People’s Champion Finalist: BIZZBY

Start-up name: BIZZBY
Founder: Rohan Sinclair Luvaglio, Michael Camilleri-Ferrante and Howard Lewis
Started in: 2014
Based in: London
Business description: On-demand services in three taps

The BIZZBY story:

For time-poor, tech-savvy professionals, innovative apps are taking the stress out of every day inconveniences and new-to-market on-demand lifestyle app BIZZBY tackles the age-old problem of finding reliable and professional local services.

Whether you need a handyman, cleaner, beauty treatment or help, in just the tap of a button, consumers are matched to professionals in seconds (based on availability and location) who can arrive in minutes. Free for consumers to join, the start-up charges a commission on each job – and payment is made simple with BIZZBY’s real-time mobile payment system InstantPay, which offers service providers instant payment via their mobile once a job is completed, making 30 day, bi-weekly or monthly payments a thing of the past.

After dedicating 12 months to research and development to refine its solution before bringing it to market – since launch, the app has hit the ground running. In under nine months, over 5,000 service professionals have joined the platform to service more than two million job requests.

Backed with $10m from a hedge fund in the US that the founders say “dwarfs by more than tenfold most of the world’s top tier venture capital firms (VCs) in terms of funds under management”, the business has ambitious plans to launch nationwide in the UK as well as in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the US.

The Bizzby founders claim their “mobile first business model is revolutionising the service industry” and as we’ve seen with businesses like last year’s Startups Business of the Year YPlan, there is huge market potential as mobile and smartphone adoption reaches saturation.

Why BIZZBY made our 50:

Having recently closed a $10m funding round from a hedge fund in New York, BIZZBY’s easy-to-use service app, coupled with its innovative InstantPay mobile payment system, is certainly a business to keep your eye on.   

Where to find out more about Bizzby:

Website: http://www.bizzby.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BIZZBY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bizzby