Maasi launches on-demand nanny service in Bengaluru after 1,200-family beta

Maasi, a childcare platform that offers trained and background-verified nannies, launched publicly in Bengaluru on 22 October 2026. Parents can book a nanny for a single visit, starting at Rs 660, or take a monthly subscription, starting at Rs 15,660, according to the company. Before the launch, Maasi ran an invite-only trial in which it says it served 1,200 families, and it reports a waiting list of more than 5,000 parents. The founders, Gargi Pandey, Aashu Manchali and Reshov Roy, say they started the service because finding reliable childcare keeps many women from returning to work.

In many Indian families, childcare used to be shared across a joint household: grandparents, aunts and older relatives looked after young children while parents worked. As more young couples move to cities for jobs and live in nuclear families, that support has thinned. The name Maasi, the Hindi word for a mother's sister, is itself a nod to that older family role.

For working mothers, the gap is real. Government labour surveys consistently show that domestic duties and care work are among the main reasons women in India give for not being in the labour force. When a reliable caregiver is not available, it is usually the mother who reduces her hours or leaves her job. Services that make childcare easier to find and trust are therefore part of a wider conversation about how to raise the number of women in paid work, alongside crèches at workplaces, flexible hours and paternity leave.

Trust is the central issue. Parents hiring a nanny through word of mouth often have little way of checking a caregiver's background or training. Platforms like Maasi say they verify identity and background and provide training, which can reassure parents. At the same time, these services raise questions families should ask: what the background check covers, what training caregivers receive, how replacements work if a nanny is unavailable, and how caregivers themselves are paid and protected.

The prices also show the limits of such services. A monthly plan starting at Rs 15,660 is within reach for many dual-income professional families in a city like Bengaluru, but beyond most households. Affordable public and workplace childcare remains a policy question rather than one a start-up can solve alone.

Short-term: Bengaluru parents get another organised option for short-notice and regular childcare, which may help those returning to work after maternity leave.

Long-term: If such services scale and remain trustworthy, they could help more mothers stay in the workforce. Their growth will also draw attention to the working conditions and rights of caregivers, most of whom are women.

Who is affected: Working parents in Bengaluru, especially mothers, nannies and domestic caregivers, and employers trying to retain women after childbirth.

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