Fresha, a London-based AI-powered marketplace and business management platform for the beauty and wellness industry, is the latest UK firm to achieve unicorn status.
It follows the news that the firm has secured a £60m ($80m) primary growth investment from funds managed by KKR, valuing the company at over $1bn.
The investment marks a major milestone for Fresha, which began as a salon booking and scheduling tool in 2015 and has grown into one of the world’s largest beauty and wellness technology platforms, now used by more than 130,000 businesses globally.
Already profitable, Fresha has now raised $285m (£210m) to date and will use the new funding to accelerate international expansion, product development and AI innovation, as it continues its mission to transform how self-care businesses operate and grow.
Headquartered in London and founded in 2015 by William Zeqiri and Nick Miller, Fresha is one of the fastest-growing beauty and wellness platforms in the world.
Zeqiri, co-founder and CEO of Fresha, said: “Reaching unicorn status is a proud milestone, but more importantly, this investment is a strong testament to the trust our partners place in Fresha every day.
“KKR brings deep experience scaling category-defining technology companies, and their conviction in our vision gives us tremendous confidence as we enter this next chapter.
“With KKR’s support, we will be able to further accelerate our global expansion and invest heavily in AI to transform how beauty and wellness businesses operate worldwide.”
Miller, co-founder and chief product officer of Fresha, said: “From day one, our obsession has been building software that beauty and wellness professionals genuinely love using.
“Every feature we ship is shaped by the people running these businesses – the salon owners, the stylists, the spa operators.
“KKR’s investment gives us the resources to push that even further, particularly in AI, where we see enormous potential to remove operational friction and unlock new revenue for our partners.”
The company has leading market positions in the UK, Australasia, and the GCC, with a rapidly growing presence across North America, Continental Europe, and South East Asia.
Fresha is used by over 130,000 beauty and wellness businesses globally across key verticals including hair, beauty, barbering, nails, aesthetics, wellness, fitness, and spa.
The platform facilitates more than 35 million appointments per month and over $15bn in annual GMV, positioning Fresha as one of the largest and most scalable platforms in the global beauty and wellness economy.
Patrick Devine, partner and member of KKR’s tech growth team, said: “Fresha has built a differentiated platform, combining software, financial services, and marketplace capabilities with embedded AI, in a way that is deeply integrated into daily operations of beauty and wellness businesses.
“We believe the company is well positioned to continue scaling globally as demand grows for modern, vertical-specific technology solutions.”