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A 20-minute pitch wins Indian startup Pronto backing from Lachy Groom

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Lachy Groom, one of Silicon Valley’s most closely watched solo investors, decided to back Indian startup Pronto just 20 minutes into his first meeting with its 24-year-old founder.

The meeting, which took place in February through a mutual connection, led to Groom investing $20 million in Pronto as an extension of its Series B round, valuing the startup at $200 million after the investment — double its valuation just over two months earlier, as TechCrunch had previously reported. The deal came together within weeks, bringing the solo investor on board as the Bengaluru-based startup expands to meet growing demand for on-demand home services in India.

Groom said he was drawn to Pronto’s ambition to build what he called the world’s largest platform for organizing domestic labor, starting with India’s vast and largely unstructured workforce. “The work underneath that is genuinely hard, and most attempts in adjacent categories have struggled with the operational discipline,” he said, adding that Pronto founder Anjali Sardana (pictured above) and her team were operating “at a level I haven’t seen elsewhere in this space.”

Before founding Pronto in 2025, Sardana worked at Bain Capital and venture firm 8VC, where she gained early exposure to investing and high-growth startups. The startup connects households with workers for everyday tasks such as cleaning and basic home services.

The introduction was arranged through Paul Hudson, founder of Glade Brook Capital, who connected Groom and Sardana during her trip to San Francisco earlier this year. Glade Brook has backed startups founded by both: Pronto, which Sardana leads, and Physical Intelligence, where Groom is a co-founder. Hudson and Groom have also backed Indian quick-commerce startup Zepto.

Sardana said Groom’s investment approach is heavily founder-driven. “He indexes two things. One is the founder, and that’s 95% of it. If he loves the founder, then he will invest,” she told TechCrunch, adding that the rest comes down to the scale and potential of the business.

Groom’s bet comes as a clutch of startups in India race to build instant home services platforms, a category that is seeing rapid adoption among urban households as more consumers turn to on-demand help for everyday tasks.

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The opportunity is significant. A recent Bank of America note, reviewed by TechCrunch, estimates the instant home services market in India could grow into a $15 billion to $18 billion industry by the end of the decade, as companies including Pronto, Snabbit, and Urban Company’s InstaHelp compete for share in the fast-growing category.

Competition is intensifying, with heavy capital inflows and aggressive pricing, particularly to attract first-time users. Bank of America estimates that Snabbit and Urban Company’s InstaHelp each account for about 40% of the market, while Pronto has around a 20% share, even as it scales rapidly. The category is expected to remain “burn-heavy” over the next two to three years.

Despite trailing larger rivals, Pronto has been scaling rapidly, growing from around 18,000 bookings a day to 26,000 in just over a month. The startup is focused on driving repeat usage, betting that turning occasional demand into frequent, habit-driven usage will be key to winning the category, with its top 10% of users accounting for about 40% of bookings.

This growth has also brought challenges, particularly in building out supply. Pronto has expanded its network of service workers to 6,500, up from 1,440 in January. But Sardana said demand continues to outpace supply, making forecasting and capacity management key challenges as the startup grows.

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HON. DR. DANJUMA SANDA LEADS YPP DELEGATION TO UJAH ANAGUTA, RECEIVES ROYAL BLESSINGS AHEAD OF 2027 ELECTIONS

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The House of Representatives Candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency, Hon. Dr. Danjuma Sanda, on Monday led a distinguished delegation of party leaders, candidates, stakeholders, and supporters on a royal courtesy visit to His Royal Majesty, the Ujah Anaguta, to seek royal blessings, prayers, and fatherly counsel as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.

The visit reaffirmed the campaign’s commitment to engaging critical stakeholders, strengthening community relationships, and recognizing the invaluable role of traditional institutions in promoting peace, unity, and sustainable development.

The delegation included the Plateau State Chairman of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Hon. Samson Luka, the YPP Candidate for Jos North North State Constituency, Hon. Galadima Azi Itse, party executives, elders, women and youth leaders, religious leaders, community stakeholders, supporters, and well-wishers.

Welcoming the delegation, His Royal Majesty, the Ujah Anaguta, commended the peaceful conduct of the campaign and offered prayers for divine wisdom, protection, and success. The royal father urged all political actors to conduct issue-based campaigns that promote peace, unity, and the collective progress of the people.

Quote from Hon. Dr. Danjuma Sanda

“Today, we have come before our revered royal father with humility and respect to seek his blessings and prayers. Traditional institutions remain the moral compass of our communities, and their guidance is essential in building a peaceful, united, and prosperous society. Our aspiration is not merely about winning an election; it is about offering purposeful representation, restoring hope, and ensuring that every community in Jos North and Bassa has a stronger voice at the National Assembly.”

Dr. Sanda further reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to transparent leadership, quality representation, youth and women empowerment, improved education, accessible healthcare, infrastructure development, economic opportunities, and policies that directly improve the lives of the people.

A Campaign Built on Unity and Service

The visit also provided an opportunity for meaningful interaction with community leaders, religious leaders, party faithful, and supporters, who reiterated their confidence in the YPP’s vision and pledged their continued support for candidates committed to integrity, accountability, and people-centred governance.

The presence of senior party leaders and stakeholders underscored the growing strength and unity within the Young Progressives Party, as well as the increasing momentum behind Hon. Dr. Danjuma Sanda’s campaign across Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency.

The campaign believes that lasting development can only be achieved through collaboration with traditional institutions, religious leaders, community stakeholders, and the people whose mandate it seeks.

As consultations continue across the constituency, Hon. Dr. Danjuma Sanda remains committed to running a peaceful, inclusive, and issue-driven campaign focused on delivering effective representation and sustainable development for every community.

Media Contact

Directorate of Media and Publicity
Hon. Dr. Danjuma Sanda Campaign Organization
Young Progressives Party (YPP)
Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency
Plateau State, Nigerian.

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Hold Tinubu administration responsible if anything happens to El-Rufai – ADC

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The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has said that the President Bola Tinubu administration will be held responsible if anything happens to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, made this assertion in an interview on Symfoni TV.

Abdullahi said El-Rufai’s detention is not about the law, justice or crime but about politics.

“If anything happens to El-Rufai while he remains in state custody, President Bola Tinubu and his administration will bear full responsibility.

“El-Rufai is not being held today because he committed any crime. That would have been left for the court to decide. Let the court pronounce that he is guilty or is not guilty.

“But to continue to hold him interminably speaks to something else, and that is why it is clear to us that the desire or the intention of this APC government is to continue to hold El-Rufai to ensure that he does not participate in this election and strengthen the opposition. That is exactly what they plan to do.

“This same El-Rufai fought for President Bola Tinubu when when everyone in the Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet didn’t want him,” he said.

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