SweepSouth, a South African cleaning startup that recorded quick growth through several funding rounds has informed its customers that it’s closing down its Nigeria and Kenya offices.
According to Nigeria’s tech publication TechCabal, the closure notice was only communicated to customers and employees who have now said the decision took them by surprise.
The company has operations in three South African cities, as well as Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt. It was launched in June in 2014 as an “Uber for cleaning services”, and raised a seed round in 2015. In 2016, SweepSouth raised $600,000 for expansion in South African cities. It would then open operations in Egypt by acquiring Filkhedma, a company that had a significant presence in the country. Nigeria and Kenya became the next frontier for the company with its services priced considerably from as little as $3/hour.
The startup’s website currently has a message stating: “This site is closing down soon.”
“SweepSouth Nigeria has paused operations with immediate effect due to ongoing trading pressures. We encourage existing customers to continue to book your SweepStar directly.” Another message states.
The company launched its services in Kenya in 2018, providing home cleaning services from vetted, experienced professionals. It would later add SweepSouth Connect, a service that allowed customers to easily find technicians to help them with plumbing and electrical works. Following their growth in Kenya, they added outdoor cleaning to their list of services in late 2021.
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