Kuwaiti technology start-up justclean, an on-demand cleaning marketplace, raised $6 million in a new funding round that is expected to help the company expand its services within the Gulf region.
The new investment round is led by GCC-based financial institution Gulf Investment Corporation with the participation of some unnamed regional investors.
“We are massively excited about this considerable financial injection, which will enable us to realise our ambitions and take the company into a dynamic new era of achievement and growth,” said Athbi Al Enezi, chief executive and co-founder of justclean.
“This second tranche of funding follows an initial injection from Faith Capital, whose support was critical in enabling the platform to prosper during the early stages ... GIC ‘s offering was in complete alignment with our vision … the intention to become the top marketplace platform for the cleaning industry.”
Founded by Mr Al Enezi and his brother Nouri Al Enezi in 2016, the company is a marketplace application, a logistics operation as well as an SaaS (software as a service) business. Its mobile app allows people to select a laundry outlet in their area and place the order with dates and time for pick-up and delivery.
With the close of this latest funding round, the start-up aims to improve the platform and diversify its service offerings, turning justclean into a super app for the cleaning industry, said Mr Athbi.
A super app is a mobile or web application that can provide multiple services through a single platform.
Justclean had previously secured an investment of more than $12.9m from Faith Capital Holding, a Kuwait-based venture capital fund.
The $3 billion cleaning industry in the Gulf region is driven mostly by independent service providers, justclean said. The start-up was among the first companies to digitise the service and assemble offline operators on a unified platform.
“It’s a hugely exciting time to be in this company and in this sector … there continues to be high demand for a service that is so universal and offers the ultimate in access and convenience,” said Nouri Al Enezi, deputy chief executive.
“We are enhancing the technology and rolling out new services that will make us the go-to app for the laundry and cleaning sector and we are looking forward to fulfilling our global ambition."
To diversify its portfolio, justclean is also offering car washes through its app. Currently, it is offering services to car owners in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
