In recent years, the number of applications for scheduling beauty and wellness appointments has grown significantly, yet competition remains fierce. Demonstrating this, Booksy, a prominent player in the field, has secured $70 million in a Series C funding round. Cat Rock Capital spearheaded the investment, with additional participation from Sprints Capital.

The investment round also attracted contributions from OpenOcean, Piton Capital, VNV Global, Enern, Kai Hansen, Zach Coelius, and Manta Ray Ventures, bringing the company’s total funding to $119 million. These funds will be allocated to strategic expansion throughout North America, diversification into new service categories, and the acquisition of businesses that complement Booksy’s existing offerings.

The Booksy application enables clients to easily schedule and pay for beauty services at nearby establishments. Businesses such as salons, nail studios, and barbershops can efficiently manage appointments, process payments, and maintain customer relationships through the Booksy Biz application. Furthermore, the platform facilitates the sale of additional products via Booksy E-Commerce, functioning as a marketplace where customers can find and book appointments with local beauty professionals.

Booksy was established by Polish entrepreneurs Stefan Batory (CEO) and Konrad Howard. According to the company, providing customers with the ability to select their preferred appointment times results in 38% of bookings occurring outside of regular business hours and a 20% increase in appointment frequency. The company was initially launched in 2014 and currently operates in the US (its primary market), the UK, Poland, Spain, Brazil, and South Africa, asserting its position as the leading beauty booking app in each of these countries, serving “13 million” users.

In a statement, Batory commented: “The beauty and wellness sector, like many others, experienced challenges during the pandemic. However, we are confident in its recovery, and we are pleased that our investors share our positive outlook. This new funding will allow us to extend our reach to more salons and service providers across the US and in all our operating regions, ultimately connecting them with a larger customer base.”

Alex Captain, founder and managing partner at Cat Rock Capital, stated: “We are thrilled to invest in Booksy as it develops into the foremost global software platform for the digitization of the beauty and wellness industry worldwide.”

Booksy has demonstrably excelled in international expansion, surpassing many of its competitors who typically focus on their domestic markets, such as Treatwell, Styleseat, Vagaro and Mindbody. The company is now positioned to leverage its resources to acquire other local businesses in the industry.

Booksy has already completed one acquisition, purchasing Lavito in 2018, and recently merged with Versum in December 2020, enabling its entry into the Mexican market.