Jessica Koosed Etting’s Vision for a Smarter Family System

Jessica Koosed Etting’s sister was trying to get her footing.

Fresh off the arrival of her second child, Amanda called Jessica looking for something—anything—that might make daily life feel more manageable. She wanted systems: for school emails and carpools, doctor’s appointments and to-do lists. And Jessica had to tell the truth. She didn’t have the answers. In fact, she was drowning in the same chaos.

At work, Jessica and Amanda were capable, organized, and trusted to lead. At home, the overwhelm felt relentless—and deeply confusing. That dissonance became a moment of reckoning, and then a spark. Surely, they thought, they weren’t the only busy parents struggling to manage it all. So they built the solution they couldn’t find: Jam, an AI-powered Chief of Staff for families and an all-in-one shared calendar and organization platform designed for modern life.

Read on to learn more about Jessica’s journey as Jam’s co-founder—and what’s coming next for the company.

What are some of the most meaningful impacts your business has had so far?

The feedback we get from our user base—made up of families across the entire globe—means the absolute most. To hear that Jam is saving someone's sanity or helping a family feel more on top of things (when nothing else could) is gratifying, humbling, and ultimately inspires us to keep building. 

We also built Jam in response to the fact that women often take on disproportionate invisible labor in the home, leading to increased mental health issues, depression, and burnout. When our data shows that partners are equally entering in calendar events, tackling to-dos, or sharing shopping lists, we truly feel we are making good on our mission to make family life easier and more equal.

In what ways has your upbringing or past experiences contributed to how you operate as an entrepreneur?

My sister and I came from an entrepreneurial family, so it's not a surprise we eventually went down this path! Our parents built several companies in the tech space when we were growing up, and our brother is also a successful entrepreneur. Hearing shop talk at the dinner table was just part of our family life, and our parents definitely always encouraged us to forge our own paths as opposed to taking the "safe" corporate job.

Our work experiences also helped shape our journey. Amanda was a product director who specifically specialized in enterprise-level project management software, while I hailed from the entertainment industry, with years of female-forward storytelling under my belt. That unique blend is what allowed us to build and share Jam creatively, efficiently, and authentically.

What were the most difficult and most impactful lessons you’ve learned?

It's often tempting to micromanage every last bit of your business as a founder and to aim for total perfection. We've realized along the way—especially with software—that you can't let perfect get in the way of the good. You have to get features out without too much hand-wringing, get feedback, and live in a world where you are constantly improving. At times, the most difficult struggle can be letting go of certain responsibilities, knowing whether to delegate or outsource. However, as we've seen over the past few years, the cost of not doing this is much worse. If we, as founders, don't have the time and mental space for high-level planning, outreach, and strategy because we are bogged down in more rote tasks, the company will never grow to meet our aspirations.

How do you celebrate successes along the way?

It's really important to us to celebrate successes along the way, because it helps fuel us forward. Even small milestones deserve that moment! Being a founder can often feel like you are pushing a boulder up a mountain, so when you reach a little vista, it's an opportunity to take in the view and see how far you've come. 

At the same time, if we get disappointing news, we'll take the time to mourn it, whether by going on a walk or unplugging for a beat. Doing this helps us recharge, get fired up again, and remind ourselves that something even better is clearly around the corner.

What’s next for you and your company?

We just launched Jaime, our new family assistant, who can take everything that families send her—emails, screenshots, dictation, and more—and get it onto the appropriate calendars and lists, along with reminders and suggestions. We are already at the forefront of putting tech and AI toward the overlooked category of family logistics, and we are excited to continue pushing those limits.