Hampr

About Hampr

Hampr operates a peer-to-peer, on-demand laundry service platform connecting customers with a network of local providers called "washrs." The company was founded in 2020 by Laurel Hess, who serves as the CEO. The inspiration for Hampr came directly from Hess's personal experience as a busy working parent struggling to manage household chores, specifically laundry. The idea crystallized when she found herself ordering groceries from her phone at her son's T-ball game and wished for a similar, convenient solution for laundry.

With a background in marketing, public relations, and as a small business owner, Hess applied her experience to solve a common pain point for families. After moving from Dallas to Louisiana and running a digital marketing agency, she identified the need for a flexible, at-home gig economy option, which became the foundation for the "washr" network. The company launched just two months before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020, facing the immediate loss of verbal investment commitments. Despite this early challenge, Hampr adapted and survived, even pivoting to deliver prescriptions for a local health system. Since its inception, the company has secured $11.1 million in funding over four rounds, including investments from firms like Techstars and Benson Capital Partners.

The service is facilitated through a mobile app available for iOS and Android, where users can schedule laundry pickups. Customers sign up for a membership, currently priced at $39 per year, and receive four proprietary, antimicrobial pop-up laundry baskets. Pricing is structured on a flat-rate per-basket basis, with one basket equating to one load. This model simplifies the process, avoiding the need to weigh laundry. Users can customize their service within the app, specifying detergents and wash/dry temperatures for each basket via a unique QR code system. A network of independent contractors, the "washrs," then picks up the laundry, washes, dries, and folds it in their own homes, and returns it to the customer within 24 hours. These washrs, who are background-checked, are often stay-at-home parents or retirees seeking flexible income.

Hampr primarily serves busy individuals and families, but in early 2024, it expanded its offerings to the commercial sector. This business-to-business vertical targets clients like short-term rentals, salons, and gyms that require laundry services without wanting to engage in long-term contracts. This expansion provides a more predictable revenue stream for the company. Hampr utilizes machine learning to analyze supply and demand, identifying optimal suburban markets for expansion where both customers and potential washrs are concentrated. As of early 2025, the platform has processed over 600,000 loads of laundry and operates in more than 16 states.