A Founder Story Fueled by Hustle

India’s startup ecosystem continues to produce ambitious young entrepreneurs, and one of the most remarkable emerging stories is that of Anjali Sardana, founder of Pronto. At just 23 years old, Sardana is building one of the fastest-growing service startups in the country, transforming how urban households find domestic help.

In the early days of the company, Sardana and her small team reportedly worked around the clock from their Gurugram office, sometimes sleeping on the floor while handling customer requests and managing service operations. At that time, the startup was managing roughly 170 bookings per day.

Within months, that number surged dramatically. Today, the platform processes more than 18,000 daily bookings across multiple Indian cities, positioning Pronto as a major emerging player in the country’s home services sector.

The startup has also attracted strong investor interest, raising $25 million in funding and reaching a valuation of approximately $100 million within its first year.

Startup Metric	Data
Founder	Anjali Sardana
Startup	Pronto
Daily Bookings	18,000+
Workforce	4,500+ professionals
Cities	10+
Funding Raised	$25 million
Valuation	~$100 million

The company’s rapid growth highlights the massive opportunity in India’s largely informal domestic services market.

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What Is Pronto?

Pronto is an on-demand household services platform designed to connect trained domestic workers with customers who need assistance with everyday household tasks.

Through a mobile-based booking system, customers can request help for various household services, often receiving a professional within minutes of placing a booking.

Key Services Offered

Service Category	Examples
Cleaning	Sweeping, mopping, bathroom cleaning
Kitchen Assistance	Dishwashing and kitchen help
Laundry	Washing and folding clothes
Home Support	Basic household maintenance

Unlike traditional domestic help arrangements, Pronto focuses on structured service delivery, trained professionals, and digital booking convenience.

This model introduces a level of reliability and transparency that has historically been missing in the domestic services industry.

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The Problem Pronto Is Trying to Solve

India’s domestic help sector remains largely unorganized. Most households still rely on informal hiring methods such as neighborhood referrals, building security recommendations, or word-of-mouth networks.

This traditional system often creates several challenges.

Problem	Impact on Households
Informal hiring	Lack of worker verification
Unpredictable attendance	Frequent service disruptions
No standard pricing	Payment disputes
Limited worker supply	Difficulty finding replacements

Pronto aims to address these issues by digitizing the process of hiring domestic workers and introducing a gig-economy framework similar to platforms like Urban Company.

Through technology, the company hopes to create a more organized, scalable, and transparent marketplace for household services.

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Explosive Growth: From 170 to 18,000 Daily Bookings

Pronto’s growth trajectory has been unusually rapid for a service startup.

Growth Stage	Daily Bookings
Early Stage	~170 bookings
Expansion Phase	~1,000 bookings
Current Scale	18,000+ bookings

This dramatic increase in demand reflects a growing shift among urban households toward on-demand service platforms.

The startup currently operates across several major Indian cities including:

• Delhi NCR • Bengaluru • Mumbai • Hyderabad • Chennai

As urban lifestyles become increasingly busy, demand for convenient household services is expanding rapidly.

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The Workforce Powering the Platform

A critical element of Pronto’s growth is its network of trained professionals who deliver services to customers.

Workforce Metric	Data
Active Professionals	4,500+
Cities Served	10+
Daily Bookings	18,000+

Workers who join the platform typically go through background verification and service training to ensure consistent service quality.

The gig-economy structure allows professionals to complete multiple jobs each day, creating opportunities for stable earnings.

Interestingly, a large percentage of workers on the platform are women, highlighting how digital platforms are creating employment opportunities in traditionally informal sectors.

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Funding and the $100 Million Valuation

Pronto’s rapid expansion has drawn attention from investors looking to capitalize on India’s growing service economy.

The company recently raised $25 million in funding, pushing its valuation to approximately $100 million within less than a year of operations.

Funding Detail	Data
Latest Funding	$25 million
Valuation	~$100 million
Company Age	Under 1 year

The capital will likely be used to accelerate expansion across India by:

• launching operations in more cities • increasing the professional workforce • improving technology infrastructure • strengthening logistics and operations.

Investors believe that digitizing India’s domestic help industry could unlock enormous economic value.

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The Massive Market Opportunity

India’s domestic services market is massive but largely unorganized. Millions of households rely on domestic workers for cleaning, cooking, childcare, and other daily tasks.

However, most of this activity happens outside formal platforms.

Market Driver	Impact
Urbanization	Growing demand for services
Dual-income families	Increased need for house help
Smaller families	Less household labor availability
Rising middle class	Higher spending on convenience

As more consumers adopt digital platforms for everyday services, startups like Pronto could play a key role in formalizing the industry.

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Competition in the Home Services Market

Although Pronto is growing quickly, the sector remains competitive.

Several companies operate in the broader home services space.

Company	Focus
Urban Company	Home services marketplace
Local Agencies	Traditional domestic help networks
New Startups	Instant service platforms

Pronto differentiates itself by focusing heavily on speed and instant service availability, bringing a quick-commerce approach to domestic services.

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The Founder Behind the Startup

At the center of this story is Anjali Sardana, a young entrepreneur who identified a major gap in India’s service economy.

Her vision was simple: make household help instantly accessible through technology.

The early days of the startup were marked by intense effort and limited resources. Sardana and her team worked around the clock to ensure that customers received reliable services.

The story of sleeping on office floors while building the company has become symbolic of the hustle required to launch a startup in its earliest stages.

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What’s Next for Pronto?

Looking ahead, the company has ambitious expansion plans.

Pronto aims to:

• expand into more Indian cities • increase its workforce network • introduce additional service categories such as cooking and home maintenance.

If the company continues growing at its current pace, it could become one of India’s largest organized domestic services platforms.

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Conclusion

The journey of Anjali Sardana and Pronto reflects the evolving nature of India’s startup ecosystem.

In less than a year, a small team working from a modest office has built a company valued at $100 million, addressing one of the country’s largest unorganized service sectors.

As urban lifestyles change and digital platforms reshape everyday services, startups like Pronto could play a major role in formalizing industries that have traditionally operated informally.

For Sardana and her team, the journey from sleeping on the office floor to building a rapidly scaling startup is just the beginning.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.