HouseCall, a mobile startup based in San Diego, is a new company for people looking for home repair help, and it raised $6m in its latest venture capital funding round.
August Capital, a venture firm in Silicon Valley, led the round, with e.ventures, an already-existing investor, also taking part. Michael Beaudoin also joined as an individual investor, and will take his place on the board of directors of HouseCall. Beaudoin is HomeAdvisor's former co-CEO. HomeAdvisor is the leading company in the segment of the market devoted to home technology services.
HouseCall, which currently has 12 employees, was the brainchild of software engineers who worked for Qualcomm. They devised an app people could download and use to request home repair services from a number of service people HouseCall had already approved. Such services included tasks like carpet cleaning, plumbing, and painting. Once both parties reached an agreement about the service to be performed, the app provided other services, including tracking the location of the service person, and handling payments.
However, HouseCall is changing its focus from providing service to selling software to firms that make home repairs. The software will help them work more efficiently and handle things like making estimates, dispatching employees, and processing payments.
HouseCall might consider working with brochure printers on a display brochure advertising their services.
