Urban India is becoming more and more used to you do not have to attend – at least when it involves providing goods and services. You just have to look at the indisputable fact that applications for immediate delivery, comparable to Blinkit, have been impressed and Swiggy Instamart, have grown and continued to look at adoption in this country.
ProntoOne of such startups, which allows users to order and use the services of cleansing, washing and home services inside 10 minutes, is the use of this variation in consumer behavior, and now comes out of hiding from the seed round of $ 2 million conducted by Bain Capital Ventures at a valuation of $ 12.5 million.
Investors are probably excited to take a position in such startups, taking into account their growth potential, but the financing of pronto is coming at a time when people are increasingly sensitive to the way concert employees are treated by platforms.
Just two months ago one other home service provider supported by Venture, Urban Company, he faced intensive public ease to launch a similar service. Called Insta MaidsThe 15-minute house cleansing service quickly caused confusion in social media, mainly for language Urban Company used in her promotional campaign. Company later renamed the service on Insta HelpBut many, including employees’ relationships of concert events, It didn’t seem blissful With only rebranding.
For its part, Pronto offers cleansing, washing and cooking services with three different time options: immediate (10 minutes), planned and repeated. Services are offered 24/7, and startup guarantees 10 minutes access to services in all supported areas. The company claims that over 1,000 customers in the North Indian city of Gurugram.
The founder and general director of Pronto, Anjali Sardan, claims that her company goals to unravel the problems of concert employees at the approach, which is “winning, winning, winning” for all stakeholders.
“What is missing in many languages around these services is that they treat employees such as goods. They treat them as input. “We sit at the same centers where these employees enter and go out every day. And the reason is that as soon as you begin separating each other and the worker, you lose empathy for them.”
Government sources estimate that India Almost 4 million domestic employeesAlthough unofficial sources say that the number is more in the area 50 million. Nevertheless, most of these employees are part of the informal labor market, which Pronto considers the key competitors.
Pronto claims that his employees can earn about 22,000 ₹ (about USD 258) monthly if they work eight hours a day for 30 days. It also offers performance bonuses that may collect a total salary of as much as 25,000-26,000 ₹ (around 293 to 304 USD) monthly.
These amounts are much higher than the national helpers in urban locations, comparable to the Delhi-NCR region, are normally paid, i.e. about 9,000 ₹, According to the International Federation of National Workers (PDF). Sardana says that her startup also acts as an agency that helps employees when they face exploitation or abuse – a The problem of domestic helpers He has been fighting it in the country for a long time.
Fast service model
Speed has turn out to be a latest norm for many city Indians, but does this mean that individuals do not need to wait even an hour to wash the house? Sardana thinks so.
“When they need something, they need it right away,” she said. “For this customer, having 10 minutes of service is huge because they no longer have to plan in advance.”
Pronto began to pilot his service in December in Gurugram before he began his first hub at the end of March. Until now, the company claims that 70% of its clients have asked for its services twice inside 14 days.
The startup serves two hubs in Gurugram, each of which serves customers inside a radius of two miles. Sardana said that 70% to 80% of pronto demand comes from 500 meters – about two to three minutes – each center. Employees are not obliged to return to the center between work, although they have to start out and end their changes.
Avoiding commissions
Pronto avoids the model of the commission employed by most services employing concert employees, as a substitute pays his employees for a 4 -hour shift, once every two weeks. The company maintains the fees that customers charge.
The company stated that it plans to start out paying employees every week, and even allow them to pay at any time during payment cycles, for which domestic employees often ask in such unorganized configurations.
“Finally, we will build many” pound “products for employees to provide services they need, because many of these people try to access these resources,” she said. She added that the startup also plans to launch the medical health insurance product for their employees.
To provide clients that his employees are verified and checked, Pronto conducts internal, government and police verifications in addition to court controls, said Sardana. It also considers the provision of training services and impairment to employees based on customer feedback.
Startup plans to open 10 latest centers in Gurugram over the next three months and develop a network of employees to 700, and its employees are as much as 50 – in comparison with over 150 employees and currently 21 employees.
Ultimately, he plans to supply more services except cleansing and laundry, but currently focuses on expansion – going deeper into Gurugram and entering latest markets comparable to Bombaj and Bengaluru.