UrbanClap acquires GoodService

You may soon be able to book services on UrbanClap with a simple chatroom message as the hyperlocal start-up has acquired Delhi based concierge start-up GoodService. It is currently on merging the operations.

As for GoodService, the mobile app has vanished from Apple and Android app stores, while its website redirects to UrbanClap and says that the services are verified by it. The Facebook page of the startup also seems to be out of service, with the post published in early May. The existing users of the app have also not got any response on their service requests since May.

GoodService, used to offer local services such as beauty professionals and cooking classes. The users could order these by initiating a chat with the GoodService app agents, much like contacting a friend for a favor. The company had raised $1.6 Million in funding from Sequoia Capital in June 2015.

The GoodService platform can prove beneficial for UrbanClap, which has been working on an algorithm that asks a series of questions on each category, to make customization of service offerings more accurate. A chat service will allow the company a deeper insight into customer behavior. This is UrbanClap second acquisition within this year, after the mobile based services marketplace acquired after sales service platform HandyHome in an equity swap deal.

CraftsVilla Acquires Sendd

CraftsVilla, an online marketplace for Indian products, has acquired the on-demand shipping service provider Sendd for $4.5 Million. Post-acquisition, Sendd will continue to operate independently and offer its services to other firms as well. CraftsVilla will use the acquisition to strengthen its logistics capabilities.

Founded in April last year, Sendd allows businesses to send parcels to 20,000 pin codes across India. It provides packaging, branding and insurance policies for parcels and provides an API for partner integration. The company also claims to provide reverse pickups and international shipments across all countries.

CraftsVilla was founded in 2011. It takes a 20% commission on the products sold; however, it is not clear if the company does this on per item or per order, which might include many items. The company claims to have 25,000 sellers on its platform, along with 3.5 Million sold products. In November last year, CraftsVilla raised Series C funding worth $33.3 Million after the company raised Series B funding worth $18 Million in April the same year.

Last year saw a consolidation in logistics services with various companies getting acquired or invested in by business customers or competitors. Flipkart acquired strategic minority stake in MapmyIndia to pad its supply chain and logistics operations. Grofers had acquired Townrush. Snapdeal invested in GoJavas.

Livspace.com acquires YoFloor

Home Interior Designs E-commerce Pvt. Ltd, which owns online home design start-up Livspace, has acquired YoFloor, a mobile platform that offers a virtual trial room for home design, for an undisclosed amount. This is Livspace third acquisition. It acquired curated online network of Interior designers Dwll.in in May and online community and marketplace for designers and consumers DezignUp in March.

The company also raised $8 Million in an internal funding round from existing investors Helion Ventures Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners and Jungle Ventures last month. Before that, it raised $4.6 Million in a Series a funding round in December 2014. YoFloor was incubated at Mango Technologies. It offers 3D visualization tools which can be used by buyers and designers to facilitate the visualization of a look or home design before a purchase is done.

As part of the acquisition, the founders and the core team of YoFloor will join Livspace. Livspace was founded in 2012 by former senior executives of Google Inc., Myntra, and founder of Architectural Design consultancy Space Matrix. It competes with Sequoia Capital funded HomeLane.com, as well as bigger furniture e-retailers, Pepperfry and Urban Ladder. Livspace also offers readymade home design solutions and connects customers with interior designers.