A mother of two from Broughton, just outside Chester, has transformed a common parenting challenge into a growing UK-wide family platform, all while balancing full-time work and raising her children.
Karolina Gudes founded Kidora after repeatedly encountering difficulties selling outgrown baby and children's items such as clothes, toys, books, shoes, prams, and nursery equipment. She experienced over 50 occasions on Facebook Marketplace where buyers arranged to collect items but then cancelled, disappeared, or failed to show up.
Launched in May 2025, Kidora is a marketplace dedicated solely to baby and children's items, offering local collection or nationwide delivery. Unlike general marketplaces, it focuses on the specific needs of families, allowing sellers to list items without commission fees and enabling buyers to make offers or bundle multiple items from the same seller.
Karolina developed Kidora alongside her partner Martin Kvasnica and their friend John Prydderch, all of whom maintain full-time jobs. The team has self-funded the project with around Β£7,000 and has not taken any salary from it so far, working mainly during evenings and weekends.
Beyond buying and selling, Kidora has expanded to include a Parent Hub and Family Places. The Parent Hub offers practical UK-focused information on pregnancy, childcare, education, health, safety, and family support. Family Places lists over 6,500 family-friendly locations across the UK, such as parks, museums, beaches, castles, soft play centres, farms, swimming pools, gardens, cinemas, and larger attractions.
Karolina explained that living on the Chester and North Wales border influenced the platformβs design, with location and distance prioritised over administrative boundaries, reflecting how families choose activities based on convenience rather than county lines.
The team recently completed a major rebuild of Kidoraβs technology, including new native iOS and Android apps and a redesigned website, to support future growth and scalability.
Despite national expansion, Kidora remains closely connected to the Chester, Flintshire, and North Wales area where it began. Karolinaβs story has attracted local and national media attention, including features in regional outlets and The Sun on Sunday.
Looking ahead, Kidora aims to remain a focused family platform rather than broadening into a general marketplace, prioritising deep understanding of the parenting stage over competing with larger platforms.
