Washmen

Dubai-based app-driven laundry and dry cleaning service serving Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah from its own 30,000 sq ft facility. It raised a USD 6.2 million Series B in 2019.

Industry: Laundry and dry cleaning | Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Founded: 2015 | Total Funding: USD 6.2M

About Washmen

Washmen is a laundry and dry cleaning service based in Dubai that operates through a mobile app for iOS and Android. Customers schedule pickups and track orders in the app. The website lists services called Clean and Press, Wash and Fold, Bed and Bath, Press Only, Shoe Care and Bag Care, and states that it serves Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. It says garments are processed in a 30,000 square foot facility using more than 50 specialised programmes and an air-dry process without high-temperature dryers, which the site says extends garment life by 30 to 50 percent.

Wamda reported in July 2019 that Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui founded Washmen in 2015, and identified Shaar as co-founder and chief executive. The company began with an asset-light model that relied on logistics partners and existing laundromats, then became vertically integrated. Wamda said it had launched its own 30,000 square foot laundry and dry cleaning facility the previous month. Entrepreneur Middle East reported in August 2019 that the company served more than 30,000 individual customers and processed more than 300,000 items a month, had added a wash-and-fold service priced per bag, and ran a recycling programme for plastic and paper collected in Washmen bags. Standard turnaround at the time was 48 hours, with next-day delivery available at a 50 percent premium.

Wamda reported on 9 July 2019 that Washmen raised a USD 6.2 million Series B led by AddVenture, a venture fund based in Russia, with participation from Henkel of Germany, Cedar Mundi Ventures of Lebanon, B&Y Partners and Clara Ventures of the UAE. Wamda put total funding including that round at USD 7.8 million. Entrepreneur Middle East reported the same round and said the money would go towards expanding the company's local presence.

The website cites a 4.8 star Google rating from more than 3,000 reviews, which is the company's own figure. No later funding round, acquisition or leadership change was found in the sources that could be opened.

Leadership