Properhands

Properhands Pte. Ltd. was a Singapore-based company that operated an online marketplace for cleaning services. Founded in 2013 by Benjamin Koe and Wayne Soh, the company was officially incorporated on July 16, 2014. Properhands aimed to connect residential and corporate clients with freelance cleaners, positioning itself in the competitive cleaning service industry in Singapore. The company secured S$250,000 (approximately US$177,000-US$181,000) in a seed funding round on August 24, 2015, with investors including Crystal Horse Investments and TRIVE.

The business operated through a digital platform that intelligently matched customers with cleaners based on criteria such as location, availability, and specific skill sets. This system managed the entire process, from booking and scheduling to billing. The company's revenue model was based on taking a commission from the payments made to the cleaners for each completed job. Properhands sought to provide more than just on-demand services, aiming to facilitate more permanent and recurring cleaning arrangements. Its service offerings were structured in three tiers: an 'Emergency' option for urgent needs, an 'Advanced one-time' booking for planned events, and an 'Advanced recurring' option for regular cleaning schedules. A key part of the company's mission was to ensure its cleaners earned a fair wage, offering rates that were above the market average in Singapore at the time.

Despite its efforts, Properhands faced significant operational hurdles. Co-founder Benjamin Koe highlighted a crucial challenge in the Singaporean market: a shortage of freelance cleaners, which created a difficult "chicken-and-egg" problem of balancing supply with customer demand. The company set internal milestones that it ultimately could not achieve. Consequently, Properhands announced its closure in May 2017, ceasing operations and refunding customers for any unfulfilled services. At the time of its closure, the company had noted several competitors in the space, including SendHelper, Spickify, and Fuss Singapore. Keywords: cleaning services marketplace, Singapore cleaners, freelance cleaners platform, home cleaning services, office cleaning services, online booking cleaners, Properhands, Benjamin Koe, Wayne Soh, Crystal Horse Investments, TRIVE, cleaning service booking, residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, Singapore startup, service marketplace, on-demand services, domestic help, housekeeping services