Rozie: How We Got Started and Why Malta?
Choosing the Right Market and Building the Dream Team
It all started with a simple yet frustrating moment. My partner, Dan Dulbinsky, struggled to find a reliable cleaner. While apps like Uber, Bolt, and Wolt had revolutionized how we ordered meals, rides, and everyday services, the process of booking a cleaner still felt stuck in the past - endlessly scrolling through Facebook posts, making dozens of calls, and no reliable reviews to guide us. The question was clear: why wasn’t there an app that simplified hiring cleaners, connecting customers directly with trusted providers, just like Uber?
Dan shared this idea with me, and it resonated immediately. By that time, Dan had already begun initial work on the app. But we quickly realized the scale of our ambition required professional technical expertise, so we teamed up with our friend and skilled software engineer, Edgars Veigurs. Together, we dove deep into brainstorming, planning, and market research.
Our research highlighted Malta as the ideal launchpad for Rozie. Why Malta?
Tech-friendly: Malta is a European hub with a growing startup ecosystem, home to successful ventures like Revolut.
Cashless Payments: Wide acceptance of digital payments made it perfect for our app-based model.
English-speaking: Malta’s official language being English simplified communication.
High-demand market: Unlike the Baltics, cleaning services in Malta are considered regular household needs rather than luxuries.
Population Density: High population density meant effective word-of-mouth marketing - crucial for rapid growth.
Rozie’s name and friendly robotic mascot - symbolizing convenience, trustworthiness, and always-ready assistance - were Dan’s creative ideas, embodying exactly what we wanted Rozie to be: helpful, accessible, and friendly.
Building the Rozie app took us nearly two years of dedicated effort, assembling a talented team of frontend and backend developers, thanks to Edgars' vast experience. By September 2024, Dan and I traveled to Malta, finalizing partnerships and building our local team, including customer support, a Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), and account managers.
One critical area from the start has been ensuring quality. Cleaning isn't just about arriving - it's about consistently delivering outstanding service. This led us to establish face-to-face onboarding sessions for all our cleaning partners. These meetings allowed us to thoroughly evaluate backgrounds, verify experience, and confirm each partner's dedication to quality.
During our initial onboarding sessions, we discovered many individuals weren't suitable due to various reasons - language barriers, lack of professional experience, or simply misunderstanding Rozie’s goals. This rigorous approach paid off. Today, 90% of Rozie's customer feedback rates our cleaners five stars. A small percentage, around 5%, consists of consistently dissatisfied customers - a universal reality. The remaining neutral-to-negative feedback primarily revolves around punctuality, reflecting a broader local challenge in Malta (a topic deserving its own future discussion!).
Looking back, we have absolutely no regrets choosing Malta as our starting point. Rozie continues evolving monthly, informed by valuable feedback and growing experience, becoming significantly more refined than when we launched back in October 2024.
Thanks for joining us on this exciting journey!
Alex Tul
Rozie.app
Rosy’s founders identified a problem in Malta’s service industry and seized the opportunity to create a technology-based solution. Their model has helped bring transparency and reliability to the local market.
After successfully operating in Malta, Rosie is now planning to enter the international market. It could be an inspiring example for service-based startups.