Online Booking Platform UALA, announced their new fund in the beauty booking platform Funkmartini, the Greek portal startupper reported. The investment is seen as a strategic step forward to their decision to expand their activities outside Greece and enlarge their services at the same time. The total fund, for now, is undisclosed.
“This development is crucial for Funkmartini”, said Gregory Stamatopoulos, Co-Founder & CEO, “the technology is now united under one platform and possibilities for the beauty business is more streamlined and integrated”.
In addition, as he added, through this association, Funkmartini expands directly to other wellness classes such as gymnastics, alternative therapies and slimming, and in that way expand its network of sales agents. As he announced, within few months the platform will be active in major cities such as Patras, Heraklion, Larissa, Volos and Ioannina.
Founded in 2013 in Milan, Italy, by Alessandro Bruzii, Enzo Li Volti, Luca Mattivi and Manuel Corona, UALA is the first network that collects the best hair-styling, beauty and beauty centers in one place, bringing the concept of self-care to a new level. This Italian company gives a complete booking system with client retention, marketing and online booking so venues have more time with clients. As announced by the company, UALA’s users get a web page which is managed by UALA thusly helping them with professional photos and best SEO and marketing promotion. Reportedly, everything is tracked with the possibility to create loyalty programs and promotions.
UALA itself is a company on the rise. Just in May this year, UALA acquired a majority stake in the Spanish and Portuguese startup-Bucmi, yet another booking platform for scheduling appointments at beauty salons and wellness centers, from hairdressers to physical therapists.
Funkmartini on the other side is an online platform founded in October 2013 by Gregory Stamatopoulos, Co-Founder & CEO, Alexia Kotsi Co-Founder & CMO, and Christodoulos Papachristou, Co-Founder & CFO. The startup is initially founded with their own capital aiming at creating the first electronic platform search and beauty services booking. However, the self-funding was only at the beginning, as the company has raised more than 1 million euros over the last three years.
As startupper reported, in November 2014 Apostolos Apostolakis, Partner of Venture Friends and Philippe Brinkman, CEO of Tripsta SA, invested in Funkmartini. In February 2016, the company raised another investment round from Venture Friends and other private investors to further develop their technology and to immediately expand in Greece and abroad.
What makes this company unique, is that is the first cloud platform in Greece based on an integrated business management system providing features such as calendar, appointment, clientele, employee management, SMS & Email Marketing campaigns, complete business reports and the unique opportunity for online viewing of the company through the most comprehensive beauty guide in the country.
According to the company data, in September 2016, Funkmartini reached 50,000 complete appointments and more than 40,000 active users.