Hassle.com co-founders Jules Coleman and Alex Depledge. Image via Alex Depledge/Medium
Alex Depledge and Jules Coleman, co-founders of domestic cleaning marketplace start-up Hassle.com, have joined international VC firm Index Ventures as entrepreneurs-in-residence.
Depledge and Coleman – who, along with co-founder Tom Nimmo, sold Hassle.com to Helpling last year for an undisclosed sum – made the announcement via a Medium post detailing their experience of running a start-up, and why they haven’t jumped straight into another one.
“Our naivety has fallen away. We know how hard it is now; we are not first-timers anymore… That is why we know that if we are going to get into something then it needs to be the right thing,” said Coleman and Depledge.
The pair hopes that their tenure as entrepreneurs-in-residence at global VC firm Index will lead them to that right thing, and help them find something that excites them: “Our main goal will be to find an idea we are passionate about; you know, the one that gets under your skin and you can’t let go of”.
They will also take this time to become familiar with the business side of VC funding, working with the Index team to meet founders, get exposure to new technologies, and share their experiences and successes with the companies supported by Index.
Those successes are myriad, from a $6m Series A funding round just 12 months after Hassle.com launched, to Depledge being awarded a 2016 MBE for services to the sharing economy.
Irishwoman Coleman will also be speaking at Inspirefest 2016 later this month, where she will be on a panel discussing the emergence and growth of the collaborative/sharing economy.
Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Book your tickets now to join us from 30 June to 2 July 2016 for fresh perspectives on leadership, innovation and diversity.
