On-demand cleaning co. Helpling buys Hassle for €32M

By combining the two companies, Helpling will be able to head off impending competiton from the U.S.

There is nothing I hate more, or very few things anyway, than cleaning. I really just absolutely hate doing it, though I do like the result when it's done. I can't really afford to hire someone to clean my place, but maybe I can look into one of the on-demand cleaning services out there. That way I can just have someone come over when I need it.

Now two companies in this space are coming together to create a giant on-demand home cleaning service for Europe.

Hassle.com, an online marketplace that connects busy people with local, trusted cleaners, has been acquired by Helpling, an online platform for on-demand home services, according to a report from Tech.eu on Thursday.

The price is said to be €32 million, and is an all-stock deal.

Founded in 2011, Hassle says that it can match its customers with " pre-vetted, experienced cleaner in your area" in just 60 seconds, no matter where they are. The service costs £10 per hour, and the cleaners can be paid online and through a mobile device.

The company is based in the United Kingdom, and also operates in Ireland and France. It had raised a $6 million Series A investment from Accel Partners in May of last year, and was in the midst of raising another round before this deal was struck.

The Berlin-based Helpling offers a similar service to Hassle. The company offers a €10.32 per hour price for regular service, and a €11.92 price for one-off service. 

The company, which was incubated by Rocket Internet, has only been around since January of 2014, but the company has still raised $62 million, including a $45 million round led by Lakestar, Kite Ventures, Lukasz Gadowski and Rocket Internet in March. Other investors include Mangrove Capital Partners, Phenomen Ventures, Point Nine Capital and Lukasz Gadowski.

There seem to be a couple of reasons for Helpling to make this purchase. The first is expansion, according to what TechCrunch has learned, particularly into the U.K., where Hassle has a major presence and Helpling currently does not.

The other, according to Tech.eu, has to do with pending competition from the United States. With on-demand house cleaning service Handy and online home cleaning service Homejoy said to be in talks to merge as well, this move by Helpling could be seen as a way to create a super company in Europe to head them off.

That lends some credence to TechCrunch's reporting that this is a merger, rather than an acquisition, though it is unclear at this point if the Hassle brand will survive, or rather be integrated into the Helpling brand instead. 

VatorNews has reached out to both Helpling and Hassle for confirmation and comment on the deal. We will update this story if we learn more. 

(Image source: digitaltrends.com)