May 27, 2015
WashCycleLaundry.com/for PhillyVoice
Wash Cycle, founded in 2010, now serves Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Austin.
Laundry can be a time consuming, costly and environmentally taxing routine. If you can't get mom to do it for you anymore and you're shrinking all of your clothing, it may be time for you to assess your options.
One Philadelphia startup will not only get the job done for you, but also earns points in the areas of social and environmental entrepreneurship, according to Forbes.
Wash Cycle, founded by 32-year-old Gabriel Mandujano and two friends in 2010, not only washes your laundry but delivers it to your door on trikes. The company has gained recognition for hiring people from vulnerable backgrounds -- those formerly incarcerated, homeless, or on welfare -- and successfully retains its employees at a rate of 80 percent, compared to 45 percent in Philadelphia as a whole, the magazine reports.
In five years, nearly 50 jobs have been created in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Austin. As the company continues to scale, venture capitalists have increasingly taken notice. By October 2013, when Mandujano's commercial clients multiplied, Wash Cycle received $330,000 in angel equity from Philadelphia's Investors' Circle.
Today, having developed and branded its own trikes, Wash Cycle transports 300 pounds of laundry per trip. They'll need every pound of it, too, after inking a deal with George Washington University to take on an additional 10,000 pounds of laundry.
Read more at Forbes.
