Our Team

Built by ECE insiders, for ECE professionals.

Ecential turns Google reviews into monthly competitive intelligence for childcare center owners — so you can see how you rank, what parents are saying, and where to focus next.

Our story

The Ecential leadership team is comprised of veteran ECE experts with over 60 combined years developing, designing, and implementing management technologies for child care business owners.

We built Ecential because parents increasingly shop for childcare the way they shop for everything else — through reviews and AI-assisted search — while most operators still can't see the picture parents see. Our monthly reports close that gap with ranked competitor lists, sentiment themes, and specific next actions.

Meet the team

A cross-functional group with deep ECE software, growth, and operational expertise.

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Leif Ullman
Co-Founder

Leads product and engineering. Background in building data-intensive consumer and B2B software.

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Greg Krupa
Co-Founder

Leads go-to-market and partnerships. Decades of executive experience in childcare technology.

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Michal Maik
Co-Founder

Brings clinical and early-childhood expertise to product direction.

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Brad Olson
Co-Founder

Operations and business development; connects Ecential to the broader ECE operator community.

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Ryan Gwaltney
Co-Founder

Leads content and marketing; runs the Ecential newsletter.

Our experience

This work includes all aspects of CMS software technology, digital tuition payment processing, parent engagement and classroom management tools, and top-of-funnel CRM technologies.

Our team has helped over 20,000 individual child care owners implement management tools to enhance operational efficiency and reduce the cost of doing business.

Through these relationships we have developed a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing child care professionals today.

See your school's ranking

Get a monthly report of how parents see your school compared to nearby competitors.

Start for $5/mo