• Kuwait-based SaaS-enabled marketplace for beauty services, Bookr, has raised a bridge round at an undisclosed amount from Plus VC.
• Founded in 2018 by Zaina Al Bader, Bookr is a one-stop digital solution that connects customers with multiple beauty services, such as hair salons, groomers, spas, and stylists.
• The new capital will be deployed to deepen Bookr’s capabilities, scale its marketing activities, enhance the customer experience, expand its team, and increase its regional footprints in the GCC.

Press release:

Bookr, a leading cloud-based SaaS-enabled marketplace that enables users to locate and book salons, spas, groomers, and stylists, announced today that the company has successfully raised an undisclosed bridge round from Plus VC, a leading venture capital firm investing in early-stage tech and tech-enabled startups in the MENA region and its diaspora.

Bookr is a one-stop digital solution for both salons and their customers. As bilingual (English and Arabic) SaaS software, Bookr provides a comprehensive, end-to-end solution enabling business owners and customers to digitise all aspects of their operations. It helps salons capture customers and leads, receive online payments to secure appointments, increase retail revenue, and manage sales. For the customer, Bookr helps discover offers, find availability, book online appointments in nearby salons, and order a range of beauty products. The comprehensive nature of the platform and the breadth of the solution have significantly contributed to the company’s rapid growth trajectory.

The newly raised capital will be deployed to deepen its propriety capabilities, scale its marketing activities, enhance the customer experience, expand its team, and increase its regional footprints in the GCC. This financing round comes after the company crossed several significant milestones in the past year.

Zaina Al Bader, co-founder and CEO of Bookr said, “We are proud to have raised this capital from Plus VC to further fuel our high-growth journey. The success of this funding round validates our business model, which demonstrates that Bookr is uniquely positioned in the beauty industry. With this backing and support, we are optimistic that we will be able to further scale our capabilities, launch new solutions, and make the network more robust, resilient, and efficient. We look forward to the exciting journey ahead together.”

“The success of the bridge round underscores the surging demand for technology solutions in the beauty and wellness sector. Since its launch, Bookr has revolutionised the way salons and spas operate, keeping up with the digital age. With a huge target market and the majority of the salons not digitised, our well-defined scaling strategy is poised for rapid growth, and we are excited about the opportunities ahead. As consumers continue to seek convenient and efficient ways to access salon services, Bookr stands at the forefront of this digital transformation, enabling salons to thrive in the evolving landscape.”

Bookr looked back on 2023 as an incredible year of achievements and unprecedented traction. The firm has successfully collaborated with more than 500 partners to date and booked more than 168K scheduled appointments, totaling a value of US$6.5 million in over 10 cities in the GCC region. In addition, leading brands in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have integrated Bookr into their SMS services and POS systems.

Commenting on the fundraising announcement, Hasan Haider, Managing Partner at Plus VC, said: “Bookr is uniquely positioned to demonstrate notable and sustained growth, and we are impressed by Zaina and the team’s remarkable achievements. The dedication and enthusiasm displayed by Bookr customers is a testament to the product’s excellence and the company’s position as the go-to platform in the industry. We are excited to add value and help the team as they strive to achieve their objectives and establish their position as market leaders in the beauty and wellness industry.”

“Bookr is committed to expanding its suite of solutions by creating more vertical software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings. Furthermore, building on its success in the salon sector, Bookr has plans to broaden its reach by catering to additional appointment-based service providers,” Zaina concluded.

Bookr app aims to deliver a streamlined approach to digitising several activities. The dashboard lists all items and services in both Arabic and English to accommodate all users, and it is available on Android and iOS smartphones. In July 2018, the company soft-launched in three countries in the GCC region, i.e., Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. In 2020, it launched its online beauty store. Since then, it has developed organically on a monthly basis with no marketing budget.