Fresha enters its next era with $80M in growth funding led by KKR, officially surpassing a $1 billion valuation and accelerating the future of AI-powered beauty and wellness technology.
The investment brings Fresha’s total capital raised to date to $285 million. Already profitable, Fresha will deploy the new funding to accelerate global expansion and fuel next-generation product and AI innovation.
Headquartered in London and founded in 2015 by William Zeqiri and Nick Miller, Fresha is one of the fastest-growing beauty and wellness platforms in the world, with leading market positions in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the GCC, and a rapidly growing presence across North America, Continental Europe, and South East Asia.
Fresha is used by over 130,000 beauty and wellness businesses globally across key verticals, including hair, beauty, barbering, nails, aesthetics, wellness, fitness, and spa. The platform facilitates more than 35 million appointments per month and over $15 billion in annual GMV, positioning Fresha as one of the largest and most scalable platforms in the global beauty and wellness economy.
Patrick Devine, Partner and member of KKR’s Tech Growth team, said: “Fresha has built a differentiated platform, combining software, financial services, and marketplace capabilities with embedded AI, in a way that is deeply integrated into daily operations of beauty and wellness businesses. We believe the company is well-positioned to continue scaling globally as demand grows for modern, vertical-specific technology solutions.”
Marta Szczerba, Director in KKR’s Tech Growth team, added: “We have followed William and the broader management team over the years, and have been highly impressed with the consistent performance they have been driving at Fresha. The team have been on the front foot in implementing AI in a way that drives meaningful business outcomes, and we are thrilled to be embarking with them on the next chapter of Fresha’s journey.”
William Zeqiri, Founder and CEO of Fresha, said: “Reaching unicorn status is a proud milestone, but more importantly, this investment is a strong testament to the trust our partners place in Fresha every day. KKR brings deep experience scaling category-defining technology companies, and their conviction in our vision gives us tremendous confidence as we enter this next chapter. With KKR’s support, we will be able to further accelerate our global expansion and invest heavily in AI to transform how beauty and wellness businesses operate worldwide.“
Nick Miller, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Fresha, said: “From day one, our obsession has been building software that beauty and wellness professionals genuinely love using. Every feature we ship is shaped by the people running these businesses — the salon owners, the stylists, the spa operators. This round reinforces what our customers have been telling us for years: Fresha delivers one of the most complete, intuitive, and valuable platforms in the industry. KKR’s investment gives us the resources to push that even further, particularly in AI, where we see enormous potential to remove operational friction and unlock new revenue for our partners.“
The investment follows more than a year of in-depth diligence by KKR, which included surveying over 1,000 beauty and wellness businesses across the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, the EU and Australia, conducting over 20 first- and third-party expert interviews with customers, former employees, and competitors, and engaging directly with leading industry operators globally. The research consistently ranked Fresha first across every major purchasing criterion measured, including software quality, ease of use, customer support, ease of setup, and marketplace strength, with an average rating of 8.1 out of 10 versus a competitor average of 6.7. Fresha also recorded the highest Net Promoter Scores in most markets, materially outperforming competitor averages, while delivering the strongest combination of product quality and value across the industry.