Urban Company, previously called UrbanClap, is amongst the preeminent startups in India that have observed a sheer hype in their customer base. The startup has made it simple to avail services such as massage and salon without going outside and it is the biggest online services provider with a simple framework.
Honestly, we can say that it is an all-in-one platform that serves users to avail services of professionals such as beauticians, sofa cleaners, carpenters, and electricians at just one tap through the app.
Every brand has its own fascinating story and here we are sharing the success of Urban Company, how the startup idea came and how it rises very fast.
About the Company, Growth and Presence
Urban Company is the biggest home assistance platform in Asia.
The platform helps clients book professional home services such as beauty services and massage healing for both women and men, cleaning, painting, plumbing, machine repair, and many more. This Indian business has a presence in Singapore, the UAE, and Australia as well.
It is available in 30+ cities in India, including Agra, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai, etc.
Urban Company was established in November 2014. The brand’s main motive is to empower millions of professionals worldwide to fulfill services at home like never felt before. This innovative idea was brought up by three modern minds, Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Raghav Chandra, and Varun Khaitan. This was their second effort at starting a business.
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Since its launch, the business has grown immensely and presently offers services under two verticals – Beauty & Wellness and Home Repairs & Maintenance. Service professionals are closed to 40,000+ out of which 35 thousand are from India on their platform.
Urban Company Founders
Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Raghav Chandra, and Varun Khaitan put up this excellent idea to start UrbanClap initially.
Cinemabox, an on-demand movie streaming platform that gave entertainment for long-distance buses, was the first startup of Abhiraj and Varun. Raghav Chandra was working on starting something on his own, an auto ride-sharing app named Buggy.
“These individuals [service providers] are the most atomic form of business units in our society… If India needs to grow, if consumers need to benefit, they have to be empowered,”- As stated by Raghav Chandra, co-founder of Urban Company.
Nevertheless, the three of them soon understood their hard work was not going in a specific direction even though they have had a unique idea. The three eventually came collectively in their new mission and established “Urban Company.”
At Urban Company, Abhiraj Bhal is mainly accountable for managing marketing and business growth. Raghav Chandra is liable for technology and product development and Varun Khaitan takes charge of the operations and partner success part.
How Urban Company Started
Even in 2014, customers encountered issues in obtaining the services they indeed required. The trio themselves observed a gap in how people found services and how they correlated with the service providers. So, using their conflicts and understanding of the problems, the idea of building an all-in-one platform came into the founders’ minds.
UrbanClap, as an establishment, was created by understanding this need and by fundamentally transforming the Yellow Pages design to an online stage.
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At first, it began as a lead-generation model stage, but over time Urban Company selected a full-stack design that onboard gig workers offering them financial support, skills training, a way to branded tools and products, and a ready-to-serve business. The full-stack model assisted the company in maintaining quality measures irrespective of the partner giving the service, thereby building customer love and loyalty.
In a short time, UC founders raised an excellent investment from various investors and by 2015, the startup had accumulated more than a million dollars.
Why did UrbanClap Change its Name to Urban Company?
The founders know that it is important to have a globally acceptable brand. Urban Clap changed its name to Urban Company in January 2020.
He said in a statement, “From the neighbourhoods of Darling Harbour in Sydney to the condominiums of Gurgaon, Urban Company is a simple name with universal appeal. What remains unchanged is our commitment to offering reliable and affordable services at home. This is enabled by working closely with our service partners, helping them with up-skilling, financing, insurance, product procurement, etc., transforming them into micro-service entrepreneurs.”
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The main aim of rebranding is to improve the sub-brands under the same umbrella. The founders even intend to spread their services in other parts of India.
Urban Company Post Lockdown Growth
Urban Company saw outstanding results in business post lockdown. It is assumed that the company will double its revenue in this fiscal year compared to the last year. To meet the growth in demand, the company has been working actively to increase its partner strength.
The co-founder Varun Khaitan shared, “During the lockdown, we focused on re-imagining delivering safer and more hygienic services (amid the COVID-19 pandemic) and have made significant investments in technology, PPE (personal protective equipment), and safety training. Since June, the business has been on a very positive trajectory, and customers have trusted Urban Company to enter their homes for both their beauty and home service needs.”
In the last six years, Urban Company has gained the trust of its clients and due to this COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is now more careful and aware about hygiene.
Many people now prefer salon services at home. So, they trust Urban Company more because of their professional and clean services.
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Funding and Investors of Urban Company
Twelve investors funded the company along with Vy Capital, Tiger Global Management being the most recent names on the list.
It has raised a total of $190.9M in investment over ten rounds, and on 25 Aug 2020, its latest funding was raised from a secondary market round. They have acquired three organizations, and Glamazon is one of their latest acquisition.
