Sustainable washing power: investment for spin-off HOMIE

News - 08 November 2018

Sustainable “washing power” Homie Pay-Per-Use available to a larger group of consumers

Delft, 8th November 2018 – Homie Pay-Per-Use, the innovative start-up company that lets consumers pay per wash, is expanding. Today, the company welcomed investor Nico Brabers (until 2015 majority shareholder in the consumer electronics company Lenco) on board as investor, while ABN AMRO joined as financing partner. 

Homie Pay-Per-Use delivers washing power: customers do not buy the washing machine, nor do they have to pay for maintenance; instead they only pay per finished washing cycle. A cold wash is cheaper than a hot wash. Research shows that customers of Homie wash on average twenty percent less since becoming a customer. Great news for the environment and for our customers wallets!

Colin Bom, CEO of Homie Pay-Per-Use: “Homie wants to fundamentally change the global appliances sector, with a keen eye on sustainability. We have therefore developed our Pay-Per-Use model, allowing Dutch households to get access to a new, energy-efficient washing machine. This leads to more conscious washing behaviour by our customers, as well as shared use and reuse of the appliances. Nico Brabers and ABN AMRO share this vision and are fantastic partners to help us go from pilot to growth!”

Nancy Bocken, co-founder of Homie Pay-Per-Use and professor Sustainable Business Management and Practice: “The academic literature indicated that in theory Pay-Per-Use adds to the circular economy and can stimulate more sustainable consumption. However, there were hardly any real-life examples. I am very pleased that with the financial support of TU Delft, Nico Brabers and ABN AMRO we are now able to really prove the theory in practice. Homie Pay-Per-Use  is a truly sustainable business model for the circular economy!”

Homie Pay-Per-Use  is a spin-off company from Delft University of Technology. Via their holding company, Delft Enterprises, the university was the first investor in the company. Paul Althuis, director of Delft Enterprises: “By combining technology with new business models, Homie has managed to build a first group of customers in a very short timeframe. Our scientists are adding value on topics such as deep learning, cyber security and innovation to further improve Homie’s offering. We will continue to be closely involved and look forward to the further growth of Homie Pay-Per-Use.”

At present, Homie is active in Rotterdam, Delft and the Hague. With the financial support of Brabers and ABN AMRO, the company will first expand to the other major cities in the Netherlands before it will finally become available in the whole country and expand its offerings with additional products sush as dryers and dishwashers.

Besides being an investor, Nico Brabers will also continue to advise Homie on retail matters. Brabers: “This is a very strong group of people with a lot of relevant experience. With a unique combination of science and entrepreneurship, they are developing a great concept. I look forward to support their growth.”

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a strong believer in the circular economy and will join Homie as its financial partner. Iris van den Akker, Commercial Manager Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) group at ABN AMRO: “Because of our interest in PaaS, we were already keeping a close eye on Homie for some time. We are very proud the be able to provide them with financing for their next level of growth.”

About HOMIE

Homie is a spin-off company from TU Delft and is the only company in the world to offer “Pay-Per-Use” washing power. Homie does so by taking care of everything around installation and maintenance of washing machines. This removes the need to purchase appliances, and Homie’s customers always have access to high-quality, energy efficient appliances. Homie Pay-Per-Use was founded in 2016 by Nancy Bocken, Hidde-Jan Lemstra and Colin Bom.