UrbanPro gets $2M funding in heated battle amongst India’s local service marketplaces

Online marketplaces for local services are taking off around the world. In India, the category has at least half a dozen players raising capital from marquee early stage investors who don’t want to miss out on the next Flipkart.

The latest one to join the league is UrbanPro, which today announced it raised US$2 million (INR 120 million) from early stage investor Nirvana Ventures. Last year, the startup raised an undisclosed sum in seed funding from US-based serial entrepreneur Raman Sud.

On Urbanpro, professionals like tutors, event organisers, photographers, and trainers create a profile in order to get hired, while consumers post their requirements and connect with relevant service providers. The site claims to have 300,000 professionals listed and has a presence in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai.

The fresh funding will be used for product development and expansion to newer verticals and cities.
Urbanpro gets 800,000 monthly unique visitors, about half of which are on mobile. The expansion plan also includes greater focus on mobile.

Among the many

A similar app is six-month-old angel-backed Qyk. It helps users find and hire services like pest control, salsa lessons, and pet training as well as professionals like tax consultants, wedding photographers, and architects in their locality.

Another firm, UrbanClap, has raised US$1.6 million in funding from investors like Flipkart backer Accel Partners, SAIF Partners, and Snapdeal founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal.

LocalOye, a marketplace for household services, recently raised US$5 million in series A funding. The two-year-old startup, operating in Mumbai, claims to have serviced over 100,000 customers. TaskBob and WorkHorse are two other options.