For first-time founder Shannon Erley, beauty-tech startup Pomp brought together a mix of her professional experience with a gap she saw in the market.
With a general frustration from people over their skincare regimen, she sought to create a virtual platform to provide expert consultations.
What she didn’t realize when she first began developing the product a few years ago, was that a global pandemic would put an increased focus on the virtual world she was tapping into.
Riding that wave of interest and taking advantage of a well-timed pivot, Erley and Pomp announced that they have raised an oversubscribed $1.5 million seed funding round.
Pomp closed its seed funding on April 15 led by FirstMile Ventures, with follow-on participation from Kickstart Ventures, SpringTime Ventures, GAN Ventures, Service Provider Capital.
Despite the early traction Pomp was seeing from its customers, Erley said the fundraising process was an arduous one.
“I took 165 meetings before we got our lead,” she told Colorado Inno.
Pomp originally launched in 2020 as a direct-to-consumer skincare platform that leveraged licensed estheticians to offer unique product recommendations. While it still offers that service, Erley said its new product, Pomp Professional, has become a difference-maker for the early-stage startup.
Pomp Professional was launched to help working estheticians connect more with their customers. With the business-to-business platform, estheticians can consult virtually with their clients, complete orders and gain access to additional products.
“We are now going after estheticians who can utilize the platform for themselves and their clients and service their clients virtually,” Erley said. “We’re really tapping into a highly fragmented group of individuals.”
In addition to its platform, Pomp has a medical director that is able to offer beauty professionals access to certain products that they may not otherwise be able to give to clients.
Interest has been growing in Pomp’s product and the recent funding round will only accelerate the growth the company is experiencing.
“We could’ve done it ourselves, it just would’ve been a slower growth trajectory,” Erley said. “We know there’s a huge opportunity to jump on this now especially with the way estheticians are working, or not working, with their clients.”
Aside from the capital, Pomp has brought on Jessie Dixon, former co-founder and chief operating officer of Havenly, to join the board of directors.
For Erley, the pandemic helped to open consumers’ eyes to the potential of virtual health consultations. That has contributed to Pomp’s adoption, but she wants the startup to be known for more than just its ease of access.
“We want Pomp to be the number one destination for expert skincare advice,” she said, referencing the company’s growing roster of estheticians. “We want people to recognize that Pomp is the trusted source.”
