India, Sept. 4 -- Urban Company pioneered the home services model in the Indian startup ecosystem and completely changed the game.

It applied the food delivery aggregation idea to a far more fragmented problem: services at home. A plumber, electrician, cleaner or beautician no longer had to be someone the customer knew in the neighbourhood. The platform could find one, schedule the appointment and bring the service to the home. And it made it highly affordable for consumers who are unused to spending heavily on such repairs and services.

But there is an interesting question hiding behind that convenience: when a customer pays for a service through Urban Company, how much actually reaches the person doing the job, and how much does the p...