The Story of Urban Company Founder Abhiraj Singh Bhal
Abhiraj Singh Bhal: From Consultant to Visionary CEO
Entrepreneurship often begins with a dream, but it truly flourishes when vision meets resilience. The journey of Urban Company (formerly UrbanClap) is not just about building Asia’s largest home services marketplace; it is the story of three individuals who dared to reimagine an industry most had ignored. Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra, three young Indians from very different walks of life, came together to solve a problem millions faced daily: the chaotic, unorganised world of home services. Their personal journeys, filled with ambition, risk, and setbacks, ultimately converged into one of India’s most inspiring startup success stories. Here, we will know about Abhiraj Singh Bhal's journey.
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Abhiraj Singh Bhal's Education and Early Days
Abhiraj was born in Mumbai. He comes from a family of high achievers. His father, Commodore Ashok Bhal, is a retired naval officer who specialised in electrical engineering at IIT Roorkee before serving in the Indian Navy, focusing on weapon systems. He spent his early schooling years at the Navy Children’s School and later moved to Visakhapatnam. Gifted with an analytical mind. By the time he was 15 or 16, he had a goal to be at IIT. He pursued a B.Tech from IIT-Kanpur before securing an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, which placed him firmly on the path of corporate success. He also met Varun here, and they became good friends from day one.
Post-MBA, Abhiraj joined Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Singapore, advising Fortune 500 companies across India, Southeast Asia, and Germany. The work was rewarding, but his heart longed for something bigger, something he could build from scratch. After working for over three years at BCG, Abhiraj returned to India.
Between 2011 and 2013, Abhiraj frequently found himself engaged in deep conversations with Varun about the booming e-commerce industry in India. Both were fascinated by the wave of change it was bringing, but over time, these discussions began to stir a sense of frustration. “How long will we just talk? When will we actually build something of our own?” The question became unavoidable. Finally, the duo made the toughest decision of their lives, to quit their well-paying, comfortable jobs and take the uncertain road of entrepreneurship.
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For Abhiraj, the journey was especially tough, as he was the first entrepreneur in his family. They believed this phase might just be temporary and expected him to return to a more conventional career path eventually.
First Venture
Abhiraj’s first brush with entrepreneurship came with Cinema Box, a venture he co-founded with his IIT batchmate Varun Khaitan. The service allowed passengers to stream movies on smartphones via Wi-Fi during travel. Despite its novelty, the venture failed to take off. But in hindsight, this failure planted the seed of resilience that later powered Urban Company.
Second Venture: The birth of Urban Company
While reflecting on what to build next, he kept noticing how disorganised and unreliable the local home services market in India was. Customers struggled to find trustworthy professionals for basic needs, such as plumbing, beauty, or repairs, while skilled workers lacked a structured platform to find clients. Abhiraj and Varun discussed this gap extensively, and when they connected with Raghav Chandra (who was working on his own startup, Buggy.in), the three realised they were all circling the same pain point, the absence of a trusted, technology-driven marketplace for everyday services. That’s when they decided to channel his energy into solving this real-world problem rather than chasing niche ideas.
Their first experiment was simple: they personally reached out to professionals like beauticians and photographers, then connected them with friends and family through small Facebook ads (with just ₹4,000 spent initially). The positive response validated the idea, and soon UrbanClap was born as a one-stop solution for home services.
They finally started the brand UrbanClap in 2014. He often received calls as early as 4 a.m. to tackle pressing issues, but through it all, his wife stood firmly by his side, encouraging him and believing that he was meant to do something significant.
He later became the face of Urban Company, steering it through rounds of funding, expansion across continents, and ultimately rebranding in 2020 to reflect its global ambitions.
Abhiraj has earned several prestigious accolades, including being named in Fortune's 40 Under 40 and Fortune's 30 Under 30, as well as receiving the Entrepreneur Award at NTLF 2020.
Urban company Revenue
According to news articles, Urban Company reported revenue of Rs 1,144.5 crore in FY25, representing a 38% year-over-year growth. It turned profitable with a net profit of Rs 240 crore in FY25, aided by a deferred tax credit of Rs 211 crore. On a pre-tax basis, profits stood at Rs 28 crore.
Urban Company IPO
Urban Company has opened its ₹1,900 crore IPO, priced in the range of ₹98 to ₹103 per share. The issue consists of two parts: a fresh issue of 45.8 million equity shares valued at ₹472 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 138.6 million shares, amounting to ₹1,428 crore, where existing investors are offloading their stakes. The IPO Opening Date is September 9, 2025, and its Closing Date is September 12, 2025.
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