Led · Equity · Jun 2019

Uala is a Milan-based booking platform for haircuts, manicures, pedicures and massages at salons across Italy. The company, founded in 2015, offers online booking and management tools to help salons optimize operations. Uala raised €15 million from Immobiliare.it to acquire a majority stake in French booking platform Balinea and to fund expansion in France. Uala previously invested €1.5 million in Balinea in 2018. Combined, Uala and Balinea now work with more than 9,000 active salons; Uala has over 6,000 salons and Balinea around 3,000 in France, with Balinea having recorded more than one million bookings to date. The firms will join their tech teams to improve user experience and aim to become the leading online hair and beauty booking service across France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2019

ProntoPro is a Milan-based online marketplace that helps people find artisans and professionals and compare proposals across more than 400 service categories. Founded in 2015 by Silvia Wang and Marco Ogliengo, the platform lists categories including designers, photographers, painters, nutritionists, event organizers, personal trainers, electricians, renovation professionals, language teachers and gardeners. ProntoPro claims it has over 1 million users in Italy, 350k registered professionals, a team of 100 and that its website attracts over 3 million visitors per month. The company raised €6m in funding, bringing total funding to €10m. It intends to use the proceeds to expand its business reach, accelerate European expansion following recent launches in Austria and Switzerland, and improve the functionalities of its technology platform. In conjunction with the new funding, Giovanni Ciserani, a former Procter & Gamble Group President, will join ProntoPro’s board of directors. ProntoPro is a Milan-based online marketplace that connects people in need of services with artisans, professional workers and small businesses. Founded in 2015, the platform lets users find and receive personalized offers from plumbers, photographers, construction workers, website developers, painters, electricians, music teachers, personal trainers, event organizers, fixture installers, energy certificators and others. It aggregates a wide range of service categories and enables users to compare and choose the best personalized quote. The company raised €3m in funding, with Immobiliare.it committing €1.5m and other unnamed investors participating. ProntoPro will use the funds to continue developing the platform and to expand operations nationwide. The company was co‑founded by Marco Ogliengo and Silvia Wang.