South African startup SweepSouth, which provides an on-demand cleaning service, has raised funding from the likes of Vinny Lingham, African Angels Network (AAN) and Polo Leteka Radebe as it looks to accelerate it growth and expand its team to meet demand.
SweepSouth claims it is disrupting South Africa’s largely unreformed domestic services industry by providing a platform that allows users to book home cleaning services online from their phone, laptop or tablet, connecting homeowners with “an experienced, reliable, vetted and insured cleaner in minutes”.
Disrupt Africa reported earlier this year the startup, which only launched in June last year, had reached an operational break-even point in September, with cleaners costing ZAR38 (US$3) per hour. The startup said it had seen between 60 per cent and 100 per cent month-on-month growth, and now operates in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
It has now raised its first funding round as it looks to scale its operations, with the round led by Newtown Partners – a local seed fund established by Vinny Lingham and Llew Claasen – and also including Pule Taukobong’s AAN and Polo Leteka Radebe’s Identity Development Fund (IDF).
“We chose our investors very carefully and strategically, and are excited to have the backing of an experienced and diverse group. Newtown Partners, AAN and IDF bring together excellent knowledge of the international startup space and a wealth of South African, African and US business know-how, which is essential for our long term expansion plans,” said SweepSouth co-founder Aisha Pandor.
Lingham said: “When I find a great team with a great idea, it’s a recipe for success – and that’s why I invested in SweepSouth.”
Taukobong echoed these sentiments.
“We love startups that have identified a massive market opportunity, matched with a fantastic product, create jobs and have epic founders. This is why we are excited to be part of the SweepSouth journey,” he said.
