Lagos-based home services app Eden Life has secured a US$1.4-million in investment which it says it will use to “build out” its in-house technology, develop its own kitchens and operations hubs as part of the construction of new tech-based platform in a fresh effort to bolster Africa’s service industry.

The funding round was led by UK-based LocalGlobe, along with participation from Samurai Incubate, Future Africa, Village Global, Rising Tide Africa and Enza Capital.

The platform is used to schedule food, laundry and cleaning services and according to Eden Life, the latest funding brings total investment to date to US$2-m following pre-seed backing from all of Andela’s original co-founders, and additional accelerator support over the last 18 months.

Launched in 2019 by three former Andelans, and dubbed “the concierge of comfort”, Eden Life was developed for busy Lagos professionals who are often time-poor due to long working hours and struggle to source and coordinate dependable, efficient and trustworthy home services providers.

The app, available on Google Play and the App Store, offers users a subscription service that delivers high quality chef-cooked meals, laundry service and home cleaning as well as tracking progress on all their services. Users can subscribe to one or more of the services and set the frequency they want the services delivered.

According to developers, the average Eden Life user currently uses two services five times per week with first time users typically starting off with food delivery, before picking up additional services.

Targeted at executives, remote workers, creatives, and tech engineers and developers, Eden Life says it has picked up 600+ customers and is growing a loyal following with a 92% monthly retention rate and over 70% of new users coming via referrals.

The company adds that its proprietary technology platform allows its users to continually give feedback on all aspects of service, using data to compile preferences and offer suggestions based on user feedback.

The app also includes delivery time tracking, payments and billing, and user notifications, and the chores are then overseen by trained professionals who work with Eden Life service providers and end users to ensure a seamless service – which the app calls ‘gardeners’.

It claims that over 60,000 services have been launched.

“For many of our users, if they’re cooking or running errands, they’re not being productive; they don’t want distractions from their work, which is where Eden Life comes in,” said Nadayar Enegesi, Co-Founder at Eden Life and Co-founder at Andela. “We understand this scenario all too well. We are those people - so we basically designed a product with us in mind and realised that collectively, we are a pretty large market in Nigeria and have subsequently scaled Eden with other professionals from all walks of life who need simple tasks done with no fuss.”

Enegesi continued: “While we can’t create more time physically, we are offering access to a platform that delivers a seamless mix of household services, so that busy professionals can focus on their work and leisure. We’re excited to scale our platform to offer so much more, and continue to offer some of the highest quality services underpinned by world-class technology and a highly trained team of professionals.”

The platform is applying a vertical integration strategy, fuelled by the seed funding, to ensure it can own and manage its entire supply chain and deliver its services without the need for third party providers “by having a physical footprint where chefs prepare meals, laundry can be processed quickly and cleaners receive training to provide a high quality service.”

“Having launched with three core services - those most fundamental to making the home a sanctuary - Eden Life will be rolling out many more over the coming months to make the app a one-stop tool to manage household chores and personal life,” the company added.

Remus Brett, General Partner at LocalGlobe, commented: “We fell in love with Eden Life’s vision for the future of home services in Africa. A true customer obsession sits at the heart of everything they are building - this is already visible in customer retention and other key metrics. As investors, we are always attracted to first-mover companies that launch products in untapped markets. The combination of this advantage with a core team who has proven experience building African tech to unrivalled levels sets Eden Life on an exciting path of growth.”

The platform is keeping a close eye on the growing spending power of Africa’s emerging urbanised market. It said as one of the fastest urbanised continents globally, Africa is projected to have 100 cities with a population of over one million people by 2025.

“Africa also has the fastest growing middle class with rapidly increasing spending power, thanks in part to the growing tech sector. With more people working long hours, Eden wants to revolutionise the home services market by making life easier for the chronically time-poor tech-native professionals and executives, allowing them to channel their time into more productive activities as well as affording them more quality leisure time,” the company stipulated.