Published : 9 years ago, on 08/06/2016

• blow LTD raises another £1m+ to start the roll out of beauty on demand services
• Secures direct investment of £500K from Unilever Ventures, the venture capital arm of Unilever
• In addition, over 200 investors, including the founder of ASOS, have also backed the “Uber for Beauty” campaign through investment on the Seedrs platform
• blow LTD fundraising great example of how businesses can pair direct VC investment with commitments from angels and the crowd, blending institutional fundraising, marketing & advocacy

blow LTD, London’s leading beauty services on demand provider, today announces that Unilever Ventures has invested £500,000 alongside an angel and Crowdfunding campaign on the Seedrs platform. The total investment into blow LTD now exceeds the £1 million mark.

Unilever Ventures is the venture capital and private equity arm of Unilever, which invests in young, promising companies in the personal care and digital sectors. It looks to invest in outstanding management teams and innovative business models that have the potential to reshape the industry it operates in. The £500K investment in Blow Ltd marks their eighth investment from their third fund.

In addition, Blow has attracted other notable investors on the equity crowdfunding round with Seedrs including Nick Robertson, founder and ex-CEO of ASOS. In total over 200 people have invested in the campaign to date.

Launched by co-founders Dharmash Mistry (Venture Capitalist & Entrepreneur) and Fiona McIntosh (former Editor-in-Chief of Grazia and Elle) in November 2013, blow LTD is London’s leading beauty on demand platform for customers, professional stylists, makeup artists and nail technicians.

blow LTD (“Uber for beauty”) provides expert blow-dries, makeup and nails to customers’ doors (whether home, office, hotel or event) in London’s Zones 1,2 & 3, or in one of blow LTD’s flagship beauty bars in Covent Garden and Canary Wharf.

With a unique multi-channel model (including physical store “hubs” and on-demand services across London), customers can book and rate professionals via mobile apps or online. Qualified stylists & beauty professionals self-manage availability & accept nearby jobs via professional apps (iOS & Android).

blow LTD has to date completed 70,000+ services, with over 90% customer satisfaction. In addition, blow LTD offers a range of over 1000+ beauty products, available to purchase in store, online or via the apps.

Stephen Willson, Investment Director at Unilever Ventures, said: “blow LTD is a leading player in Beauty Services on Demand in Europe, with a unique multi-channel model, comprehensive operational processes focused on quality of service delivery and innovative two-way marketplace technology. Dharmash and Fiona are reinventing the service experience and ultimately creating a new route for product distribution. We are excited to partner with them and provide access to Unilever’s assets, ecosystem and expertise.”

Blow LTD’s Co-Founders Dharmash Mistry and Fiona McIntosh, said: “We are delighted to bring on board the Unilever Ventures team to help us scale our vision for beauty services on demand and create the next distribution channel for products in the UK and beyond. In parallel, the success of our equity crowdfunding experiment means we embark on the next stage of the blow LTD journey with nearly 200 new brand ambassadors. Thank you to Jeff and the Seedrs team, who have been great to explore and test new ideas with.”

Jeff Lynn, Co-Founder and CEO at Seedrs, commented: “blow LTD’s is a wonderful example of what Seedrs is all about: combining investment from venture capitalists, angels and the crowd to disrupt a larger fragmented market. I am thrilled to see Unilever Ventures joining this round, together with nearly 200 “crowd” investors – a great base of supporters and advocates going forward.”