How HeyKiddo Gained Strategic Clarity through Forecastr

Dr. Nicole Lipkin has spent over 20 years helping individuals and organizations build resilience, navigate emotional challenges, and grow stronger from the inside out. As both a clinical and organizational psychologist, she’s seen firsthand what it takes to create healthy environments where people can thrive. Her latest venture, HeyKiddo, brings that experience home—literally.

“I’ve been in this field for over 20 years,” Nicole explained. “And it’s always frustrated me that we outsource mental health to schools and therapists without including the people kids live with at home.” That belief became the driving force behind HeyKiddo: an accessible platform designed to help adults support children’s mental health in real time. It's not just about therapy—it’s about proactive, practical support that fits into everyday life. And in today’s world, where founders are increasingly building mission-driven businesses, HeyKiddo’s model stands out for its impact and intentional operational strategy.

Nicole’s inspiration for HeyKiddo comes from deeply personal roots. “My parents were school teachers in the South Bronx—math and English teachers,” she said. “They were the kind who went in early and ate breakfast with the kids, because their philosophy—and they were absolutely right—was that kids can’t learn if they’re anxious, depressed, stressed, or dealing with trauma. You need to get it out.” At home, that same belief shaped how they raised her and her brother. “They prioritized our mental health over everything else. They let us fail, mess up, and figure it out.” 

When she lost both parents before turning 20, she knew just how different her life could have been—but it wasn’t. And she credits their focus on emotional well-being as the foundation for everything that followed. With HeyKiddo, Nicole is working to make that kind of support more accessible and more intentional. “I don’t think it should be the luck of the draw who’s raising you,” she said. “Every parenting adult deserves tools.”

From Expert in People to First-Time Tech Founder

Nicole Lipkin brought years of experience in psychology and leadership to the table when launching HeyKiddo. But like many mission-driven founders entering the tech world for the first time, navigating startup finance, especially financial modeling, was unfamiliar territory.

“I was trying to answer the big question: what happens if I do X or Y?” she said. “I needed something robust to think through all the options.”

That’s when another founder introduced her to Forecastr. Nicole didn’t need a months-long evaluation. She needed a solution that worked right away—one built for founders who are constantly in motion.

“The platform is super easy to use—even for someone with financial ignorance,” she said. “It’s logical and intuitive. Once I learned how to use it, it just made sense.”

With Forecastr, Nicole can now build multiple financial models, test different assumptions, and instantly see the downstream impact. “Projections are projections—you’re pulling stuff out of thin air sometimes. But what’s helpful is being able to start with assumptions, then refine them as you learn more and replace them with realistic numbers.”

But for Nicole, the real unlock came from the relationship, not just the tool. “My brain works differently from a financial analyst’s,” Nicole said. “These people know how to think financially and serve as your financial team. They help you stop making stuff up.”