A Chicago startup that’s aiming to offer a nail salon experience that's more efficient, ethical and convenient just raised a seed round of funding to help it expand.
Ezza Nails announced Thursday that it raised $1.5 million in a funding round that included Chicago-based investor Matt McCall and GingerBread Capital, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture firm that invests in women-founded startups.
Founded in 2016 by Ale Breuer and Kim Marsh, two Teach for America and University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumnae, Ezza offers a nail salon experience different from what many are used to. Unlike most nail salons, Ezza offers membership models for the specific kinds of manicures or pedicures customers prefer. The startup also allows customers to book appointments and pay for services online, and choose their polish color ahead of time.
Additionally, Ezza says it “brings integrity to an exploitative industry” by empowering women on "both sides of the manicure table." The nail salon industry has a reputation for exploiting workers by forcing them to work in toxic conditions with very low pay. Ezza also uses non-toxic polishes and techniques.
"An investment in Ezza is a commitment to the education, training and empowerment of women," Breuer said in a statement. "Our concept is something our investors and guests are proud to support."
Ezza, which says it plans to raise a Series A round in 2020, currently just has one salon in Streeterville. But the company is opening a second location in May. The salon's name, Ezza, comes from the Italian word “essato,” which means exact.
In 2017, Ezza won $75,000 in the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business New Venture Challenge and participated in the Pritzker Summer Accelerator program.
"Ezza has created the SoulCycle of the industry," McCall said in a statement. "Ezza has infused a mission of female empowerment into its core brand and created a truly differentiated experience."
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story said that Pritzker Group Venture Capital invested in Ezza's funding round. It has been corrected to say that Matt McCall, who is a partner at Pritzker Group, invested personally.
