Ruuby is the UK’s leading on-demand beauty services platform, delivering a treatment every four minutes. Established in 2016 this year marks an exciting expansion in the UK and into Switzerland following a successful fundraising round of over £2m, with £1.5m delivered through NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, which is managed by Praetura Ventures and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. This expansion marks a significant milestone in Ruuby’s mission to deliver top-tier beauty services across Europe.
Founded by Venetia Archer, Ruuby has revolutionized the beauty industry by offering a seamless and user-friendly platform for on-demand beauty services. Since its inception, Ruuby has delivered nearly 500,000 services across multiple categories, including hair, nails, massage, waxing, IV drips, and cosmetic injectables; with notable users including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Poppy Delevingne, Victoria Beckham, and Simon Cowell.
Venetia Archer, a Cambridge graduate, identified a gap in the market for at-home beauty service delivery. Her passion for beauty and technology led to the creation of Ruuby, which now boasts over 150,000 users and collaborates with over 3,000 expert professionals. The platform is renowned for its efficiency, delivering treatments within 90 minutes across the UK.
The funding will strengthen Ruuby’s UK presence by helping it to double down on its growth, including hiring and expanding its operations in Manchester and Liverpool where it already works with a number of luxury hotels. Ruuby will also use part of the funding to bolster sales in France and Switzerland.
The recent fundraiser comes on the heels of a 500 percent surge in sales post-COVID, demonstrating the robust demand for Ruuby’s services. The fundraiser will also aid ambitions to double the availability of providers and software, as well as build out Ruuby’s B2B offering.
Ruuby is committed to empowering beauty professionals through its Ruuby Academy, providing opportunities for career development and commercial enhancement. The platform supports an extensive hospitality portfolio, partnering with globally renowned hotels such as Claridge’s, The Savoy, The Rosewood, and Chiltern Firehouse.
Venetia Archer serves as an advisory board member of the British Beauty Council and actively invests in women in technology and beauty. Her leadership has propelled Ruuby to the forefront of the beauty industry, making it a trusted platform for both professionals and clients.
“In a world where you can request food to your door in minutes, or a car to pick you up in seconds, it seemed natural that beauty services should follow. Our expansion plans in the UK and Europe are a testament to the demand for high-quality, on-the-go beauty services, and we are excited to bring Ruuby’s unique offerings to more people and businesses,” says Venetia Archer, Founder and CEO of Ruuby
Louise Chapman, NPIF II fund principal at Praetura Ventures, says, “Ruuby is fast becoming a household name in beauty, and we have welcomed the opportunity to support an ambitious, female-founded business as it scales in the North West in Manchester, Liverpool, and further afield across the UK and Europe. This is a significant moment for Venetia and the team, and we can’t wait to work with Ruuby while it capitalizes on this unique opportunity within the beauty space.”
The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIFII) covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investments up to £5m to help a range of small and medium-sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.
Simon Cunnington, director at British Business Bank, says: “Ruuby is exactly the kind of business that the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is looking to spur on further in its growth journey. Equity investment is a powerful tool to expand a business, so we are excited to see this round enable the company to meet new business opportunities and help it expand to grow in the North West.”
The purpose of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunities for new and growing businesses across the North of England. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers to access to finance.
