AXA and Helvetia Venture Fund Back Renovations Portal Homebell

Homebell, Germany’s most booked online provider of renovations, secured €11M in a Series B round led by SevenVentures, with participation from AXA and Helvetia Venture Fund; to name two.

The Berlin-based startup was established in October 2015 by Felix Swoboda and Sascha Weiler, and is a digital marketplace for renovation work. The company allows users to plan renovations – select and book proper craftsmen, while it handles the payment process. In certain cases, it will even bundle the purchase of materials. “Our goal is to make renovations as easy and quick to order online as books or shoes” – Sascha Weiler.

Speaking of Helvetia Venture Fund, thinking of Helvetia; the Swiss insurer recently launched The Helvetia Service Chatbot to allow customers to report bike theft via Facebook Messenger and complete the claim process in 90 seconds. Recall insurers with a chatbot strategy here.