PRESS: Nail e-service Shelly gets $1.2 mln from AltaIR, investors

MOSCOW, Mar 10 (PRIME) -- Shelly, a Moscow-oriented online service of ordering manicure and pedicure procedures at home, has raised U.S. $1.2 million investments from fund AltaIR of Igor Ryabenky and a group of private investors, business daily Kommersant reported Friday.

Shelly’s General Director Nikita Repeshko said the service, launched by founders of cleaning company Qlean at the end of 2015, received seed investments and is separating from the parent company. Repeshko is also Qlean’s co-founder.

Ryabenky said AltaIR has positive experience in this industry in Russia and other countries. The fund has already invested in similar services, like local GBooking, a service allowing clients to arrange visits to beauty parlors, and the U.S.’ Stylebee, allowing clients to get services at home and at work, and others.

Repeshko said the split of Shelly and Qlean results from “speeding up of the development process.”

“It turned out to be quite difficult to raise one startup inside the other. The main reason is a contradiction of priorities, a focus of the team, development resources and money. Shareholders understood that Shelly had huge prospects and it would be more effective to divide the businesses. It will enable us to make decisions faster, manage our own budget and quicker raise indicators and revenue,” he said.

According to corporate data, Shelly services 1,500 orders per month with turnover of 2.5 million rubles. It plans to raise the figure to 10 million rubles per month by July. The service will start working in St. Petersburg in 2017 and offer new options.

Repeshko estimated the whole Moscow’s beauty services market at some $2 billion, while the country’s market weighs some $7 billion, with the bulk being presented by nail services.

“Our main competitors are parlors within walking distance, including nail shops. There are also individually working masters, and we’d like to buy them over,” Shelly’s head said.

(58.8318 rubles – U.S. $1)

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