Dubai-based Washmen, a dry cleaning and laundry service has recently raised $6.2 million in a Series-B round. The funds will be deployed to dilate operations in the UAE and expand the technological development office in Beirut, Lebonan.
The round was led by Washmen’s existing investor AddVenture, a global venture capitalist based out of Russia, Lebanon-based Cedar Mundi Ventures and B&Y Partners, Dubai’s Clara Ventures, and Germany-based leading consumer goods company Henkel which has joined as a strategic investor to contribute its experience in laundry detergents.
About Washmen
Founded in 2015 by Rami Shaar (CEO) and Jad Halaoui, Washmen lets customers order laundry and dry cleaning services through its mobile app (for Android or iOS) while selecting pick up and drop off timings. The startup claims to have become the largest retail laundry and dry clean operator in the UAE.
Washmen was initially into logistics connecting customers with laundromats, and after the launch of their own 30,000 sq. ft. laundry facility last month, they have entered into the supply chain.
“We have traveled to 17 countries in search of what it takes to clean the items in your closet in the right way: from machines to processes and products. Our new facility, equipped with our proprietary tech, will allow us to clean up to 25,000 items a day when we are at peak utilization.”
– Rami Shaar, CEO & Co-founder, Washmen
Statements enclosing the funding round
“Vertical integration is a must because it ensures the best quality of cleaning and it improves gross margins to a level that we haven’t seen anywhere in the world in this industry. They are truly innovators in this space, developing new hardware and software for dry cleaning facility and disrupting the traditional thinking about the cleaning process.”
– Max Medvedev – Managing Partner, AddVenture
“Washmen track-record and development model are strong. Digital technology is an integral part of it, leveraging premium tech talent pool and entrepreneurial ecosystem of Lebanon for regional scale. We are glad to come aboard to advise and further accelerate Washmen expansion plans.”
– Bassel Attieh – Chairman & Managing Partner, Mundi Ventures
“We have traveled to 17 countries in search of what it takes to clean the items in your closet in the right way: from machines to processes and products. Our new facility, equipped with our proprietary tech, will allow us to clean up to 25,000 items a day when we are at peak utilization.”
– Rami Shaar – CEO & Co-founder, Washmen
“We see a clear trend of consumers outsourcing more and more tasks as part of their lifestyle. Understanding this shift in consumer behavior and accompanying it with a high-quality service offering is part of our consumer-centric approach. We are very happy to have found an innovative and dynamic partner in Washmen, driving its disruptive business model in the region.”
– Thomas Schuffenhauer – Director New Business Laundry & Home Care at Henkel
ⓘ Information source: MENAbytes
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