Tag: Urban Company

Business World

Urban Company launches the biggest innovation in the country with free Video Consult for appliance repairs

Dec 2, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Abhinav Tyagi, #Senior Vice President – Marketing, #Urban Company

Gurugram: Trusted by more than 30 lakh households, Urban Company – Asia’s largest tech-enabled home services marketplace – launches free video consult for consumers for all its appliance repair services. This initiative will enable the consumer to understand the exact issue with an accurate diagnosis and cost estimate, leading to instant resolution, all through a video call.

The industry-first initiative by Urban Company is a revolutionary move, set to change the way the appliance repair industry operates. Free video consults will be provided to all its customers across India, by senior experts with over 15 years of experience in the appliance repair industry. Given that knowledge is power, the focus is to give control back to the consumers in the whole repair process. Sometimes an issue can be solved by consumers themselves with the guidance of an expert. For example, if your refrigerator is leaking, it could be something as simple as the drain cap getting blocked. In case it is a major issue, the expert will diagnose the problem instantly and recommend a technician visit.

Talking about the new campaign, Abhinav Tyagi, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Urban Company, said: “We, at Urban Company, always strive to use innovation and technology to deliver a far better and delightful experience to our consumers. One of the biggest issues consumers face whenever an appliance breaks down is the confusion and anxiety during the whole repair process, especially if they face overruns in both time and costs versus what they had estimated. We have launched a free and instant video consult service for repairs so that our senior experts, who have > 15 years of experience, can help our consumers with accurate diagnosis and correct estimates without having to invest significant time or money. We believe this advice will help our consumers make informed decisions whenever they need.”

Through this launch, Urban Company aims to empower consumers, arming them with the right knowledge and the right guidance, for all their appliance repair needs.

How video consult works:

1. Tap on the Appliance under Home Services section the Urban Company app

2. Select the appliance you want to get repaired

3. Select Instant Video Consult option

4. Select language in which you want the consultation

Business World

5 brands to look up to in order to amplify your personality

Feb 26, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #BestifyMe, #Toastmasters International, #toothsi, #Udemy, #Urban Company
  1. toothsi – The perfect solution for your smile makeover. Brand the toothsi, established in November 2018, is India’s first and largest at-home smile makeover service, helps you transform your smile. The company offers personalized dental aligners that are invisible, flexible, and do not hamper the mouth movement. They follow an end-to-end, full-stack, customer-oriented model that manages all processes – including at home first scanning session, counseling, customised treatment plan, and video consultation. The aligners are manufactured – in-house. The brand toothsi aligners are up to 70% more affordable than most other teeth crowding, crossbite, etc. options available. Since its inception, toothsi has expanded its operational footprint to 7 cities across India, including Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Ahmedabad. It is one of the best options for you if you are conscious about your teeth gap and feel hesitant because of traditional braces, crossbite . Go for it and get that smile which will be a head turner.
  2. Udemy – Confidence is Sexy! If you are confident, you will always attract people towards you. If you feel that you are lacking confidence, it is the correct time to join any personality development classes which will help you build confidence and enhance your personality even better. Udemy is one of the most popular and trusted platforms for the same. They have a “Transform your confidence and self – esteem complete course” which will actually help you to develop a winning mindset wherever you go.
  3. Toastmasters International – The way you speak reflects your personality to a large extent. If you don’t have good public speaking skills, then you will certainly create a bad impression. Working on one’s speaking skill to boost up your personality is a must. There are many programs and classes available which helps you to improve your communication skills. Worldwide famous Toastmasters International is a great platform to evolve yourself and your public speaking skills. Speaking in an assertive manner adds on to your personality and you never know whom you will impress which will add a great impact in your life.
  4. Urban Company – Self grooming is very important. When you look good, it automatically boosts up your self confidence and intensifies your personality. It is very crucial to look presentable, especially in the corporate world. While most of the people are still resisting themselves to visit a Salon and groom themselves up, Urban Company brings an instant solution to your doorstep. Urban Company provides on demand quality home services to all their customers. All their professionals are well trained and have on job expertise. Urban Company is hence one of the best go to options for getting groomed at your own comfort and shine out in the crowd.
  5. BestifyMe – If you are willing to work on your personality and don’t know where to start with, the easiest way is to download a personality development app. BestifyMe is the one of the best self-improvement apps that you shouldn’t miss. This personality development app has been designed to improve your personality through tons of useful tips, training, skill-sharing, and quotes. The app includes a personality development training guide along with expert advice to help you in real life. It also comes with personal development tools, Inspirational quotes, and more. It also has easy to understand content for several personal development tools.
News

PointOne Capital announces first close, plans corpus of INR 50 crore for pre-seed startups

Dec 19, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Archana Priyadarshini, #Ex- Letsventure, #Managing Partner, #Mihir Jha, #PointOne Capital, #PointOne Capital): Ex-Unicorn India Ventures, #Ravish Ratnam, #Urban Clap, #Urban Company

Bangalore: PointOne Capital, a pre-seed focussed VC fund, recently announced the first closing of its maiden fund. The SEBI registered CAT-1 AIF which targets early seed stage startups, plans a total corpus of INR 50 crore with a ticket size of up to INR 1 crore per startup.

The fund counts successful entrepreneurs, PE & VC firm partners, CXOs & seasoned senior corporate leaders as its LPs. PointOne aims to solve the funding gap for start ups at the pre-product and revenue or the beta launch phase with very early traction.

The team comes with an in-depth experience and success in early stage investing and includes Archana Priyadarshini, Mihir Jha and Ravish Ratnam. All the three have collectively worked with over 1000 startups. Closing over 60 investments in their tenure apart from collaborating with 100+ VC funds and 1000+ angel investors, provides them an edge in identifying success patterns and enabling future rounds of their portfolio companies.

Adding further, Mihir Jha (Managing Partner, PointOne Capital): Ex- Letsventure, Urban Company (formerly Urban Clap), said, “Raising funding at a beta stage or pre-PMF stage is challenging for founders – it becomes too risky vis-a-vis the traction for larger VCs unless the founders come with a proven entrepreneurial track record. We are willing to take those risks in favor of the opportunity and the new insights the team brings to the table. Another problem is feedback in cases where an investor is not interested in investing. PointOne believes in changing that paradigm. Our conviction is that a pointed feedback at early stages of venture building will contribute manifold to increasing the overall efficiency of the Indian startup ecosystem. We aim to provide this to every entrepreneur whom we engage with.”

Ravish Ratnam (Managing Partner, PointOne Capital): Ex- Letsventure, added, “Our country is producing entrepreneurs at an unprecedented rate – needless to say, capital needs to catch up. PointOne has been set up to partner with the founders at the most fundamental stage, one which has the most number of variables(and hidden variables). We are glad to have the backing of industry experts from India and abroad in our first close as it opens up a powerful network which our portfolio founders can leverage as they navigate through their zero-to -one journey.”

Speaking about this, Archana Priyadarshini (Managing Partner, PointOne Capital): Ex-Unicorn India Ventures, said, “Having met over 500 startups in the last 5 years, I have seen that initial days are the most difficult in a founder’s journey. At such a stage, guidance along with capital becomes very important as founders need support in clearly articulating their vision, preparing a focused output-oriented pilot and defining the initial GTM. Through PointOne, we strive to be that pillar of support for the founders and also learn from them during that process.”

PointOne calls itself the “earliest early stage VC” and vouches for its speed of decision making. Their focus is on providing a clear investment feedback to founders whom they engage with. Their major USP includes the fact that the fund offers a dedicated Venture Partner to its portfolio companies post investment. These are entrepreneurs in the specific sector with a successful track record of scaling tech businesses.

Prior to this, PointOne has been investing in similar ventures through their angel syndicate. Some of these ventures have already raised their next round of funding within 6 months of PointOne’s syndicate investment. Although largely sector agnostic they are primarily targeting large untapped opportunities in Fintech, Consumer Internet, Gaming, SMB SaaS, Enterprise SaaS, Healthcare and Ed-tech. They plan least 1 investment per month going forward.

 

Business World

Get your home Diwali ready with these 5 Cleaning Service brands

Nov 11, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Astute Care, #Cleaning Service brands, #Diwali, #House Joy, #Joboy, #Mr. Right, #Urban Company

If your Diwali cleaning checklist is giving you heartburn, then it’s time for some outsourcing it to. Earlier, Diwali and other holidays meant all-hands-on-deck, scrubbing, polishing, etc. but things are changing with the rise of service apps offering deep cleaning services using top-of-the-line chemicals and commercial-grade machines so that you and your help don’t need to sweat it out.

Here are some servicing companies which you can pick to make your abode festive ready.

1) Astute Care

Astute Outsourcing Services, a specialist company in health and wellbeing services in India, launched its Sanitization & Disinfection Services, Astute Care in Delhi & NCR and Kochi. The new services are aimed at the sanitization of Home, Workplace, Commercial Spaces and Industrial space. With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing daily all over the world, it is important to follow all precautionary measures while sanitizing an office or home. With years of expertise in Sanitizing and Disinfection Services in India, the highly trained team of Astute Care can provide effective services at home, office and industrial area. The team has expertise in disinfecting sites and help prevent the risk of infection. Astute Care team, using specialist equipment can effectively and professionally decontaminate sites, including homes, offices, clinics, shops, etc. They are available in Kochi, Delhi & NCR region.

Perks: Sanitization free with Home cleaning, Carpet cleaning & Sofa cleaning

Price: Home deep cleaning for 1BHK starts at Rs. 5459

2) Urban Company

This “managed marketplace” dominates the industry and most often recommended across the cities we looked at. With over 60,000 cleanings per month, UrbanClap can quickly adapt to feedback, tweaking its algorithm, ratings system and offerings regularly. It originally farmed out home cleaning to other companies completely, but for the last eight months, individuals contracted to UrbanClap provide “unbundled” cleaning (bathroom, kitchen, sofa, etc.), while full home cleaning, which requires a team, will likely move in that direction soon. This direct involvement has seen a “dramatic” improvement in quality, ratings, and repeat customers. They are available in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi/NCR, Chandigarh Tricity, Jaipur, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune.

Perks: Up to Rs 10,000 of insurance against damages; improved customer support; quick turnaround time.

Price: Home deep cleaning for 1BHK starts at Rs. 4,499

3) Joboy

Joboy takes a slightly different approach by providing a wide range of services (you can book tickets or deliveries), within its local focus (Kerala, though the company is slowly expanding elsewhere). House cleaning is done by verified partners, some of whom can take time to confirm. They are available in Kochi, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Thiruvalla, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur.

Perks: a 60-day guarantee of satisfaction or work is redone.

Price: In Kerala, home deep cleaning for a 1BHK starts at Rs. 2,099.

4) House Joy

Housejoy has expanded slowly, emphasising its “stringent” induction process, which includes trial cleaning for a panel of family and friends. Housejoy offers a variety of things but is slightly more focussed on building services including renovations and makeovers. They are available in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Pune; limited presence in Coimbatore, Vijayawada, Surat, Baroda, and Ahmedabad.

Perks: Customisable services, 100 per cent satisfaction or a free re-work, subscription packages available.

Price: Home deep cleaning for 1BHK starts at Rs.2,500; with floor-scrubbing machine Rs. 4,600 (currently discounted to Rs. 3,600).

5) Mr. Right

Mr. Right started in 2013 in Delhi as a company with workers on its rolls, before scaling up to an aggregation model—though one quite engaged with its partners. And it’s easy to see exactly what you’re paying for. Mr. Right survived because they have been bootstrapped since Day One as they’ve stuck to their roots providing home services. They are available in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune.

Perks: Focus on home services, high customization; the app gives the customer a high level of control.

Prices: Home deep cleaning for 1BHK starts at Rs. 4,999.

Business World

Four companies that used their expertise and services to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sep 19, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Advantage Club, #Healthians, #Swiggy, #Urban Company

As the world is adjusting to the new normal, companies are in an overdrive to survive this pandemic and finding innovative ways to take meaningful measures to ensure survival through the crisis. While many companies were taken aback by the sudden onslaught of the pandemic and left without a riposte, some emerged as authentic, innovative and resilient leaders who pivoted from their traditional market to help employees, customers and businesses fight this pandemic.

These companies have expanded beyond their usual workflow and created products and solutions to keep their workers employed, paid and insured while helping customers to get what they need. They overcame the hurdles and capitalised on the opportunities that arose from the arise different way of living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic. Below we list four companies that made proactive efforts to offset the impact of the pandemic on their customers, clients and employees.

Swiggy

Necessity leads to innovation, and this has been the guiding principle for many companies during this pandemic. During the lockdown, there was a huge dip in the number of orders the Food delivery startup, Swiggy was receiving on a daily basis. The startup was forced to cut costs and innovate to survive the downturn. Swiggy pivoted and entered the daily delivery grocery sector to provide viable income to its delivery partners and hassle-free grocery delivery to its massive consumer base. As demand for at-home grocery delivery surged, this new business line by Swiggy helped people to find alternatives to get essentials delivered.

Advantage Club

Advantage Club is known as India’s largest employee engagement platform that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between large and small scale companies with other businesses and vendors to offer exclusive rewards, services and products to employees in the partnered organisations. Once the pandemic began, the company had to conceptualise a new strategy to add additional value to their partnership with their clients. The company came up with a Fight COVID Programme to help companies get back into the office. Under the programme, a multi-step plan was offered for making offices COVID proof and included sanitisation chambers, workplace disinfection, PPE kits, COVID screening, and informational posters. The service also included an offering of health insurance for employees through partner firms.

Advantage Club’s offering was in line with its employee-centred business model and was aimed to make the workplace safe and secure.

Healthians

Healthians is India’s largest at-home health test service provider, and it has come at the forefront of the war against the pandemic through its various initiatives that were launched to help its customers and the Indian populace. Even in a pandemic, the company continued its usual operations and launched services like HPlus CorpShield for COVID screening incorporates, COVID Helpline and ChatBot, Drive-thru COVID sample collection, At-home COVid screening, etc.

The pandemic saw a dramatic fall in blood donations due to restrictions and lockdowns. In light of the situation, the company launched a blood donation service to save lives, and the service is free of charge for all. This noble service is integrated into the Healthians app and almost instantaneously connects consenting donors with the people in need.

Urban Company

Urban Company, formerly known as Urban Clap, is back at 90% of its pre-COVID business levels within five months since the lockdown began. This is a considerable achievement for the company as their business model relies on service professionals visiting the homes of their customers. This boost in the company’s business comes at the back of Mission Shakti an initiative that was launched to protect the health, safety and well-being of its customers, service partners & employees.
Under the initiative, the company also set up an INR 1.5 Cr for its service workers and an 11 crore in interest-free loans for businesses operating in partnership with the company.