Growing up, our founder Tiffany was afraid of the water and only learned to swim when she had to, in order to graduate from college. She started Otteroo with hopes that this innovative floatie would not only make bath time fun for babies but also ease the transition between mommy's tummy to the bath and pool before fear like hers can set in.

Four years later, what began as a one-woman show with a mission to transform bath time, has grown into a full team of passionate members who are dedicated to achieving goals that go well beyond immediate water fun. We were selected as part of University of California San Francisco's QB3 Startup in a Box to position Otteroo as a therapeutic device for babies with disabilities and at risk of developmental delay. We are also partnering with UC Berkeley's Infant Studies Center to further explore the potential benefits of using Otteroo in facilitating motor and psychological development. Please drop us a note if you would like to collaborate with us!

Meet Our Team

TIFFANY CHIU

Tiffany was inspired by her nephew Stanley to make a product that promotes the love of water. This is very important to her because she was terrified of water and failed her very first exam, a swim test, at Cornell where she received a degree in computer science before getting an MBA from MIT. Tiffany loves working with her otterific team, snowboarding, and eating salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite.

EMI KAMIYA

Emi has been with Otteroo since Day 1! She's worked with various mass market products and luxury brands. The voice behind Otto, Emi loves to write and gets passionate about what we say and do. She graduated from Northwestern's Journalism School, loves everything coconut and lives in NYC with her 6 year old who likes to pretend she is a mermaid.

JENNIFER LI

Jennifer "Jenee" brings a splash of color to Otteroo with her palette of digital marketing, technology and design skills. When she’s not dressing up Otto, she’s riding in the trees and chasing pow on her board with Tiffany. Jennifer is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication and loves relaxing in Lake Tahoe, smoking brisket and being a mommy.

KATE SAVAGE

The Otteroo squad found Kate at Jenee’s baby shower and convinced her to be our social voice in her spare time between winery jobs. Luckily, Kate realized working at wineries wasn’t quite as enjoyable as the wine itself, and joined the Otteroo family full-time! When not enjoying a glass of wine, Kate can be found riding horses around Sonoma. Kate graduated Magna Cum Laude from Whitman College.

ALISON HARTMAN

As a long time friend of Kate (and Otteroo admirer), Alison jumped at the opportunity to join the Otteroo crew as customer care specialist after having a little otter of her own! In her rare moments of free time she enjoys baking treats, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Alison graduated from University of San Francisco with a degree in Hospitality Industry Management.

STACY MENZ, PT, DPT, PCS

After seeing how much her son loved Otteroo, Stacy joined our team to help us articulate how Otteroo can benefit babies physically. Stacy is a board-certified pediatric clinical specialist and the founder of Starfish Therapies. She received her Master’s and her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Boston University and has worked in a wide variety of settings, including early intervention, school-based settings, hospitals, private clinics and home care.

JULIE FORBES

Julie is excited to be writing without having to worry about her hair and makeup. For 10 years, Julie worked as a television news anchor and reporter. But, now, most of the time her hair is in a ponytail as she writes for Otteroo and chases around her four young children. Julie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. If she has a moment of free time, she's either running or sleeping.

Our Advisors

JOE CAMPOS

Joseph Campos is currently Professor of the Graduate School at UC Berkeley after 30+ years in the Department of Psychology. Joe's research interests include all aspects of development in human infancy. He specializes in social-emotional development in infancy such as the relation of motor development to cognitive, social, and emotional development. He is Past-President of the International Society of Infant Studies, and in 1984, was one of four co-founders of the International Society for Research on Emotions. With Otteroo, Joe is interested in learning about the psychological impact that moving freely in the Otteroo float may have on infants who are not yet strong enough to move as freely on land.

DAVID ANDERSON

David Anderson is the Director of the Marian Wright Edelman Institute for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Formerly a Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology, David's research centers on understanding how motor skills are acquired and how motor activity influences psychological functioning. He has received significant funding for his research from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education. David is also an Active Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology and serves on several editorial boards and advisory councils, including the Children’s Defense Fund, California, Leadership Council. He is a passionate advocate for the importance of physical activity in optimal motor and psychological development and is committed to promoting efforts to improve early education and health.

CHRIS BAKER

Dr. Chris Baker has worked for over 18 years as an emergency physician at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. He is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine and has special research interests in brain injury and pulmonary disease. As a Clinical Partner at Aphelion Capital, Chris employs his expertise in the design, funding and execution of medical research studies to help innovative medical device companies quantify the benefits of their device in clinical and market appropriate terms. Chris is encouraged by all the positive feedback from parents of infants with special needs and is excited to help us have the proper studies and data to back up their observations.