Handy Technologies Explained

Handy Technologies, Inc.
Type:Subsidiary
Location City:134 West 29th St.
New York, NY 10001
U.S.
Founder:Oisin Hanrahan, Umang Dua, Ignacio Leonhardt, Weina Scott
Industry:Online marketplace
Services:Home cleaning, handyman tasks, home improvement services, assembly
Parent:Angi
Num Employees:200 (2021)

Handy Technologies, Inc. is an online two-sided marketplace for residential cleaning, installation, and other home services.[1] Founded in 2012 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the now New York–based company operates services in United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The company was acquired by ANGI Homeservices in October 2018.

History

Handy was founded in summer 2012 as Handybook by Oisin Hanrahan, Umang Dua, Weina Scott (a computer science graduate from Harvard University) and Ignacio Leonhardt (a graduate of Duke University and the London School of Economics). In fall 2012, it moved its headquarters from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Manhattan.[2] [3] The online household services marketplace they created follows a sharing economy approach and a business model that has been compared to Uber.[4] The Handybook name was chosen as it was a place to book handyman and cleaning services.[5]

Handybook was launched with incubation support from the Harvard Innovation Lab.[6] In October 2012 Handybook raised US$2 million in seed financing from General Catalyst Partners and Highland Capital Partners.[7] The following year in October 2013, Handybook raised further 10 million dollars from existing investors[8] along with David Tisch's BoxGroup and other investors.[9] The same month Handybook began talks to acquire the San Francisco–based Exec, a similar service for hiring people to complete household tasks. In January 2014, Handybook completed the acquisition of the company which helped establish its West Coast presence.[10] By May 2014, the company was employing nearly a hundred people.

In June 2014, Handybook raised $30 million in a series B round of investment led by Revolution Growth.[11] By this point, the company had expanded operations to twenty-six cities in North America, including Vancouver and Toronto. It also reported that the service was being used to complete about 10,000 jobs per week. In September 2014, Handybook changed its name to Handy.[12] [13] A week after the rebrand, Handy acquired Mopp, a similar London-based service, at an undisclosed valuation.[14] After the acquisition, Mopp continued to operate under the same name, adding the subtitle “powered by Handy” to its brand. Mopp’s founders Pete Dowds and Tom Brooks stayed on to continue Handy’s expansion in the European market.[15]

In November 2014, Handy was sued over a number of alleged labor violations, including that the company was deliberately misclassifying its employees as independent contractors.[16] [17]

In March 2015, Handy announced another round of funding led by TPG Growth, which raised 15 million dollars.[18] In May 2015, TechCrunch reported that Handy was in talks to acquire its rival Homejoy.[19] [20] However, Homejoy shut down in July 2015 without being acquired amid worker classification suits.[21] Immediately following the announcement of Homejoy’s expected shutdown, Handy offered a $1000 signing bonus to any Homejoy workers looking to switch to Handy’s service.[22] In June, just a month before, Handy had announced completing its one millionth booking on the platform.[23]

As of November 2015, the company planned to include the delivery and assembly of furniture as some of the services offered.[24] Handy also announced its series D round of $50 million. This round of funding led by Fidelity Management & Research included contributions from several of the company’s previous investors.[25]

In October 2018, ANGI Homeservices which owns HomeAdvisor and Angie's List acquired Handy.[26] [27]

Operations

Handy operates in 28 cities in the United States,[28] [29] and several cities in Canada, and the United Kingdom.[30] As of July 2015, it employs a full-time staff of at least 160 and has engaged about 10,000 cleaners to work on its platform.[31] According to Handy, about 80% of its bookings come from repeat customers.

As of November 2016, Amazon’s Alexa allows users to book services through Handy by using the Amazon Echo’s voice-activated features.[32] In May 2017, the company partnered with the online retailer Wayfair to offer installation and assembly as an added feature when purchasing furniture through Wayfair.[33] In 2018, the company similarly began offering additional in-home installation services to Walmart retail customers.[34]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Handy – the app that is cleaning up around the world. Newenham. Pamela. November 30, 2015. The Irish Times. 2018-05-17. en-US.
  2. News: On-demand cleaning service Handy now allows customers to tip through its app. Subbaraman. Nidhi. 2015-11-23. The Boston Globe. 2017-11-07. en-US.
  3. News: How To Find Skilled Workers In The Gig Economy. Naasel. Kenrya Rankin. 2014-05-14. Fast Company. 2017-11-07. en-US.
  4. News: There's an app for that. December 30, 2014. The Economist. 2017-11-07. en.
  5. Web site: Startups fight over names. Simon. Ruth. June 10, 2015. The Wall Street Journal. 2 August 2015.
  6. News: Big dollars for dust: Home services startup Handybook raises $10M. Grant. Rebecca. October 22, 2013. Reuters. 2017-11-07.
  7. Web site: Handybook raises 2m to expand. Alspach. Kyle. October 16, 2012. Boston Business Journal. 2 August 2015.
  8. Web site: Handybook, a Housecleaning Start-Up, Raises 10 million. De La Merced. Michael J.. October 22, 2013. DealB%k. The New York Times. 2 August 2015.
  9. News: Handybook is 'Uber for house cleaners'. Griffith. Erin. June 11, 2014. Fortune. 2017-11-07. en.
  10. News: Handybook Buys Exec in a Deal for the On-Demand World. Wortham. Jenna. January 15, 2014. Bits. 2017-11-07. The New York Times. en.
  11. News: Handybook Raises $30 Million In Revolution-Led Series B. Bertoni. Steven. June 11, 2014. Forbes. 2017-11-07. en.
  12. Web site: Handybook Rebrands As Handy In An Effort To Become Amazon For Home Services. Lawler. Ryan. September 16, 2014. TechCrunch. 2 August 2015.
  13. News: Handy rebrands to be the name you remember for help around the house. McGarry. Caitlin. September 16, 2014. PCWorld. 2017-11-07. en. 2018-06-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20180606190444/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2683143/handy-rebrands-to-be-the-name-you-remember-for-help-around-the-house.html. dead.
  14. Web site: Handy Acquires London-Based Home Services Startup Mopp To Quickly Grow Its UK Business. Lawler. Ryan. September 22, 2014. Techcrunch. 2 August 2015.
  15. News: US-based Domestic Services Platform Handy Buys Mopp. Woods. Ben. 2014-09-22. The Next Web. 2017-11-07. en-US.
  16. Web site: Two Workers Are Suing A Cleaning Startup Called Handy Over Alleged Labor Violations. Kosoff. Maya. November 12, 2014. Business Insider. 2016-01-14.
  17. News: Contractor or Employee? Silicon Valley's Branding Dilemma. Huet. Ellen. November 18, 2014. Forbes. 2017-11-07. en.
  18. Web site: Handy sweeps up $15M to grow its home maintenance platform, hires Tumblr VP as new CTO. Reader. Ruth. March 30, 2015. VentureBeat. 2 August 2015.
  19. Web site: Handy In Talks To Acquire Homejoy As Home Service Startups Consolidate. Lunden. Ingrid. May 20, 2015. TechCrunch. 2 August 2015.
  20. News: Cleaning and repairs startup Homejoy is up for sale. Said. Carolyn. May 28, 2015. SFGate. 2017-11-07.
  21. Web site: Homejoy Shuts Down After Battling Worker Classification Lawsuits. Deamicis. Carmel. July 17, 2015. Recode. 2 August 2015.
  22. News: Handy Offers $1,000 Signing Bonuses to Homejoy Cleaners. Deamicis. Carmel. July 17, 2015. Recode. 2017-11-07.
  23. Web site: Cleaning and Home Services Startup Handy Hits One Million Bookings. Deamicis. Carmel. June 16, 2015. Recode. https://web.archive.org/web/20151220152113/http://recode.net/2015/06/16/cleaning-and-home-services-startup-handy-hits-one-million-bookings/. December 20, 2015. dead. August 2, 2015.
  24. News: Handy, a startup that sends someone to clean your home, just raised $50 million and is valued at half a billion dollars. Kosoff. Maya. November 2, 2015. Business Insider. 2017-11-07. en.
  25. News: Handy raises $50 million months after home cleaning rival shuts down. Kokalitcheva. Kia. November 2, 2015. Fortune. 2017-11-07. en.
  26. Web site: News | Investor Relations | Angi Inc.
  27. Web site: ANGI Homeservices Annual Report . 29 August 2019. 2018.
  28. News: Handy CEO Oisin Hanrahan's Secrets To Build And Scale A Massive Marketplace. Bertoni. Steven. June 13, 2017. Forbes. 2017-11-07. en.
  29. News: 12 of Canada’s leading cleaning firms and startups for 2024. Cleaning Mate. Team. May 31, 2024. MyCleaningMate. 2024-05-31. en.
  30. News: How once troubled cleaning startup Handy paused the clock and revamped its workaholic culture. Hartmans. Avery. October 15, 2016. Business Insider. 2017-11-07. en.
  31. News: Dirty Work. Griswold. Alison. 2015-07-24. Slate. 2016-01-14.
  32. News: Amazon Alexa's newest skill lets you book a cleaning service. Chang. Lulu. 2016-11-19. Digital Trends. 2017-11-07. en-US.
  33. Struggling With Ikea Furniture? There's an App for That. Rogers. Adam. September 29, 2017. WIRED. 2017-11-07. en-US.
  34. News: Walmart to sell Handy's in-home installation and assembly services in over 2,000 stores. Perez. Sarah. March 19, 2018. TechCrunch. 2018-08-23. en-US.

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