Rocket-backed Helpling launches in Singapore to help you find a cleaner

Update on February 5: Helpling has launched in Singapore. It charges a flat rate of S$20 (US$15) an hour, and processes payment only after the cleaning has been completed.

Helpling, a Rocket Internet-backed venture that’s like an Uber for cleaners, will launch in Singapore, though an exact date hasn’t been announced. Tech in Asia spotted job postings on Startup Jobs Asia seeking a marketing manager and operations manager as part of its expansion into the city.

The venture is a relatively new one for Germany-based ecommerce entity Rocket Internet. It started in Berlin earlier this year, and on December 2 raised a series A round worth US$17 million. It has rapidly expanded to 150 cities in Europe, Latin America, and Australia, so the Singapore expansion marks its first stab at Asia. It’s unclear how the business is performing at this juncture.

Something like this would be welcome not just in Singapore offices but also households, where families typically consist of working mums and dads who rely on imported domestic workers for household chores and childcare. It’ll probably need to adjust its pricing strategy though, as a cleaner can be had here at S$15 (US$11) an hour.

There’s also the question of whether a marketplace for cleaners is solving a compelling enough problem. I’ve not heard of much complaints against the office and home cleaning industry, whether it’s about low supply or exorbitant costs. Where it can really shine though is in providing a seamless experience from booking to payments to cleaning, as well as in booking subsequent appointments.

A key obstacle Helpling may have to overcome would be the demographics of cleaners in Singapore, who tend to be either foreigners or the elderly (unlike the youth in the screenshot). Extra thought will have to be put into onboarding these cleaners onto the platform.

Helpling will be competing against ProperHands, a new company founded by Wayne Soh, a business development manager with startup incubator Plug and Play Singapore.

See more: These entrepreneurs left Rocket Internet to strike out on their own. Now they reveal how to beat Rocket companies