Urban Company Limited (formerly known as UrbanClap) is an Indian home services provider that connects individuals with professionals for various home services. Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in Gurgaon. It was founded by Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra.[2] In January 2020, UrbanClap rebranded itself as Urban Company.[3][4]
The company was last valued at $2.8 billion in December 2021 after an ESOP sale.[5] As of March 2025, Urban Company reported having approximately 40,000 registered professionals globally.[6]
History
UrbanClap was founded in October 2014 by Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra. All three founders had prior professional experience in the United States. Khaitan worked in engineering roles at Qualcomm and as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, where Bhal was also employed. Chandra previously worked as an engineer at Twitter (now X). The company was created to serve the home services market, initially focusing on providing beauty services at home.[2]
In 2016, it acquired GoodService, a hyperlocalconcierge app to enhance chat-based bookings[7] and HandyHome, a home appliance repair company to strengthen appliance repair and OEM partnerships.[8]
In January 2020, the company rebranded from UrbanClap to Urban Company, aiming to become a comprehensive platform offering a variety of services and expanding into international markets.[9] Following this rebrand, Urban Company extended its services to Australia, Singapore, and the UAE.[10] In 2021, Urban Company became a unicorn after raising $188 million in a funding round led by Prosus.[11]
In December 2022, Urban Company signed an agreement with the National Skill Development Corporation to train and certify unskilled workers across various service categories.[12]
By 2023, the company had launched operations in the United States, servicing New York City, Dallas, and Austin in Texas.[13] In late 2023, Urban Company ventured into the branded products segment with the launch of smart RO water purifiers under its 'Native' sub-brand.[14]
In March 2025, Urban Company launched Insta Maids (later rebranded to Insta Help[6]), a quick e-commerce service offering on-demand domestic help within 15 minutes in select areas of Mumbai. The service initially covered tasks such as cleaning, cooking preparation, and mopping.[16]
Funding
The company secured seed funding of $1 million in January 2015 from investors including Accel Partners and SAIF Partners. The startup then raised a Series A investment of $10 million from investors SAIF Partners and Accel Partners, which it used to grow across the entire country.[17] The company also received an undisclosed amount of funding from Ratan Tata in December 2015.[18]
It then raised $25 million in a Series B round that was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from returning investors SAIF and Accel Partners.[19]
In 2018, the company raised $50 million in a Series D round led by Steadview Capital and existing investor Vy Capital.[20]
In a Series E round led by Tiger Global, the company raised $75 million to expand its business. Existing investors Steadview Capital and Vy Capital also participated in the round.[21]
In June 2021, Urban Company raised US$255 million in a Series F funding round led by new investors Prosus Ventures, Dragoneer, and Wellington Management, with participation from existing investors Vy Capital, Tiger Global, and Steadview Capital, at a valuation of $2.1 billion.[22]
In July 2024, Urban Company secured $50 million in funding from Dharana Capital through a secondary transaction, in which Dharana Capital purchased shares from employees and other shareholders.[23]
Financials
In the financial year 2023–24, Urban Company reported revenue of ₹827 crore, a year-on-year increase of nearly 30%. The loss before tax decreased to ₹93 crore from ₹312 crore in the previous year. In the first quarter of FY25, the company reported consolidated revenue of ₹281 crore, a 37.3% increase from the same period the previous year, with a profit before tax of ₹12 crore.[1]
Reception
In June 2023, a report revealed that beauticians associated with Urban Company are required to pay for training before they can begin working on the platform.[24] Several gig workers told that Urban Company is blocking their IDs (both temporarily and permanently) due to issues such as booking cancellations, taking off from work for two to three days, and a fall in user rating.[25] The company's spokesperson responded saying, "We continue to maintain an open-door policy and encourage dialogue with our partners. We remain committed to building a safe high-quality home service platform."[26]
In June 2024, Urban Company's beauty segment workers stage demonstration in Bengaluru over ID blocking.[27] Partners and gig workers associated with the platform have had issues with the 'auto assign' features, ID blocking and costly grievance remedy.[28] The Gig and Platform Services Workers Union (GIPSWU) said that the protest was against the new work conditions, which are horrific and have forced "thousands of partners to work under slavery like situations."[29] Abhiraj Singh Bhal has stood by the rating policy, mentioning that service partners typically have an average rating of about 4.83. He noted that while this may appear elevated, many customers tend to give a full 5 stars. He also commented that "local politicians and unions often exploit these disagreements to exert pressure on the company."[30]
According to the Fairwork India 2024 report, Urban Company and BigBasket are the only two gig-economy companies with a minimum wage policy.[31] As per a 2024 report by Al Jazeera, the company has been credited with creating large-scale employment opportunities for women in India's gig economy.[32]
Controversies
In January 2025, Urban Company filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against Kent RO Systems, stating that its Native-branded water purifiers were delisted from Amazon and Flipkart following patent infringement complaints by Kent. The company argued that this removal, which occurred without a court injunction, led to business losses and reputational impact during a peak sales period.[33]
In March 2025, when the company launched a quick service offering for domestic help under the name "Insta Maids", labour rights groups and social media users raised concerns that the name undermined the dignity of domestic workers. The company subsequently rebranded the service to "Insta Help".[34]
CSR
In February 2024, Urban Company launched Project Nidar, a corporate social responsibility initiative that provides support services such as counseling, legal aid, emergency lodging, and financial assistance to service partners affected by domestic violence, in collaboration with NGOs.[35] As part of this initiative, the company developed a formal policy against gender-based violence and partnered with the Invisible Scars Foundation to offer assistance to those in need.[36]
In November 2024, the company partnered with NITI Aayog's Women Entrepreneurship Platform to launch a pilot program supporting women entrepreneurs in the beauty and wellness sector. The initiative provided training in skill development, legal compliance, finance, and business operations, with 25 participants selected from the Delhi NCR region.[37]
Awards and recognition
In March 2019, the company was awarded the Most Innovative Start-up of the Year by The Economic Times.[38] Urban Company was named the Young Turks Startup of the Year at CNBC-TV18's India Business Leadership Awards in March 2021.[39] In September 2021, the company received the ET Startup Award in the Covid-led Business Transformation category from The Economic Times.[40] Urban Company was named by the Financial Times as one of Asia-Pacific's fastest-growing businesses in its High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2025 list.[41]
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₹827 crore (US$98 million) [1] (FY24)