Annual Awards Honor Breakthrough Innovations Driving Meaningful Global Impact

SANTA FE, N.M., June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- BabyQuip, the leading baby gear rental marketplace and pioneer in family travel solutions, announced today that its partnership with Vrbo has been named an honoree in the General Excellence category of Fast Company's 2026 World Changing Ideas Awards. The annual awards recognize innovative organizations and projects that are addressing the world's most pressing challenges through creativity, technology, and measurable impact.

Now in its ninth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards celebrate organizations that are creating meaningful change across industries; from sustainability and AI to healthcare, mobility, and social innovation.

Founded in 2016, BabyQuip has transformed the way families travel by enabling parents to rent clean, safe, and insured baby gear at destinations around the world rather than transporting bulky equipment. Through its technology-enabled marketplace and network of more than 3,000 independent Quality Providers, BabyQuip serves more than 5,000 locations across North America and beyond while creating flexible entrepreneurial opportunities for local operators.

As BabyQuip celebrates its 10th anniversary, the company continues to innovate through partnerships that make family travel more seamless. Its integration with Vrbo, launched in 2025, allows travelers booking vacation homes in eligible U.S. destinations to easily reserve baby, beach, and pet gear during the travel planning process. Guests receive 10% off rentals and can have items delivered directly to their vacation rental or designated pickup location.

That blend of family convenience and entrepreneurial opportunity, delivered at scale, is what earned the partnership a place among this year's World Changing Ideas Awards.

This year's awards, featured on FastCompany.com, highlight 191 outstanding projects across 14 categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters evaluated more than 1,500 entries based on impact, sustainability, design, creativity, scalability, and the ability to improve society.

"We're honored to be recognized by Fast Company for what we've built at BabyQuip over the past decade," shared Fran Maier, CEO and Founder, BabyQuip. "This award validates our belief that innovation is about solving real problems for families while creating value across an entire ecosystem. From empowering thousands of local entrepreneurs to partnering with industry leaders like Vrbo to simplify family travel, BabyQuip is proving that a purpose-driven marketplace can deliver meaningful impact at scale. We're excited to continue creating solutions that help families pack lighter, travel happier, and make the most of their time together."

Fast Company's Summer 2026 issue, on newsstands June 23, features select honorees from this year's program.

"The World Changing Ideas Awards are more than inspiration—they're a measure of real-world impact," says Fast Company Editor-in-Chief Brendan Vaughan. "This year's honorees are turning bold ideas into tangible solutions and addressing urgent global challenges with creativity and rigor."

ABOUT BABYQUIP

BabyQuip® is the #1 baby gear rental marketplace, making family travel easier by delivering clean, safe, and insured baby gear and other family essentials to over 5,000 locations in the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and beyond. From cribs and strollers to beach gear and pet supplies, BabyQuip's trusted network of over 3,000 Quality Providers ensures families can Pack Light. Travel Happy®. BabyQuip also empowers Quality Providers with the opportunity to build their own baby gear rental or cleaning business through its managed marketplace.

Follow BabyQuip on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

ABOUT VRBO

In 1995, Vrbo® introduced a new way for people to travel together, pairing hosts with families and friends looking for places to stay. Vrbo was grounded in one purpose: To give people the space they need to drop the distractions of everyday life and simply be together.

Since then, Vrbo has grown into a global community of hosts and guests, with unique properties around the world. Vrbo makes it easy and fun to book cabins, condos, beach houses, and every kind of space in between.

Vrbo is part of Expedia Group and offers hosts exposure to nearly 1 billion average monthly searches on Expedia Group sites.

© 2025 Vrbo, an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Vrbo and the Vrbo logo are trademarks of HomeAway.com, Inc.

Follow Vrbo on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

Media Contact

Sara Strasbaugh, Godfrey Social PR, 1 9515228006, sara@godfreysocialpr.com, Godfrey Social PR

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