a cost for database storage,” he added. 

The entrepreneur has already begun expanding beyond childcare. Trot My Tot now also serves older adults who need help with tasks such as grocery shopping or transportation to medical appointments.

AI has also enabled Klipper to pursue other personal projects. Among them is an app that gathers school lunch and breakfast menus from the Department of Education website and turns them into a game for children.

None of his applications is perfect, he admits. Yet he believes AI has fundamentally changed who can participate in software creation. Klipper believes that experimenting with AI tools can benefit anyone, regardless of whether they intend to launch a company.

“If you’re getting your hands on AI and understanding how it works or what’s happening in the world, you’re going to be benefiting yourself in the end,” he told Business Insider, adding, “whether you’re making a tool that’s helping families or just helping yourself by making something easier in life.”