On-demand cleaning service Mopp has been acquired by American platform Handy as the two businesses hope to become the international on-demand home services leader.
The services will co-brand as “Mopp powered by Handy” with immediate effect and users will now have access to existing Mopp cleaners as well as all those previously with Handy.
Customers will also now be able to book handymen and other services through London-based Mopp which, in time, will be completely rebranded as Handy.
A Handy acquisition
Details of the acquisition have not been disclosed but has been described as “multi-million pound deal”, in this case an all-stock transaction that will effectively merge the London operations of the two businesses.
The startup also announced a number of new features with the acquisition, which include user login and the ability to change, amend, re-schedule, and pause bookings online at any time.
Oisin Hanrahan, CEO and founder of Handy, said that London was the “next logical stage” for the company.
The British have consistently embraced technology that makes their lives easier, and have an international reputation for being proud of their homes.
Mopp founders, Pete Dowds and Tom Brooks will stay on to run Mopp and Handy operations from London.
What’s in the past?
Handy is an on-demand home improvement and cleaning platform for household services. It was founded in 2012, the same year as Mopp, by Hanrahan and fellow Harvard Business School graduate Umang Dua.
The pair have raised $49m in capital to date and the acquisition is likely to be the first step in their European expansion.
Mopp are just one of the many on-demand cleaning services available in London (Hassle and Housekeep are two others) and it is likely to have been a tactical decision to simply acquire one of the existing competitors rather than compete in an already very crowded market.