People’s Champion Finalist: Housekeep (2014)

Start-up name: Housekeep
Founder: Avin Rabheru
Started in: 2014
Based in: London
Business description: A booking platform for professional home cleaners

The Housekeep story:

Entering a crowded marketplace can often send out alarm bells for start-up success but Housekeep has managed to establish its position as one of the leading online cleaner booking platforms in the UK. After testing the market and finding that consumers often found managing and monitoring cleaners to be stressful and time-consuming, former angel investor Avin Rabheru sought to create a solution that would allow customers to book, manage and pay for cleaners online whilst receiving a professional, quality service – the beginnings of Housekeep.

The platform, which uses new “ground-breaking technology”, has quickly caught the attention of investors and key European players. Three months after its January launch it raised $1m in a deal which saw backing from the Pentland Group, Streetcar’s Brett Akker, and Kabbee founder Justin Peters, amongst others. The start-up now claims it is going some way to disrupting the $4bn home cleaning market with plans to expand its offering into other home services.

Housekeep remains undeterred by the growing competition as a statement on its website reflects:

“We don’t think a good idea alone is enough to be successful – and we’re putting our money where our mouth is. After all, there are 152 other home cleaning companies just in our postcode! Instead, we think it’s about being the best at what you do. We’re obsessed with providing quality home cleaners and matching that with better customer service than anyone else out there.”

In order to further distinguish itself, Rabheru has placed a key emphasis on technology with its bespoke platforms, its recent funding round has set the wheels in motion to further develop the technology side of the businesses.

Why Housekeep made our 50:

In less than a year, Housekeep has turned heads in the enterprise space with a growing customer base and impressive funding pot to boot. Its vision to become the leading provider of services to the home appears in reach.

Where to find out more about Housekeep:

Website: https://housekeep.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/housekeep
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearehousekeep