SteppingUp: How Furlenco Used Tech To Grow From An Idea To A Million Dollar Business

Imagine a scenario where you move into a new city and into a new house and it is set up exactly according to your taste,” says Ajith Karimpana, Founder & CEO, Furlenco

Seems ideal, right?

These days setting up a house seems like a daunting challenge, thanks to demanding work hours and a sense of disorientation in a new city. Bengaluru-based furniture rental platform Furlenco is looking to ease the trouble. Lightbox Ventures-backed Furlenco uses data to analyse user preferences and suggests the kind of interiors and furnishing one should opt for. It even goes a step further to set up an empty house according to the user’s taste after getting their consent, before they even move in.

Furlenco came on to the scene when shared economy was just taking off in India back in 2011. Until then the concept of shared furniture was relatively new to India, as ownership was deep-rooted in the minds of consumers. This slowly changed as everything from cars, furniture to workspaces was entering the shared economy.

One of the main reasons for the success of these startups was their use of technology. For any new concept to take off, it is important that the user experience remains smooth and friction free. And this is exactly what Furlenco did in what is largely a touch-and-feel category. The buying experience changed gradually as people became more and more comfortable in renting furniture just by looking at it on their computers or smartphones. In fact, 65% of Furlenco’s orders come through its mobile app.

Right from selling, to the customer life cycle, and the end product, Furlenco uses technology — throughout the user journey. The data that Furlenco leverages helps the startup understand the unique preferences of users and incorporate features that foster a recurring relationship with the customer.

This nuanced use of technology that has led Furlenco to success as furniture rentals have gone up. Today the startup is well on its way to cross INR 100 Cr in revenue and is looking to venture into connected and tech-enabled products for the smart homes of tomorrow.

Furlenco is part of the Inc42 SteppingUp Series, powered by Dell Small Business. The series will highlight the most disruptive businesses in the Indian ecosystem that have used technology in innovative ways to become role-models for startups. Coming up next Thursday is the story of the micro-mobility startup Yulu. Stay Tuned.