- Boulevard, a tech company that is transforming the way premium spas and salons do business, announced it raised $11 million in Series A funding led by Index Ventures
Boulevard — a tech company that is transforming the way premium spas and salons do business — announced it has raised $11 million in a Series A funding round led by Index Ventures with participation from Bonfire Ventures, Ludlow Ventures, BoxGroup, and Luma Launch. With this round of funding, Boulevard plans to grow its team across a variety of departments, including product, engineering, and business development.
Boulevard is considered the industry’s first comprehensive platform-as-a-service (PaaS) designed specifically for meeting the needs of salons, spas, and other appointment-based businesses. And after years of behind-the-counter and back-office research, Boulevard was built with an understanding of the industry day-to-day.
“The beauty services industry is growing at an unprecedented rate, but we found that the leading technology solutions are severely underserving business owners and falling short of consumer expectations,” said Boulevard CEO and co-founder Matt Danna. “Our mission is to provide technology that helps personal care businesses become more successful while improving the daily lives of their professionals and clients. Historically, salon and spa software has been made for transactions. But Boulevard was made for people.”
And Boulevard’s product streamlines processes such as booking and scheduling, inventory management, commissions, payroll, and payments while allowing businesses to provide a hyper-personalized experience for clients. The customized reporting and actionable insights help reduce costs, track performance, and maximize profits for its customers. And Boulevard’s white-glove support team provides seamless onboarding and migration along with 24/7 availability for ongoing needs.
“Competitors in the space have been trying to shoehorn a product that was built for yoga and pilates studios into the beauty industry, but the two have completely different needs,” added Damir Becirovic of Index Ventures. “Boulevard was built specifically for personal care businesses and is a high-tech solution for a high-touch market where no one else comes close.”
In the U.S. alone, consumers are spending over $200 billion per year on beauty services across 2.5 million establishments. And within this industry, 3.2 million professionals struggle with common pain points such as finding catered booking solutions, streamlining operations while maintaining a personal touch, and receiving personalized support for helping with new technologies. Boulevard directly addresses these struggles and it has been quickly adopted by hundreds of industry-leading companies
Some of the current partners include brands like Chris McMillan the Salon, Kelley Baker Brows, Matthew Morris Salon and Skincare, MèCHE Salon, SEV Laser, Spoke & Weal, and TONI&GUY.
Upon going live with Boulevard, partners have seen the following results within the first 90 days: 16% increase in services booked, 18% increase in retail revenue, 24% increase in gratuity from clients, 81% decrease in no-shows and late cancellations, 32% decrease in front desk hours, and 76% decrease in time spent on the phone
“Boulevard makes client interactions more personal by helping us understand guests, preferences, and nuances,” explained Zak Mascolo, CEO of TONI&GUY USA. “As a forerunner in the hairdressing industry, it’s important that the technology we use allows us to continue to provide the superior guest experience that our brand stands for. Boulevard enhances our personal touch through customization, helps deepen our client relationships, and empowers us to operate more efficiently.”
Within the past year, Boulevard processed over $100 million in customer payments and saw the total company headcount grow from 8 to over 50 full-time employees.
In conjunction with the Series A round of funding, Damir Becirovic of Index Ventures and Jim Andelman of Bonfire Ventures are both joining the Boulevard Board of Directors — which includes co-founders Matt Danna (CEO) and Sean Stavropoulos (CTO).
