At first glance, Aviva looks like another run-of-the-mill family planner. But for founder and Chicago resident Amy Briggs, it’s something entirely different. It’s an AI-powered co-pilot for parents that actually takes tasks off their plates instead of adding more.
Why Aviva is a game changer for parents
Aviva scans emails and messages to catch school updates, sign-ups and birthday invitations before they’re forgotten. It organizes calendars, creates reminders and helps families coordinate — all while learning how each household operates. Think of it as a digital helper that anticipates what parents need before they even ask.
“Aviva had to do more than promise more organization,” Amy says. “It needed to do a job for parents so fully that they were actually relieved.”
Her goal was never about building another productivity app. It was about building peace of mind. Aviva was designed to relieve the invisible mental labor of parenting, so families can focus on what matters most: connection.
The truth about modern parenting
Before Amy became a tech founder, she spent years as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, supporting kids and their parents through everyday challenges. But she noticed something deeper. Behind every session sat exhausted, well-meaning parents who constantly apologized for imperfection.
“I often found parents apologizing for falling short of perfection — for the messy homes, the imperfect snacks, the missed appointments,” she says.
Those conversations revealed the truth about modern parenting: the bar keeps rising, but support systems haven’t caught up. “I was struck by how big the mental load was,” Amy recalls, “and it lit a fire in me to do something bigger than what I could do as a therapist.”
That “something bigger” became Aviva. A tool built not from data trends, but from empathy and lived experience.
From therapy tools to tech tools
Amy’s work as a school and pediatric therapist gave her an intimate understanding of how families manage (and often juggle) their time. Her knowledge of executive functioning and cognition shaped Aviva’s design from the start.
“I wasn’t building a solution for some hypothetical customer,” she explains. “I was building a better way forward for the families I’ve dedicated my career to supporting.”
Every part of Aviva, from the reminders to the intelligent planning features is grounded in the same principles she taught children: structure, clarity and self-compassion.
The lightbulb moment
Long before she had a development team, Amy rolled up her sleeves and built Aviva’s first alpha version herself — no fancy code, no interface, just proof of concept.
“I’m not a coder,” she says, laughing. “But I wanted to see if it really helped.”
Even that basic version made a difference. Parents testing it reported saving four hours a week, catching details they would have otherwise missed, and feeling more relaxed. That validation sealed her mission. “It was doing what I set out to do,” Amy says. “It was helping parents.”
Becoming a non-technical founder came with its challenges, but Amy believes her fresh perspective gives her freedom to dream.
“Without the constraints of what was technically ‘possible,’ I could push boundaries,” she says.
Her mentors at Chicago’s 1871 tech incubator encouraged her to test ideas before building them, helping her refine Aviva into a practical, parent-first product.
Rooted in Chicago’s community
Born and raised in the Chicago area, Amy still calls the city home and credits it for shaping both her values and her company.
“Chicago has the best of city life — incredible resources, creativity and innovation — but also a true Midwestern friendliness,” she says.
Through 1871, Amy joined a cohort of female founders who shared her mission-driven mindset. “It was the opposite of the tech-bro culture you hear about,” she recalls. “These women were building companies that made the world better.”
That same community of parents and peers continues to guide Aviva’s growth. Local families helped test early prototypes and continue to shape features today.
What she hopes Aviva gives back
For Amy, Aviva isn’t just software. It’s a way to give parents back their time.
“Maybe it’s watching your child’s face over breakfast instead of checking your phone,” she says. “Maybe it’s time to get a workout in, or to connect with your partner at the end of the day.”
She hopes Aviva helps parents feel lighter, calmer and more connected with fewer forgotten dates and more meaningful moments.
“If I can give parents back their time and spare them stress,” Amy says, “that’s a win for me.”
The heart behind the app
Looking back, Amy is most proud of the quiet messages she receives from users: parents who remembered pajama day, caught the school sign-up or just felt less anxious about managing it all.
“When someone tells me I made something easier for their family, that means the world to me,” she says. “That’s why I built Aviva — and that’s what keeps me going.”
Her path from therapist to tech founder may look unconventional, but at its heart, Amy’s work has always been about the same thing: helping families thrive.
Want to learn more about Aviva?
Visit https://withaviva.com to explore how the app helps parents lighten their mental load and reclaim time for what truly matters.
