Erin Quick is the founder of the digital adoption platform PairTree. The traditional adoption process can cost tens of thousands of dollars and take years, and it often excludes LGBTQ families, single-person families, and people of certain religions. Erin’s platform is a more inclusive and cost- and time-effective solution that allows users to find the right match. Sounds pretty spectacular, right?
Who are you? What do you do?
I’m the CEO and Co-Founder of PairTree, a digital adoption platform that provides all the services needed to navigate a private adoption in the US. Following years of infertility, my husband and I decided to adopt and were stunned at the conventional adoption agency process. We adopted our two children via “self-matching,” a process in which we created an online profile in the hopes of self-matching with an expectant mom, then built our own team consisting of a social worker and an adoption attorney. In the process, I realized there was an opportunity to modernize the domestic adoption pathways. By leveraging technology, we could provide a simple, more cost and time-effective solution making the process better for everyone. As a result, PairTree was born.
Wax poetic for a minute and tell us: what brings you most alive about this city?
Driving west on the 520 bridge on a sunny day. The sparkling blue water against the snowy mountain backdrop resets my psyche every time.
What’s your favorite Seattle memory?
I was living in Seattle when the Hawks won the Super Bowl and the city was electric! What a fun time to be in Seattle and see the city unite around a common cause!
If you could eat only one meal from a local restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Carne Asada tacos from La Carta de Oaxaca.
Outside of the obvious stop above, share your other top three destinations for where you’d go on your perfect Seattle day.
I’d start the morning walking the Loop at Discovery Park, take a cooking class at The Pantry mid-day, and end the day with a happy hour around a fire pit at Golden Gardens.
If you could give any one piece of advice to locals, what would it be?
Spend the money on good rain gear, including waterproof shoes.
How does Seattle help you do what you do/influence your work?
Seattle is where it all started for us. There is a large group of well-reputed adoption professionals here (attorneys, social workers, adoptive families) who recognized the need for adoption to change, and that encouraged the idea of PairTree. Without them, I’m not sure I would have made the leap.
How can our readers best support you at the moment?
PairTree has had over 4,000 adoptive families and more than 450 expectant mothers registered on the platform, and we have seen more than 30 successful matches made. It is by far the biggest project in my life. I’ve never worked harder or loved what I’m doing more.
Every day, I have the honor of working with these courageous and resilient families and hearing their stories. That is truly the most inspiring part of my job. Spreading the word to anyone that has been struggling with infertility or expressed an interest in adoption would be most helpful.
What are you looking forward to this year?
The blissful summer heat, crabbing, boating, and hopefully more in-person events!
What’s an unpopular opinion you have about the city?
The weather is not really that bad. 
Interested in adopting and learning more about Pairtree? Want to connect with Erin? You can learn more at their website, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
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