London cleaning startup Hassle has been acquired by German rival Helpling

Hassle, the London startup which connects customers with cleaners, has been acquired by rival cleaning company Helpling for €32 million, Tech.eu reports.

The startup is a well-known name in the London technology scene, and raised $6 million in 2014 from investors Accel Partners.

Now, the company has been acquired by one of its biggest rivals, Berlin-based Helpling. Tech.eu says it's an all-stock deal.

Helpling is a German startup that operates in a similar way to Hassle. Users sign up, and are then connected with pre-approved cleaners through the platform. The company only launched in 2014, but has already raised over $62 million in funding.

It looks like Helpling is following the business model favoured by its investor, German startup incubator Rocket Internet. The company quickly expanded to lots of different countries, focusing on building an international presence. Now, with the acquisition of Hassle, it gains a strong foothold in the UK. That's also a similar strategy to German delivery company Delivery Hero (which is also backed by Rocket Internet). It acquired London startup Hungryhouse in 2013 to enter the UK market.