ManiMe raised $6 million in venture capital funding led by Canaan Partners and Trinity Ventures.

WHO: CEO Jooyeon Song co-founded ManiMe with David Miró Llopis, the start-up’s COO. The duo met at Stanford University’s MBA program and spent two years developing ManiMe’s proprietary 3D technology. Using 3D imaging to create custom high-tech stick-on nails using gel sourced from Korea, ManiMe provides a customized, nontoxic manicure and pedicure delivered through a subscription service. They cost between $15 to $25 per set, depending on the complexity of the design, and last between 10 to 14 days.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “With salons closing and nail artists unable to see clients, COVID has pushed people to make new choices about their nails,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the funds.

DETAILS:

• The $6 million Series A round brings total investment in ManiMe to at least $8.6 million. Canaan Partners and Trinity Ventures led the round.
• ManiMe has seen monthly sales grow tenfold since the pandemic, according to co-founder and CEO Jooyeon Song, with more customers now purchasing additional products like cuticle oil pens to recreate a full nail care routine at home. About 40% of ManiMe’s customers repurchase.
• As the DIY trend has grown, the business started to sell hand-painted sets of press-on nails via sites like Etsy and Instagram and partnered with artists on a revenue split model for their designs.
• In July they launched a pedicure line bringing the ManiMe experience to consumers toes.
• ManiMe raised a $2.6 million seed round in 2019 led by Canaan Partners’ Maha Ibrahim, whose other early investments include The RealReal and luxury e-commerce site Cuyana, with participation from Trinity Ventures, Techstars, and NFX.