Startup makes it easy to hire a nearby housekeeper, secures funding from Tencent and Shanda

eJiaJie, an online-to-offline service for hiring house cleaners, announced today it raised a US$4 million series A round of fudning from Tencent (HKG:0700) and Shanda (NASDAQ:SNDA), according to 36kr. This is the second round of funding the startup has received from Tencent following a US$650,000 seed round.

eJiaJie is a location-based service that helps customers find hourly-paid workers to clean their homes. The startup says it now operates in 10 Chinese cities and has 1,500 workers on its network. By the end of this year, it hopes to expand to 30 cities.

The price is a flat RMB 25 (US$4) per hour for a minimum two-hour standard cleaning, a fairly standard wage in first-tier cities. Customers can schedule a one-time cleaning, or set up a weekly or bi-weekly visit. Options for cleaning appliances like air conditioners, scrubbing floors, unclogging drains, and home maintenance are also available. Appointments need to be made one day in advance. Users can hire a worker via eJiaJie’s website or mobile apps for Android and iOS.

eJiaJie ensures customers that all of the workers on its network are vetted and covered by liability insurance should they break or steal anything in a customer’s home. Customers can give feedback on the maid’s performance.

Several similar online services have sprouted up in recent months, showing China’s rising demand for domestic help. Rival housekeeper-finding apps include Ayibang, Yunjiazheng, and Ayilaile. But the status quo for finding a maid is still word-of-mouth references.

See: As China’s demand for domestic help grows, Ayibang gets series A funding

(Source: 36kr)