UK-based hair and beauty marketplace Wahanda has raised $26m in a round which featured RGIP, the venture capital division of human resources firm Recruit Holdings.
The round included involvement from Fidelity Growth Partners Europe, a venture capital division of financial services firm Fidelity Investments, and merchant bank Lepe Partners.
Wahanda enables customers to book appointments at over 6,000 spas and salons in the UK from a single place. The funding came as the company announced it has acquired its Germany-based equivalent beauty appointment-booking platform Salonmeister for an undisclosed amount.
The acquisition is part of Wahanda’s European expansion, and will involve the two companies eventually being integrated into a single platform
Lopo Champalimaud, chief executive of Wahanda, said: “Acquiring Salonmeister is the first step in our long-term plan to expand the business across Europe.
“The German hair and beauty marketplace is a vibrant and exciting one, and is enjoying similar growth opportunities to the UK.”
Wahanda has now received $33m in funding. The company raised $5.5m from FGPE in 2011 and $1.5m in a series A round in 2008 from Ambient Sound Investments.