Stranded on South African roads? A new South African startup is here to help! Called ServiceMyCar, the company, founded by a father and his son, is an online shop for vehicle maintenance and repairs. It just launched to the public almost three months ago and has announced it has raised US$311,000) in seed funding, and is looking to increase the amount in its Series A round billed for January 2021.
“Through many years of motor industry experience we have identified that this is a huge problem for both workshops and customers. Customers face the challenge of finding a trustworthy, transparent and cost-effective workshop whilst workshops — both franchise and non-franchise — face the challenge of increasing volume, securing bookings and having reliable customer support,” Aidan Quin, son, said.
The money was secured this earlier this year and Aidan said the platform plans to raise a Series A round in January next year in order to expand nationwide.
“We also plan on expanding into the rest of Africa, particularly Nigeria, Botswana and Namibia. Our focus is then to target other developing economies outside of Africa,” he said.
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A Look At What The Startup Does
In January 2019, father and son Athol and Aidan Quin founded ServiceMyCar, hoping to provide customers with numerous quotations for vehicle repairs or service from various workshops located in the customer’s vicinity, as well as allow them to book the vehicle in on the selected date at the selected workshop. In August, 2020 the two launched the startup to the public.
On the ServiceMyCar platform, customers can make informed decisions on which workshop they would prefer to have their vehicle serviced at, providing structure to a previously unstructured marketplace.
Currently, the ServiceMyCar Workshop Partner Network consists of 70 independent and OEM workshops in the Western Cape, with the company having plans to expand to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal before the end of 2020.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer