Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Royal recognition for graduates’ cleaning service
CityCleaner2U is a domestic cleaning platform which will connect customers to cleaners through a website or app. Avi Chinn, Tom Tracey and Adam Yousuf met while studying at Leeds Beckett for their BA (Hons) Business Studies degrees, graduating in July 2017.
The team is completed by partner Luke Smetham, whose specialist skills in coding are vital in building the company’s website and app. The team are building a database of cleaners and developing a user-friendly system for customers to book a cleaner within 60 seconds.
They collected their award from HRH The Duke of York at a special ceremony on Monday 9 July. The Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Awards 2018 were given to current students and recent graduates across the North of England who have established a successful business venture.
Avi explained: “I met Tom and Adam in our Project Management module at university and the friendship formed from there. We are a platform that connects customers and cleaners and we aim to allow a customer to book a cleaner in the space of 60 seconds, with the click of a finger.
“This has been a really exciting time for CityCleaner2U. We have been busy recruiting cleaners and are due to officially launch the website and app in the next few weeks. Having the chance to receive an award from HRH The Duke of York and talk to him about our plans for the business has been the icing on the cake.”
In May this year, CityCleaner2U won a Leeds Beckett Business Advantage Award, giving them £5,000 worth of legal support and mentoring from solicitors Lupton Fawcett and £1,000 worth of accountancy advice from WGN.
Tom said: “At university, the three of us worked together on a consultancy project and that’s what brought us together. It let us all appreciate each other’s abilities and see that we worked well together. The lecturers were also always very welcoming: they had conversations with you and recommended what direction to go in. That helped us a lot.”
The Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Awards were organised and hosted by the University of Huddersfield, where The Duke is Chancellor. Each university across the North of England was invited to select a student or graduate start-up business or social enterprise that demonstrated commercial or social impact, and that had potential for sustainability and growth.
Kirstie Frenneaux, University Business Centre and Sponsorship Manager at Leeds Beckett, said: “We were delighted to see CityCleaner2U receive their award which recognises the hard work, determination and tenacity shown by Avi, Luke, Adam and Tom in starting up their business straight after graduation. We are looking forward to the launch of the website and app and watching them progress their idea over the next few months.”