The Laundry Lady, a Sunshine Coast-based laundry service, has raised $1 million in seed funding after 13 years of bootstrapping to support its international expansion.
The funding round was led by Karl Jacoby, Brisbane investor and Techniche chair, with support from Brisbane Angels, AngelLoop, AI expert Dr. Catriona Wallace, and several local angel investors. The company also received backing from the Queensland government’s Female Founders Co-Investment Fund and Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant.
The Laundry Lady, founded in 2012 by Susan Toft, uses its AI-powered TimeBoss platform, which offers tools to help manage service businesses. The company now operates in Australia and New Zealand with more than 375 home-based contractors who provide pickup and delivery laundry services to homes, businesses, NDIS, and aged care customers through online bookings and payments.
Toft, the CEO, said the raise marks a pivotal moment in The Laundry Lady’s growth, with Canada and the UK seen as prime markets for disruption.
“Having built this business from the ground up over the past decade with no external capital, we’ve demonstrated both the demand for our service and the effectiveness of our business model,” she said.
“This funding will accelerate our technology development and support our expansion plans into Canada and the United Kingdom, where we see tremendous opportunity for our tech-enabled contractor model.”
The new funding will be used to upgrade the TimeBoss platform with mobile apps, AI tools, and advanced segmentation features, while also supporting the company’s international expansion.
Toft said the Female Founders Co-Investment Fund’s participation underscores the company’s alignment with growing support for women-led businesses in Australia’s startup ecosystem.
“We’ve built a business that not only provides an essential service to busy families and businesses but also creates flexible income opportunities predominantly for women,” she said.
“With this investment, we’re ready to take The Laundry Lady to the world stage, demonstrating that Australian female founders can build global businesses.”
Queensland science and innovation minister Andrew Powell said The Laundry Lady has transformed a traditional industry into a national leader.
“The Queensland Government’s support for The Laundry Lady shows how important our Female Founders Co-Investment Fund is to helping innovative businesses scale up their enterprises,” he said.
“It’s brilliant to see Queensland businesses like The Laundry Lady expand its footprint internationally, showcasing the strength of our local startups.”
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