Bengaluru-based childcare startup Maasi has raised Rs 6 crore in a pre-seed spherical led by Better Capital, with participation from Antler India. The startup described it as one of many largest pre-seed rounds in India’s childcare class.

Angel investors within the spherical embody Rapido co-founder Rishikesh SR, Shadowfax co-founder Vaibhav Khandelwal, Xoxoday’s Sumit Khandelwal, Siddhant Goyal of Crane VC and Sanjay Ramakrishnan of Multiply Ventures.

Maasi mentioned it is going to use the funding to scale caregiver recruitment and coaching, construct its expertise platform and develop its group in Bengaluru.

Based by Aashu Manchali, who’s CEO, Gargi Pandey, who’s COO, and Reshov Roy, who’s CTO. Maasi grew out of City Mother and father Membership, a group of greater than 8,000 Bengaluru dad and mom run by the founders, the place the query requested most frequently was the place to discover a nanny who might be trusted.

“Childcare is the toughest drawback in Indian houses, and the system round it has let everybody down,” Manchali mentioned on the launch.

Early numbers

The funding comes every week after Maasi’s public launch on 20 October. The startup mentioned the launch drew a waitlist of greater than 4,000 dad and mom inside 5 days.

It has thus far served greater than 1,200 dad and mom via a community of over 500 caregivers, and mentioned it’s rising 20% week on week. Earlier than the general public launch, it ran an invite-only beta in Bengaluru.

“Discovering dependable childcare remains to be a raffle for tens of millions of Indian dad and mom. We’re excited to again Aashu, Gargi and Reshov as they carry belief and accountability to it and construct a brand new normal for childcare in India,” mentioned Vaibhav Domkundwar, founding father of Higher Capital.

“This can be a tier-A group fixing the toughest drawback in childcare. Maasi is unique by design, with each caregiver held to an exceptionally excessive bar, and that is precisely why we backed them,” mentioned Rajiv Srivatsa, Associate at Antler India.

What does Maasi do?

Maasi trains, pays and helps caregivers who take care of kids in households’ houses. It gives on-demand nanny visits beginning at Rs 660 and month-to-month subscription plans beginning at Rs 15,660.

The startup gives 5 companies: a day nanny for six to 12 hours a day, a 24-hour live-in nanny, a japa nanny for postnatal care, an on-demand on the spot nanny and a governess. Households can browse matched caregiver profiles, conduct video calls with potential nannies and ensure a begin date. The corporate additionally arranges replacements if a caregiver leaves.

The governess, its latest class, is an English-speaking nanny skilled in screen-free engagement and care. Maasi mentioned it has drawn explicit curiosity from dad and mom.

Each caregiver is verified and skilled earlier than assembly a household, via a free programme led by preschool administrators, nurses and former airline cabin crew trainers. Caregivers additionally put on Maasi uniforms.

For many working households in India, a nanny remains to be discovered via a neighbour or a WhatsApp ahead, with no coaching, no accountability and no backup when she leaves. Maasi is betting that folks in giant cities pays for a vetted, managed various.

At its launch, Maasi pointed to the federal government’s Periodic Labour Drive Survey, underneath which 44.4% of ladies exterior the labour power cited childcare or homemaking commitments as their foremost cause for not working.