Oneflare

Oneflare
Private company
Industry Online marketplace
Predecessor PickAQuote.com.au
Founded 2011
Founder Marcus Lim and Adam Dong
Headquarters Sydney, Australia
Area served
 Australia
Website Oneflare.com.au

Oneflare is an Australian online marketplace that connects customers and businesses. From plumbers and electricians to pet groomers and interior designers, Oneflare has over 150 service categories to service the desired job. Submitting a job request is free, and customers can expect to receive up to 3 competitive quotes from nearby businesses.

History

Developed by Marcus Lim and Adam Dong, Oneflare matches service requests with competitive quotes from experts.[1]

The site provides a comparative tool through its reviews and business details to connect different requests with the right service provider.[2]

In July 2014, The startup announced its acquisition of Renovate Forum , an Australian online renovation community[3] that hosts over 40,000 contributors who post and share home renovation advice. In the same year. the company's 1635% of growth earned a place in Deloitte's Tech Fast 500 in APAC.[4]

In February 2015,Oneflare acquired Melbourne-based reviews website, Word of Mouth Online (WOMO). Described as the largest Australian customer reviews site,[5] WOMO currently has 420,000 user generated reviews and testimonials for over 175,000 registered businesses across the country.[6]

Oneflare's co-founder Marcus Lim told TechCrunch that the integration of Oneflare and WOMO reviews will accelerate Oneflare's vision to become the most trusted source for local services.[7]

Funding

Oneflare is a venture backed startup that initially secured a A$50,000 Skills and Knowledge grant from Commercialisation Australia to engage professional external advisors to raise investment capital, develop website architecture and procure professional legal advice. The company subsequently raised A$500,000 from external investors Grand Prix Capital, the Sydney Seed Fund and The Strategy Group.[8]

When Oneflare raised its job count to 25,000+ per month, the company secured an extra $3M in funding from Microequities Asset Management.

In May 2016, the company announced a partnership with the Fairfax’s Domain Group to secure $15M investment in exchange for 35% equity, driving up the company’s value to around $43M.[9] CEO of Oneflare, Adam Dong said the planned integration will allow Oneflare to help millions of Australians connect with skilled experts, making renovating or moving house easier and more affordable.[10]

Service process

Consumers request a service free of charge. The request is then sent to a maximum of 3 service providers who can fulfill that service.[11] In addition to trades such as electricians, landscapers and plumbers, the site lists over 200 service categories, including accountants, interior designers, cleaners, computer repairers and photographers.[12] Australian service providers register for free on the main website. As part of the rating system, the site verifies the licensing, ABN and insurance/ indemnity details of service providers.[11]

Real-time application (IOS & android), SMS and email updates are sent to businesses, notifying them of relevant leads.The website provides the consumer with three quotations so the consumer can choose their preferred provider, who is contracted directly through the website to complete the work. The site includes a customer helpdesk and profile tools to recognised businesses that are insured.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Oneflare: Desire to disrupt sparks business idea".
  2. ↑ "Crunchbase Profile for Oneflare.com.au". Crunch Base. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  3. ↑ http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/7/25/technology/oneflare-buys-renovate-forum
  4. ↑ "Kakao leads Deloitte's Tech Fast 500 APAC 2014".
  5. ↑ "Oneflare picks up WOMO".
  6. ↑ "Oneflare acquires customer reviews site WOMO ahead of international expansion".
  7. ↑ "Australian Service Directory Oneflare Acquires Review Site WOMO".
  8. ↑ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  9. ↑ "Fairfax Media's Domain Group acquires 35 percent stake in Oneflare for $15 million - Startup Daily". Startup Daily. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  10. ↑ "Oneflare secures $15 million investment from Fairfax Media's Domain Group".
  11. 1 2 "How It Works". Oneflare.com.
  12. ↑ http://oneflare.com.au/directory
  13. ↑ http://oneflare.com.au/trust-and-safety

External links

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