Home services startup Frapperz raises $100K in seed funding

On-demand home services provider Frapperz has raised $100,000 (Rs 66.6 lakh) in seed funding from a group of investors led by an Australia-based healthcare entrepreneur.

The mobile platform, owned and operated by NumeroSeven Technologies Pvt Ltd, has recorded over 10,000 active downloads, the startup said in a press release. It claims to have clocked monthly revenue of $10,000.

The company didn't disclose the names of the investors.

Frapperz curates home services professionals for a slew of handyman services as well as for photography, home décor and electronics. It is operational only in Kolkata.

Frapperz was founded by husband-wife duo Jyotirmay Kanthal and Rimjhim Ray in 2016. Previously, they had founded a creative digital firm christened Unmarketeer.

The past few years have seen the emergence of several home and local services firms that provide handyman services, ranging from home cleaning and car washing to laundry, pest control and even hobby classes.

While no clear leader has yet emerged, a slew of startups, armed with investor cash, such as UrbanClap, Housejoy, Helpi, and Timesaverz are targeting the household services segment. The segment has also seen consolidation activity as the better-funded players acquired small firms.

In the most recent development in this sector, on-demand maid service provider Didi acquired home services startup TimeMyTask in an all-stock deal in January. In February 2016, Mumbai-based home services startup Zimmber acquired Gurgaon-based FindYahan.

Some companies have also rejigged their business models. For instance, LocalOye, backed by Tiger Global and Lightspeed Venture Partners, pivoted its business model to focus more on business-to-business customers last June for better monetisation.

In September 2016, Mumbai-based DoorMint shifted its business to laundry services in Mumbai and closed down in Bangalore and Gurgaon. In May 2016, Bangalore-based Qyk, a mobile marketplace for local services, became an aggregator for home construction, renovation and interior designing services and rebranded itself as Papertostone.

Besides these startups, online classifieds firm Quikr launched a new vertical called QuikrServices to help users find local service providers including cooks and maids in September 2015.