Pronto, an agile new entrant to the domestic services market, co-founded by Anjali Sardana, is riding high on this growing wave in Gurugram. It provides personalized cleaning, meal prep and laundry services to better serve the diverse needs of today’s families. Launched in December 2022, Pronto has two active hubs in the city, both serving customers within a two-mile service radius. The startup immediately grew to more than 1,000 paying customers. With ambitious growth plans, it now seeks to be a serious player in the growing domestic service sector.
Pronto offers three distinct service timing options: instant (available within 10 minutes), scheduled, and recurring. This kind of flexibility meets the customer demand for convenience, for speed of resolution that people are looking for in their day-to-day lives right now. Sardana emphasizes the importance of addressing customer demands promptly, stating, “When they need something, they need it right away.”
A Unique Approach to Worker Welfare
What really distinguishes Pronto from the rest of its competition is the way it treats its gig workers. The startup is intent on building a “triple win business” model that serves its customers, suppliers and ride-hail drivers equally well. This is why Sardana takes issue with the majority of services in the industry that treat workers as goods, not assets that are vital to achieving the mission.
“What’s missing from a lot of the language around these services is that they treat workers like commodities. They treat them as inputs. That’s not the way we operate.” – Anjali Sardana
To take care of workers Pronto provides livable wages. If a worker works eight hours a day for a month, they can make around ₹22,000 (roughly $258) per month. In addition, performance bonuses can raise their salaries to ₹25,000 to ₹26,000 (about $293 to $304). In a bold move to improve the worker experience, Pronto will be moving from bi-weekly payments to weekly payments. They will further give workers flexibility to decide when they want to be paid within their earning period.
Pronto’s commitment to worker verification includes thorough in-house training, government ID checks, police verifications, and court record inspections to ensure customers receive reliable and vetted services. This intense effort is designed to promote confidence and faith between the customers and services suppliers.
Plans for Expansion and Growth
The startup is on an expansion tear. Over the next three months, it intends to launch ten more hubs throughout Gurugram. This expansion will multiply its operational capacity as well as accessibility for customers. Beyond that, Pronto hopes to expand its workforce to 700 workers, further extending the services reach while creating more job opportunities.
Pronto, now with more than 21 full-time staff, plans to further increase its workforce to 50. This strategy for growth fits nicely into their long-term view to create a strong domestic service base in Gurugram. Sardana envisions further development of support systems for workers, stating, “Eventually, we are going to build a lot of ‘almost-fintech’ products for workers to provide services that they need.”
Investment and Market Position
This is coming on the heels of Pronto’s $2 million recent seed funding round. Bain Capital Ventures led this investment, which gave the company a $12.5 million post-money valuation. This fiscal support is imperative for their lofty and expansive plans. This is hugely important as an indicator of investor confidence in Pronto’s unique business model and market potential.
The startup’s unique approach goes straight to the heart of customer priorities. It protects and promotes a supportive environment for gig workers, setting a new industry standard in the domestic services gig economy. Still, Pronto is on a fast track and adding exciting new tools to help connect customers with workers. It is now poised to change the domestic services landscape in India.
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