A Founder’s Story

Why I Built bttrfly: A Founder’s Journey to Reconnect Families

by Pia del Puerto, Founder of bttrfly

The Beginning

In the summer of 2020, as the world shut down, I packed up my life — my infant daughter, our dog, and everything we owned that could fit into seven suitcases. The rest went into storage. We moved in with my mom and stepdad in Connecticut, trading palm trees for quiet nights and uncertainty.

Like many parents navigating early motherhood in the middle of a pandemic, I felt isolated. Days blurred together between diaper changes, Zoom calls, and endless scrolling through parenting forums that promised connection — but rarely delivered it.

There was no village.
No easy way to meet other parents.
No space that felt family-friendly, safe, or personal.

That’s when I first began to imagine a better way.

The Spark

In March 2022, I moved to Chicago hoping for a fresh start — closer to family members who also had kids. I thought things would be different. But again, I found myself searching for child-friendly places, reliable services, and trustworthy recommendations, buried under endless online noise.

One night, after another exhausting search that led nowhere, I thought:

Why isn’t there one place for families like ours — a hub where parents can find support, resources, and each other?

That question became the seed of what would later become bttrfly — a platform designed to simplify life for families and reconnect communities in a meaningful way.

The Struggle

In May 2022, with combined savings and contributions from friends and family who believed in me, I hired a development company to build the first version of the app.

It was supposed to be a six-month project.
It became a two-year uphill climb.

By the end, I was left with a bug-ridden, broken prototype that didn’t reflect my vision. I was exhausted, heartbroken, and questioning everything.

But like so many parents do when things get hard — I didn’t give up.

The Turning Point

By the spring of 2023, I returned to Los Angeles, where I finally felt at home again. Being surrounded by community reminded me why I started this in the first place — to help other families find that same sense of belonging, wherever they are.

In April 2024, I brought on a fractional CTO and started from scratch. By December 2024, we began developing a new MVP — more robust, stable, and beautifully built to support families everywhere.

Then, in March 2025, I renamed the company bttrfly — a symbol of transformation, growth, and the metamorphosis families go through as they adapt, rebuild, and find connection again.

The Flight

By summer 2025, we beta-tested bttrfly with real families — and it worked. Parents connected. They shared resources. They built community.

And by fall of 2025, bttrfly finally took flight — live on the App Store, ready to welcome parents, caregivers, and family-focused businesses into one space built for connection, not chaos.

The Mission

bttrfly exists because I believe every parent deserves access to community, support, and trusted resources — all in one place.

Whether you’re a new mom searching for your village, a grandparent helping raise your grandkids, or a local business serving families — bttrfly is for you.

Because sometimes, out of isolation, something beautiful emerges.
And for me — that something was bttrfly. 🦋

📲 Join the Movement

Download bttrfly on the App Store and become part of a growing family that believes in connection over chaos, and community over competition.