Beauty-services marketplace BigStylist has raised $1 million in pre-Series A funding from Info Edge (India) Ltd, which runs a slew of internet properties such as Naukri, 99acres, Jeevansathi and Shiksha, among others.
BigStylist, run by Green Leaves Consumer Services Pvt Ltd, plans to offer its services in five more cities by March 2016 with the new capital. It recently launched its operations in Pune.
BigStylist allows customers to order beauty services at home by stylists and beauticians through its website, Android app, or a phone call.
The startup was founded three months back and claims to have serviced more than 3000 customers in Mumbai via its army of nearly 200 beauticians. It was founded by Richa Singh, Chinmaya Sharma and Anurag Srivastava, all of whom are IIT Kharagpur alumni. Singh and Sharma have previously worked with Oliver Wyman and Bain & Co., after their MBAs from IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore, respectively. Srivastava is the chief technology officer and has experience in building technology products.
"Just beauty and wellness services is a $5 billion industry in India, growing at 20 per cent year-on-year,†said Singh, co-founder, BigStylist. “The traditional model requires physical presence, so single brands have not been able to scale very fast. A technology platform like ours has a more efficient cost-structure and is better positioned to grow rapidly."
BigStylist has a hyperlocal technology platform that allows delivery of services within an hour as well.
"Traditionally this industry has stayed somewhat untouched by technology. We are weaving in technology to ensure smooth customer experience and sturdy growth trajectory," said Sharma.
Info Edge has earlier funded several startups such as Zomato , Policybazaar, Meritnation , Canvera and MyDala.
BigStylist will be competing with several startups including Chandigarh-based on-demand beauty and personal care services platform Bulbul, as well as VanityCube, the Delhi-based startup which promises to deliver beauty services at the customer's doorstep within 90 minutes.
In the on-demand beauty services space, Mumbai-based startup Belita Retail Pvt Ltd, had raised $375,000 (Rs 2.5 crore) in angel funding through LetsVenture and Lead Angels. Earlier this year, Yuvraj Singh-backed Vyomo had raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding led by TaxiForSure co-founder Aprameya Radhakrishna.