DomestikCo CEO Catalina Kawas Shares Vision for Domestic Work Management in Chile

DomestikCo, a Chilean tech startup launched in June 2024, is set to revolutionize domestic work management with its digital platform. Founded by CEO Catalina Kawas and co-founder Marcelo Meyer, the platform aims to address critical gaps in Chile’s domestic employment sector.

“Our mission is to foster formalization and enhance the well-being of workers by establishing high standards of quality and legal compliance throughout the region,” Kawas explained. Developed over 12 months from its inception in June 2023, DomestikCo provides a range of services, including personalized contract creation, automatic salary payments, and management of work-related events like permits and vacations, along with real-time support.

Kawas highlighted the platform’s security features, noting the use of Amazon Web Services, SSL encryption, and cloud-based storage to ensure secure and centralized data handling. With a team of eight, DomestikCo targets 4,000 users in its first year within Chile’s 1.2 million household market. The startup boasts a 40% conversion rate from free to paid users, indicating strong early engagement.

DomestikCo has made considerable progress in promoting labor formalization, with a notable impact on the domestic employment sector in Chile. Over 40% of the workers registered on the platform previously lacked formal contracts, indicating the platform's success in filling a critical gap and enhancing job security and legal compliance for domestic workers.

To attract and engage users, DomestikCo employs a diverse digital marketing strategy. The platform invests in targeted advertising on Meta (formerly Facebook) and Google, which helps raise awareness and drive conversions by reaching potential users who would benefit from its services. Alongside paid ads, DomestikCo engages in content marketing, producing valuable materials such as blog posts, articles, and videos to address common issues in domestic employment and highlight the platform's benefits.

Additionally, the platform prioritizes search engine optimization (SEO) to improve its online visibility. By optimizing its website and content for relevant keywords, DomestikCo aims to achieve higher rankings in search results, making it more accessible to those searching for related solutions. DomestikCo also hosts free webinars to provide detailed information about its features and engage directly with potential users. These webinars are designed to answer questions and showcase the platform’s value.

Through this comprehensive marketing approach, DomestikCo seeks to establish itself as a leading solution in the domestic employment sector, effectively capturing and retaining users.

Currently self-funded, DomestikCo plans to explore angel investors, competitive funding, and acceleration programs in the future. The platform simplifies the hiring process, allowing employers to complete it in under five minutes. It also features documentation tools to prevent disputes and offers access to specialist lawyers for fair resolution of conflicts. Kawas highlighted DomestikCo’s competitive advantage by noting that, unlike other solutions which necessitate the hiring of separate legal and financial professionals, DomestikCo consolidates these services into a single, user-friendly application. This integration simplifies the process for users, offering a comprehensive solution within one platform.

Despite facing initial challenges, such as resistance to new technology, DomestikCo has effectively addressed these issues. The company has overcome obstacles through targeted educational campaigns that help users understand the benefits of the platform, and by enhancing its customer service to support users in adapting to the new system.

Looking ahead, DomestikCo plans to significantly enhance its platform by integrating advanced payment systems, which will streamline and automate financial transactions between employers and domestic workers. Additionally, the company intends to introduce artificial intelligence tools designed to evaluate worker performance and job satisfaction, providing valuable insights for both parties. Automated legal assistance will also be a key development, simplifying compliance, contract management, and dispute resolution for users.

Ultimately, DomestikCo aspires to become the leading digital platform for domestic employment management across Latin America, aiming to set new industry standards and expand its influence throughout the region.