- Oxwash was founded by ex-NASA scientist Dr Kyle Grant.
- The startup offers a laundry cleaning service on a mission to eliminate the environmental impact that comes with this type of washing.
- So far, Oxwash have raised £5.7 million over 4 funding rounds.
Website: https://www.oxwash.com/
On a mission to eliminate the environmental impact of washing laundry, our Startup of the Week for this week is Oxwash.
Oxwash offers a cleaning service, allowing people to pay to have their laundry washed/dry cleaned in one of the startup’s cleaning facilities. Customers simply have to place their order online, after which one of the Oxwash riders will come and collect the laundry, take this to be cleaned and then returned.
Traditionally, laundry can use up significant amounts of water per load. Oxwash’s laundry cleaning service utilises water reclamation technology to save up to 60% of water consumption compared to the standard commercial washing machines. This provides customers with a sustainable cleaning service that benefits people and the planet.
Oxwash was founded during 2018 by Dr Kyle Grant – a synthetic biologist and ex-NASA scientists. The idea for startup came from Kyle’s frustrations with his college’s washing machines, which seemed to be constantly broken. With just a rucksack and a bike, Kyle decided to start a washing service for him and others in the college, collecting his and other students’ laundry to clean. As interest grew, Kyle’s services became an in-demand laundry business, and has now expanded from only covering Oxford to now also operating in Cambridge and London.
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The company’s goal is to achieve net zero carbon emissions across the entirety of their washing process – from collection straight through to delivery – while also offering clinical-grade hygiene. The startup claim that they are ‘re-engineering the laundry process from the ground up’, and are ‘excited to grow into new cities, new countries and wash new things’.
So far, Oxwash have raised a total funding amount of £5.7 million over the course of 4 funding rounds. Their latest round (Equity Crowdfunding), was announced in November 2021, and raised £500k. Founder Kyle Grant commented the following on the funding:
“Our goal was to build a wide network of shareholders who care about our purpose as much as we do and can be true ambassadors for the brand, which is why we capped the investment level at £5,000 per person. To witness £100k pledged in just three hours, and be able to close the round in fifteen, we’re over the moon with the outcome and level of support. We know being just another laundry app won’t cut it. Developing a model that is hyper local, carbon neutral and tech enabled – that reverses the sector’s adverse impact on the planet rather than adding to it is absolutely critical”
