Homely: Social Platform Wins Platzi DemoDay Award

Home and office cleaning can be stigmatized professions in Mexico but Homely, a local startup that links cleaning professionals with clients, wants to be a driver for social change, reports TecReview. The company’s goal to generate social change allowed it to win the Platzi DemoDay 2021 Award, a program created by Platzi to properly connect and push forward promising startups. Platzi named Homely its official winner on Twitter. The program has strengthened startups like Urban Roosters and Terapify, according to its website.

“Homely impressed us with its good metrics and the positive impact it creates for more than 800 people who provide cleaning services in Mexico. It improves their job opportunities, salary and social benefits," said Juliane Butty, Director of Startups at Platzi, according to Entrepreneur. Homely was awarded a trip to Silicon Vallery, a US$25,000 investment, US$120,000 in Azure Credits and cloud storage from Microsoft. Homely will also receive mentoring throughout 2021 from Platzi’s leaders. 

Founders, Egar Tello and Melina Cruz, shared with Entrepreneur their goals to improve employment opportunities for cleaning professionals all over Latin America and offer them decent job conditions and sufficient remuneration. Homely has linked over 800 people with clients at homes and businesses, allowing them to receive fair salaries, insurance and regular employment. The company started operating back in 2016 and after five years in the market it is making about US$50,000 per month, reports TecReview. 

Technology to Improve Working Conditions

Other companies are developing platforms to support cleaning workers. For example, Mexican startup Bamba aims to improve working conditions for domestic workers through a digital platform that allows employers to register their employees and give them access to social security, formal banking and financial security, as previously reported by MBN.

According to UN Women Latin America, in Latin America and the Caribbean there are between 11 to 18 million people that pursue paid domestic employment, 93 percent of which are women. These workers were some the most affected by the pandemic, particularly because of the informal and poor conditions in which they work. Moreover, these professions are perceived as of low social and economic value, creating poorer employment opportunities for women, adds the UN.