Fresha banked €75.5M ($80m) in a funding round led by KKR. The investment values the London-based startup at more than €940M ($1bn), making it the newest unicorn in the UK technology ecosystem.
The company provides a subscription-free business management platform for beauty and wellness operators, including salons, spas, and barbershops. Its software handles appointment booking, point-of-sale payments, and automated marketing, while a consumer-facing marketplace allows users to discover and book local services. The platform currently supports over 130,000 businesses globally and processes $15bn in annual gross merchandise volume.
Founded in 2015, Fresha is already profitable and has raised a total of $285m to date. The management team plans to use the new capital to accelerate international expansion and further integrate AI-powered tools into its software suite. The company currently facilitates more than 35m appointments every month across markets in the UK, North America, and Australia.
As private equity firms increasingly move into earlier-stage tech growth rounds, Fresha’s graduation to unicorn status underscores the continued resilience of vertical software-as-a-service models that combine high-volume transaction processing with industry-specific workflows.
Originally reported by Sifted.