Romanian IoT startup Bob Concierge, which has developed an intelligent system of automated devices that provide and sell products and services within residential buildings, has supplemented its offer with laundry and dry cleaning services by signing a partnership with Spanish franchise Mr. Jeff.
Tenants connected to the Bob Concierge network will benefit from the cleaning services, without having to leave the building or meet with a courier. Thus, in the special cleaning compartments, Bob Concierge customers can leave their laundry and receive it back cleaned and ironed in less than 72 hours.
Bob Concierge has recently received a new investment of 6 million euros from American fund NCH Capital. With this new round, the total investments in the Romanian startup have exceeded 11 million euros.
The company aims to use the funds to continue to innovate and scale up the business, in order to become the major marketplace for residential services in Romania and in the European region. Bob Concierge aims to build a network of 5,000 devices in Romania and 50,000 devices in Europe in the coming years.
Bob Concierge brings to residential apartment buildings automatic mini-shops, with food and drinks, complimented by the online platform Uncle Bob, with essential products and a range of home services which can be ordered for optimal convenience. The company’s devices also feature delivery compartments, in which couriers can drop off or pick up a package, and dedicated dry cleaning compartments, in which users can leave their laundry, for the cleaning companies to pick up.
The Bob Concierge devices use the “Grab and Go” technology so that customers registered in the mobile application are able to open the mini-shop and take whatever products they need. For this process, the customers simply need to authenticate by scanning the visible QR code, after which the products are automatically identified by the multitude of sensors, and the payment is instantly processed from the user’s account.
The Bob Concierge project has a unique approach, by using Internet of Things technologies and Artificial Intelligence to ensure a fully integrated business chain, from logistics to product sales. All the hardware and software components of the solutions offered by Bob Concierge are currently developed and produced exclusively in Romania, with the help of local teams and talent.
About Bob Concierge
Bob Concierge and the complimentary service Uncle Bob innovate the local retail market by offering fully automated commerce solutions available on hand, within residential spaces. Bob Concierge helps to solve day to day tasks for the buildings’ residents by providing food, groceries, drinks and services through a fully automated device, installed in the lobbies of the apartment building. Bob Concierge customers can also use special lockers to receive the packages they have ordered and they can even leave their laundry in the special lockers for the dry cleaning and laundry company to pick up and return all within 48h, by simply making an order via the mobile app.
About Mr Jeff
Mr Jeff, a home-delivery laundry franchise, is part of Jeff, a wellness services platform startup founded in Valencia, Spainin 2015 by Eloi Gómez, Adrián Lorenzo and Rubén Muñoz. The trio met in 2010 in their university dormitory and quickly realized they all shared an entrepreneurial spirit. With more than 2,000 franchisees in 30+ countries. International locations have expanded with other daily services including Fit Jeff, Beauty Jeff and Relax Jeff.
