Burlington-based 10Beauty is developing what it says is the first fully-automated manicure robot.
The company started with the idea to bring intelligence and robotics to the beauty industry, an area its cofounder and co-CEO Alex Shashou says he thinks is ripe for innovation.
A lot of innovation in the beauty industry is related to products, but not how the consumer interacts with them, yet the service is the costlier aspect, he said.
“We asked, 'How can we bring intelligence to beauty services, and where to start?'” Shashou said.
The pie-in-the-sky idea was to create a blowdry machine, but it proved too complicated, he said. Since a manicure is more of a repetitive process, he said "it's a very good place for a robot to start."
Other manicure machines on the market don’t perform the full process, according to Shashou. Rather, they just paint nails, while the 10Beauty robot can remove polish, trim and file nails, cut cuticles, and apply polish and a topcoat.
“Nail painting is not a manicure. We are doing a full manicure,” Shashou said.
Shashou previously co-founded hotel technology application ALICE with fellow 10Beaty co-founder and co-CEO Justin Effron. Chris Casey is the third 10Beaty co-founder.
10Beauty has already sold out its first run of 1,000 machines, and brought in $13 million in manicure pod subscriptions revenue.
The firm recently closed a $17 million extension to its Series A led by Shine Capital. To date, it has raided $38 million in equity.
The precision robotics capabilities of the machines allows for more consistent, longer-lasting manicures, according to 10Beauty.
The startup is targeting customers who already pay to get their nails done, but want to have the service done at more convenient times and places. 10Beauty is looking to partner with businesses where the service isn’t now offered, like hair salons, gyms and hotels. Current enterprise retail partners include Nordstrom and Ulta Beauty.
The machines are only available for businesses to rent, not for in-home use. At 14 inches by 14 inches by 16 inches, they are a bit too large for home use anyway. The model charges partners about $100 a month for rental, with most signing multi-year agreements.
Consumers pay for pods that are inserted into the machine and include all the materials needed, rather than the service. Prices are comparable to a traditional manicure at between $25 to $35. No human intervention is needed throughout the process.
The company has 35 employees.
