A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – LOCAL SERVICES
- 24tidy.com, a Shanghai-based O2O laundry service platform, raised $24M in Series C round led by China Merchants Venture Capital Management. Link
- Helpling, a Rocket Internet backed online platform for booking cleaning services, raised $10.7M in round led by Asia Pacific Internet Group; plans to expand offerings across home services. Link
- ZenRez, an online platform for last minute booking of fitness classes operating in the USA, raised $6M from ARTIS Ventures. Link
- MyGlamm, an online beauty services booking platform operating in India, raised $5.3M in bridge round led by L’Occitane. Link
- Spiffy, an on-demand car wash and detailing service operating in the USA, raised $5M in Series A led by Bull City Venture Partners. Link
- Fazland, a lead generation platform for home services operating in Italy, raised $4.77M in round led by RedSeed Ventures. Link
- Booksy, an appointment booking platform for beauty and wellness services operating in the USA, raised $4.2M in Series A round.Link
- PickMe, an online platform for booking gadget repair services operating in India, raised $1.79M from SIDBI Venture Capital fund. Link
- Tapzo, an Indian AI powered content and commerce platform for requesting a variety of on-demand services, raised undisclosed funding from RB Investments. Link
- 500 Startups backed Hometouch, a UK-based elder care provider. Link
- Rover.com, an online pet sitting marketplace operating in the USA, acquired its closest competitor DogVacay, a marketplace for petsitters that had raised $47M. Link
- Spacer, an Australian P2P marketplace for storage services exapanded operations to the US by acquiring Roost. Link
- HomeAdvisor, an online platform for home improvement professionals operating in the USA, acquired MyBuilder, a UK-based marketplace for builders. Link
- PickMyLaundry, an online laundry service provider operating in India, acquired OneClickWash in an all cash deal. Link
- HomeHero, a senior care provider operating in the USA, ceased its operations after raising $23M in funding. Link
- Rock Pamper Scissors, a UK-based online salon booking platform backed by 500 Startups, shut its operations. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Homee (2016, Tampa, $1.35M) – Mobile-based marketplace for home repair services.
TankYou (2016, Paris) – On-demand refueling service provider.
LEADER BOARD – LOCAL SERVICES
Multi-Services
Marketplaces
Koubei (2004, Hangzhou, $2B) – A horizontal O2O platform for multiple local services. Backed by Alibaba Group, Ant Financial, China Investment Corporatin and others.
58daojia (2014, Beijing, $300M) – Online marketplace for multiple local services such as cleaning, babysitting, automobile repairs, beauty care, lawn care and other. Backed by KKR, PingAn Insurance and Alibaba Group.
Listings – Local Businesses
Angie’s List (1995, Indianapolis, IPO) – Online platform offering reviews of local services. Went IPO in 2011.
JustDial (1996, Mumbai, IPO) – Online directory for local businesses along with phonecall and SMS enquiries. Went IPO in 2013.
Listings – E-commerce platforms
Trustpilot (2007, Copenhagen, $118M) – Platform offering reviews of online businesses such as search engines, social media and business websites. Backed by Seed Capital, Index Ventures, Northzone and others.
Lead Generation
Thumbtack (2009, SF, $274M) – Online platform for hiring local service professionals by comparing quotes and reviews. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Google Capital and others.
Aggregator
Tapzo (2010, Bangalore, $26M) – Formerly Helpchat,a AI powered content and commerce platform for requesting a variety of on-demand services. Backed by Sequoia Capital, American Express and others.
Home Services
Multi-home services
Oneflare (2012, Sydney, $19M) – Lead generation platform for home-care service providers. Backed by Microequities, Right Click Capital and Domain Group.
Zaarly (2011, SF, $15M) – Marketplace connecting users with local home service providers. Backed by KPCB, Felicis Ventures and others.
Maintenance & Repair
Multi-Maintenance Services
Handy (2012, NYC, $112M) – Marketplace for home cleaning and home repair services. Backed by Fidelity Investments, Highland Capital Partners, TPG and others.
Serviz (2014, Sherman Oaks, $31M) – Marketplace for on-demand home services. Backed by PointGuard Ventures, Groupon and Engie.
Cleaning
Helpling (2014, Berlin, $64M) – Online platform for booking home cleaning services.Backed by Rocket Internet, Lakestar, Point Nine Capital, Phenomenon Ventures and others.
95081 (2004, Beijing, $57.04M) – Online platform for booking housekeeping services. Backed by Tiantu Capital.
Lawn Care
TaskEasy (2011, Salt Lake City, $22M) – Online platform for booking home services such as lawn care, snow removal and pool cleaning. Backed by Grotech Ventures, Access Venture Partners and others.
LawnStarter (2013, Blacksburg, $7M) – Online platform where users can receive quotes and book lawn care services. Backed by Techstars, Binary Capital and others.
Improvement
Multi-improvement Services
To8to (2008, Shenzhen, $216M) – Online marketplace for interior decoration. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners China and 58.com.
Houzz (2009, Palo Alto, $214M) – Content driven platform for home remodelling and design. Backed by Sequoia Capital, KPCB, DST Global and others.
Porch (2012, Seattle, $100M) – Online network that connects homeowners and renters with home improvement professionals.Backed by Founders Fund, Battery Ventures, Graph Ventures and others.
Interior Designer
Homepolish (2012, NYC, $17M) – Online marketplace for availing services of interior designers. Raised Series A in Jan 2016.
Painting
Paintzen (2013, NYC, $12M) – Online platform for booking home and office painters. Backed by Bullpen Capital, Expansion Venture Capital, Quotidian Ventures and others.
Electronics Repair
Uyess (2014, Shenzhen, $19M) – Online platform for booking technicians for home appliances and electronics repairs. Backed by Vertex Ventures, GX Capital and Thunderstorm VC.
Cellsavers (2015, SF, $18M) – Online marketplace for booking technicians for smartphone repairs. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Viola Group and Carmel Ventures.
Domestic Help
Drivers
Edaijia (2011, Beijing, $125M) – Mobile marketplace for booking drivers. Backed by Warburg Pincus, Matrix Partners China, 58.com and others.
Chefs
Hao Chushi (2014, Beijing, $22M) – Online marketplace for private chefs. Backed by Lightspeed China Partners, Cowin Capital and Shanghai Zhonglu Group.
Personal Services
Beauty
Parlour Booking
Wahanda (2008, London, $154M, Acq.) – Marketplace for booking salons and spas. Acquired by Recruit Holdings in 2015.
StyleSeat (2011, SF, $41M) – Online platform for booking beauty and wellness services. Backed by 500 Startups, Founders Fund, SoftTech VC and others.
At-Home Booking
Helijia (2013, Beijing, $55M) – Marketplace for booking at-home beautician appointments. Backed by IDG Capital Partners, CBC Capital, GX Capital and others.
Glamsquad (2013, NYC, $24M) – Mobile app for on-demand at-home beauticians.Backed by SoftBank, NEA, Montage Ventures and others.
Laundry
Edaixi (2013, Beijing, $123M) – Mobile app for on-demand laundry services. Backed by Tencent, SIG China, Baidu and others.
Fitness & Training
Fitness Centers
Classpass (2011, NYC, $84M) – Membership program for fitness classes across multiple gyms. Backed by Techstars, Charles River Ventures, Catalyst Partners and others.
Quancheng Relian (2014, Beijing, $17M) – O2O mobile app for booking gyms and fitness centers. Backed by Matrix Partners China and Legend Capital.
Personal Trainers
fitmob (2013, SF, $15M, Acq.) – Mobile app to find and book local fitness trainers. Acquired by Classpass in 2015.
CoachUp (2011, Boston, $9M) – Marketplace for private sports and fitness coaches. Backed by General Catalyst Partners, Point Judith Capital and others.
Auto Services
Auto Repair
Xiaokakeji (2014, Hangzhou, $94M) – Mobile-based car servicing platform connecting auto owners with offline after-sales service providers. Backed by GGV Capital and Magic Stone Alternative.
Driving Schools
Eclicks (2012, Shanghai, $102M) – O2O platform for booking driving classes at nearest driving schools. Backed by Decent Capital, Yiche, Vision Knight Capital and others.
Refuelling
Booster Fuels (2014, Seattle, $12M) – Mobile app for on-demand fuel service. Backed by Maveron, Expansion Venture Capital, RRE Ventures and others.
Car Wash
Guaguaxiche (2014, Beijing, $26M) – On-demand at-home car wash service provider. Backed by 58.com.
Caregivers
Multi-services
Care.com (2006, Waltham, IPO) – Online marketplace for caregivers offering child care, senior care, pet care and housekeeping services. Went IPO in 2014.
Sittercity (2001, Chicago, $44M) – Online marketplace for babysitters, nannies, special needs sitters, care companions and pet sitters. Backed by Baird Capital, Apex Capital Partners, Western Technology Investments and others.
Senior Care
Honor (2014, San Francisco, $62M) – Senior care service provider having its own fleet of caregivers. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, True Ventures and others.
HomeTeam (2013, Manhattan, $43M) – Online provider of senior care services through its own fleet of caregivers. Backed by Lux Capital, IA Ventures, Recruit Strategic Partners and others.
Pet Care
Rover.com (2011, Seattle, $91M) – Online marketplace for booking pet sitters. Backed by Menlo Ventures, CrunchFund, Foundry Group and others.
Dogvacay (2012, Santa Monica, $47M, Acq.) – Online and mobile marketplace for booking pet sitters and pet boarders. Acquired by Rover.com in 2017.
Storage Services
B2C
Sparefoot (2008, Austin, $48M) – Marketplace facilitating self-storage rentals between consumers and storage operators. Backed by Insight Venture Partners, Floodgate and others.
P2P
Spacer (2015, Sydney, $1M) – P2P marketplace for storage spaces. Raised seed funding in 2015.
Event Vendors
Multi-Categories
Celebrations.com (2008, NYC, $4M) – Event invitations and vendor listing platform. Backed by Martha Stewart and Double M Partners.
Catering
ezCater (2007, Boston, $70M) – Online marketplace for caterers and concierge services. Backed by Insight Venture Partners, Walnut Venture Associates, LaunchPad and others.
Photographers
Canvera (2007, Bangalore, $23M) – Online platform for availing photography services across India. Backed by Info Edge India, Mumbai Angels, Kae Capital and others.
Corporate Services
Managed by Q (2014, NYC, $73M) – Online platform providing cleaners, assistants, helpers, and handymen for office spaces. Backed by SV Angels, Greycroft Partners, Kapor Capital and others.
Leader board includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
For latest update visit Local Services feed.
