Many women in the United States are ordering beauty and styling services to their homes through mobile apps. They are using services of companies such as Glamsquad which was founded in 2014 for work presentations or formal lunches and dinners. Glamsquad is a household name which women with busy schedules are high disposable income are using on a regular basis. The services cost approximately $155 for a half an hour session. Alexandra Wilkis Wilson , the CEO of Glamsquad has been the co-founder of daily deals eCommerce site Gilt Groupe in the past. She left Gilt Groupe when she was persuaded by her classmate at Harvard, Jason Perri; co-founder and chairman at Glamsquad.
Glamsquad is present in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, with plans of expansion to 15 other cities in the next two years. The company is estimated to have gross sales of about $8 million in its first year. U.S. spas and salons, are a $40 billion industry, with 65% workforce who work on a freelance basis. Glamsquad has raised $9 million in two rounds in venture capital funding. The company is however not alone in offering at home beauty services,. Companies like Stylisted, Beautified and BeautyBooked and Vênsette. The company that got the ball rolling for these companies is Drybar which is $70 million in revenues. At home styling is not a new concept hairdressers, manicurists and masseuses have been offering such services in the past. It is easier to get venture funding from investors who are women in comparison to men, men as group don’t understand how much women spend on grooming thus underestimate the opportunity and prospects of such an investment, says Melody McCloskey founder of StyleSeat.