After starting as a sustainable home car wash company and also expanding into home and hospitality cleaning, the Catalan startup Plazy has ventured into the nautical sector, putting its steam washing systems at the service of boats, which only requires about one and a half liters of water, compared to the 300 liters it takes to wash a boat with usual methods. Coinciding with the America's Cup and taking advantage of the traction it is exerting on the blue economy, the company is boosting this new division.
The startup, founded four years ago by Davide Brea, prioritizes sustainability with its steam cleaning methods, which it complements with specialized and mostly biodegradable products if a stain unexpectedly resists pressurized steam. "The temperature and pressure of the steam allow for disinfection without using chemicals, and also more easily dislodge dirt than traditional methods," Brea highlights.
On boats, this factor becomes more important: "For the dirt on a boat, like a sailboat, to disappear, you have to use a lot of water and products that cause the rigging to diminish its capacity; with steam, it's much faster and it's practically dry instantly," emphasizes the startup's CEO. To grow in this area, Plazy is in negotiations with various marinas, located for now mainly on the Catalan coast: "What we want is to reach agreements to become the cleaning service for ports."
This objective is part of the company's expansion strategy, which is extending its home services to various cities nationwide, although focusing mainly on the vehicle and home divisions. The expansion process, boosted this very 2024, has so far included the opening of a dozen points this year: "The idea is to cover the main cities of Spain before the end of 2024." Much of its growth is driven by annual agreements with companies and other entities, ranging from dealerships to police forces, which maintain their vehicle fleet clean through Plazy's system.
The company, which currently has a staff of 20 workers, has its origin in a parking lot abroad. And it is that Brea, who four years ago directed the digital business department of a pharmaceutical multinational, had already set out to undertake then, but lacked the idea. It came to him after contracting a steam cleaning service in a parking lot during one of his many business trips. "When they handed me the clean car, I saw clearly that this was what I wanted to do." Since then, the launch of the company has required close to 500,000 euros, attracted with investment rounds and with aid from entities such as the public Enisa. To this half a million euros are added another 400,000 euros from a recently closed round.
Brea's forecast is that the company will reach the break-even point this year or next, given growing and variable billing depending on clients. "Last year we were around 5,000 euros monthly, and now we are around 20,000," says Brea. However, he emphasizes that his model of seeking agreements with companies for the cleaning of their fleets can quickly expand the figures: "Next month could be completely different: if we close agreements with large companies, we can easily double billing."