Brick by brick

Kapil Agarwal was working with e-procurement agency C1India when the gargantuan task of renovating his home led him right to the entrepreneurial challenge he was looking for. “UrbanHomez was a manifestation of all the problems I faced when I renovated my place in Delhi,” he says.

After a few years’ research, Agarwal launched UrbanHomez in January 2014 with an investment of ₹10 lakh from his savings. The website also serves as a directory of interior designers, architects and contractors and also sells household supplies. Customers can either contact an architect directly, use a helpline or post design queries in their ‘Ask for advice’ section. 

UrbanHomez earns a commission from the product listings (5-10% of sale price) and from the listing plans for architects and designers. These plans, launched in September, provide access to better visibility within the site and start from ₹12,000. Currently, the website lists 6,500 architects and designers. 

Agarwal plans to open an office in Mumbai soon. “We aim to raise traffic on the website to 2 million per day by revamping it and launching a mobile app. Our tie-up with Grohe fittings will add more value to our product listings and intend to clock a revenue of ₹5 crore by FY16.” Popular in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, UrbanHomez hopes to build on the foundation it has already established.