Urban Company, previously known as Urban Clap, has established itself among the most successful startups in India that witnessed a steep rise in their customer base.
In simple words, we can say that Urban Company is a one-stop-shop for all the users that are seeking the services of professionals such as beauticians, masseurs, sofa cleaners, carpenters, and technologists in a single click. In this startup story, we will learn about the journey of Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra and how these successful entrepreneurs transformed UrbanClap to Urban Company.
How did it begin?
It all started with three enthusiastic and passionate engineers – Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra who decided to quit their cushy jobs to create a platform that solves a primary customer need in India – home services.
Abhiraj and Varun have been close friends since their IIT-Kanpur days and they often used to talk about turning their startup dreams into reality. After a long corporate career at Boston Consulting Group (Abhiraj), and Qualcomm (Varun), they both decided to take the plunge and launched their first business venture – Cinemabox, a service that allowed travelers to stream movies on their phones in planes, trains or buses, in early 2014.
However, things didn’t work out well and the company was shut down within six months. That’s when they met Raghav, an ex-Twitter engineer, who also tried his luck in entrepreneurship by launching Buggi, an on-demand autorickshaw hailing platform that failed soon after its pilot model. One day, all three of them were brainstorming about some other unique startup ideas and they realized India’s home services industry was unorganized and lacked transparency.
People were struggling to find services for their households. In addition, the service professionals were unable to make ends meet as they had to rely upon contractors. Hence, the trio decided to do something about it and started Urban Clap, now known as Urban Company, in November 2014.
Idea Behind Launching Urban Company
Before starting India’s largest home service platform, Abhiraj, Varun, and Raghav had three things in mind. Firstly, they wanted to create a website that is highly user-friendly and offers various services. Secondly, they aimed to help the service providers by improving their earnings. Finally, they wanted to transform this conventional industry with the latest technology.
The founders were determined to create a startup that not only helps millions of people but also changes people’s home services experience. Although, the company faced several challenges in its initial stage. But today, Urban Company is one of the top startups in India.
Reaching The Pinnacle Of Success
Urban Clap rebranded itself as Urban Company in January 2020. The new name aligns with the company’s vision to be a horizontal gig marketplace with a worldwide reach and leading position across all the service categories.
Urban Company is one of the leading home services providers in Asia. In India, it has expanded its business in over 100 cities. Within a few years of its inception, the company had won the trust of its customers and emerged as a fantastic platform. It is currently valued at $2.8 billion.