Silicon Valley’s latest hot start-up is lands in the capital today – aiming to help busy Londoners cope with Christmas stress.
San Francisco-based TaskRabbit is an online marketplace that lets people outsource odd jobs – everything from life admin to picking up shopping. The jobs are done by so-called ‘Tasker’, people who sign-up on the site, posting an hourly rate for services.
The company has raised over $37 million since launching in 2008 and operates in 19 cities across the US.
TaskRabbit launches today in London, its first market outside America, with 50 Taskers signed up offering handyman services, cleaning and help with ‘Christmas jobs’.
TaskRabbit’s chief operating officer Stacy Philpot-Brown said: “The holidays are coming so people may need help with shopping, wrapping gifts, decorating or even with a party.”
Philpot-Brown said seasonal services have proved popular in the US – with one San Francisco customer last year employing someone to dress as an elf and deliver presents to friends and family.
The typical TaskRabbit user is the “busy woman”, according to Philpot-Brown: “She’s a professional, she’s either married or has children – she’s got a lot going on in her life. She looks to Task Rabbit as a way to fulfil all her needs so she can focus on the things she loves – her family, her friends or even picking up a book or newspaper.
“People from London have been requesting TaskRabbit for years. I think part of it is people here live such a busy life and the city tends to attract people who are willing to try new things.”
Philpot-Brown said TaskRabbit will add more oddjob categories to the site in the new year and plans to expand to other cities within the UK.
