German startup Helpling looks to wipe the floor in the UK cleaning market with €32m acquisition of Hassle.com

06.07.2015
Hassle.com, a London startup that helps people find nearby cleaners via a smartphone app, has been acquired by German rival Helpling for 32 million (£23 million).

The startup, founded by former Accenture consultants Alex Depledge, Jules Coleman and Tom Nimmo in 2011, has been gaining momentum across the UK after it raised $6 million (£3.8 million) last May in a funding round led by Accel Partners, an early investor in companies like Facebook, Etsy, Spotify and Dropbox.

By comparison, Helpling is much younger, having launched only last year, but investors have already backed it to the tune of $62 million (£39 million).

"It is no secret that Helpling moves fast," said Depledge. "Their ability to scale and raise money is impressive."

"Our goal from the beginning has always been to become a global domestic cleaning brand. This strategic move takes us significantly closer to that goal."

Helpling's largest investor is well-known German startup incubator Rocket Internet and it appears as though the cleaning service is following its backer's mentality of expanding globally as early as possible. The acquisition of Hassle will give Helpling a strong presence in the UK in the same way that the acquisition of Hungryhouse has given Berlin's Delivery Hero a strong foothold in the UK since 2013.

Benedikt Franke, cofounder of Helpling, said: "Hassle.com is not only the market leader in the UK and Ireland, it also has a very sophisticated technology and has built a brand that people associate with trust, quality and safety.

"The team has done a great job to pioneer this model and to establish Hassle.com as one of the leading home-cleaning marketplaces in Europe. We are very much looking forward to working together. Our partnership combines Hassle.com's expertise with Helpling's international footprint and access to capital. It creates a very exciting global proposition and makes our combined company the strongest player in this space."

(www.techworld.com)

Sam Shead