// startup autopsy
Handybook (Handy)
Survived every worker lawsuit only to surrender its marketplace soul to big-box retail.
regulationZombie Startup
Technically alive but effectively dead, burning cash
| Founded | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2022 |
| Country | USA |
| Sector | Marketplace |
| Founder | Oisin Hanrahan |
// the model, blind
Evaluating only Handybook (Handy)’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Unit economics as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: Regulation.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Oisin Hanrahan and Umang Dua found Handybook in Boston, later rebranded as Handy, connecting cleaners and handymen with homeowners.
FUNDING
Raises $50M Series C led by General Atlantic; reaches $1B annualized GMV claim; expands to UK and Canada.
PIVOT
Launches B2B white-label partnerships with Walmart, Lowe's and other retailers to attach service booking to product purchases.
SHUTDOWN
Consumer marketplace effectively wound down; assets and operations absorbed into ANGI Homeservices, ending Handy as independent entity.