South African startup GoodApp, an on-demand home services platform, is working on a pilot in the United States (US) after seeing strong growth across various metros in its home market.
Founded in 2023, GoodApp connects customers to trusted, vetted service providers such as plumbers, electricians, handymen, and cleaners via its website and mobile app.
In addition, it has developed a secure, fintech-enabled ecosystem that supports digital payments, service provider earnings management, and customer feedback loops.
“Our platform addresses both sides of the market – making it easier for consumers to find help they can trust and giving skilled service professionals a pathway to regular income and visibility,” Prakhar Srivastava, GoodApp’s CEO, told Disrupt Africa.
The vision for GoodApp was born out of both a technical understanding of digital marketplaces and a lived awareness of the challenges township-based professionals face in finding consistent, dignified work, according to Srivastava.
“In South Africa, millions of talented service providers – electricians, plumbers, cleaners – lack access to consistent demand, digital payments, and formal job platforms. Meanwhile, homeowners and tenants face high friction when trying to find reliable, verified professionals they can trust,” he said.
The market is largely informal, unstructured, and dominated by word-of-mouth or classifieds.
“While platforms like SweepSouth and Kandua operate in the home services space, they tend to focus on limited service verticals or specific customer segments. GoodApp differentiates by offering a full-spectrum, trust-first platform with deep township reach, a wide variety of services, and built-in fintech tools that empower both the customer and the service provider,” said Srivastava.
The startup has seen strong uptake thus far. It has more than 10,000 verified service providers onboarded, and has facilitated over 2,500 successful customer bookings. And all this despite being bootstrapped, with early angel support and revenue reinvestment.
“Customer traction has been promising, especially in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Our current focus has been on targeted Google and Facebook ads driving bookings, community-driven referral growth, and partnerships with real estate managers, insurers, and banks,” Srivastava said. “We’re seeing increasing repeat booking behaviour, with an average service rating of 4.7 stars.”
GoodApp will now be seeking institutional investment to scale nationally, and internationally. It is currently operational across major South African metros, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban, and also recently registered its US entity in Orlando, Florida
“We plan to pilot GoodApp in underserved American neighbourhoods where similar gig-worker gaps exist. We’re also exploring white-label partnerships with banks like Absa to power home service features inside mobile banking apps,” said Srivastava.
GoodApp’s primary revenue stream is via a commission model, taking a margin on each successful booking made via the platform.
“We also plan to launch subscription plans for premium service providers and white-label APIs for partners in insurance, banking, and property,” Srivastava said. “While still in our scale-up phase, we are generating revenue consistently and are on a clear trajectory to become highly profitable within 24 months, supported by lean operations, strategic partnerships, and compounding repeat business.”
Such growth has not come without its challenges, however., Srivastava especially cites difficulties around convincing customers to trust a new brand in a space dominated by word-of-mouth, ensuring a reliable supply of quality service providers in remote areas, and building the technology stack and vetting processes to support a two-sided platform at scale.
“Despite these, the community response has been powerful — and we’re proud to be building a platform that doesn’t just serve homes, but transforms lives,” he said.
