Pune (Maharashtra) India- June 17: Hour4u, a rental marketplace for booking venues and on-demand hourly workers, has raised $420K in its latest seed funding round led by Apptad Technologies Private Ltd. This funding, a mix of debt and equity, marks Hour4u’s second successful round following an initial investment from angel investors last year.
Launched in 2019 in Pune by entrepreneur Anmol, Hour4u started as a simple WhatsApp group aimed at helping college students find legitimate hourly part-time jobs. With over five years of experience in the Events and Marketing industry, Hour4u recognized the community-driven nature of the sector and the challenges posed by fulfilling most of the work via WhatsApp groups, which often compromised quality, transparency, consistency, and efficiency.
To address these issues, Hour4u automated the entire process by connecting enterprises with agencies, agencies with suppliers, and suppliers with hourly workers and venues through a unique community-driven fulfillment model supported by artificial intelligence. This model allows businesses to compare bids, track work, and obtain proof of work in real-time. Hour4u claims to fulfill requirements in less than four hours and is working to further reduce this time. Currently, this on-demand fulfillment model is live in Delhi and Pune.
Hour4u also offers Workorbits, a software for agencies to build digital portfolios, digitize operations, and provide clients with a digital experience. This includes digital contracts, KYCs, and real-time staff tracking to reduce fraud.
Hour4u aims to become a comprehensive marketplace, enabling users to book staff, venues, and equipment all in one place. Its clientele includes UBER, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, Magicpin, and Adani Realty.
With the new funds, Hour4u plans to onboard new customers, increase their sales team, do key hirings and add more adjacent categories while expanding its services to major metro cities of India.
Anmol Pathak, Founder and CEO of Hour4u, said, “This funding validates our model and vision. We aim to make anything and everything available for rent on an hourly basis, and this investment brings us closer to that goal.”
