Chinese O2O makeup-booking app raises $50M series C

As the lunar new year approaches, news out of China’s tech industry has (understandably) slowed. But apparently at least one tech CEO was so excited about his news that he didn’t want to wait for the year of the sheep to share it: Helijia founder Meng Xing has announced via WeChat that his company has raised a series C investment round worth US$50 million.

The round’s investors have not been publicized, although Meng says the round was led by a “first-rate” VC firm, and another top firm also participated in the round. IDG and CBC Capital, who participated in the company’s earlier funding rounds, also added to their stakes in this round. According to Meng, more than 50 percent of the company – which is valued at US$300 million – is now owned by its investors, although operational control still rests in Meng’s hands.

Helijia, which was founded in April of 2013, is a mobile O2O beauty service that provides bookings for various beauty-related services in first-tier Chinese cities. In the app, you can browse photos of local artisans’ handiwork in the realm of nails, eyelashes, and overall makeovers. If you like what you see, you can book an appointment with whoever did the work, all from within the app.

See: Beauty salons struggle to fill seats. Lookbooker lets consumers easily book them

Sina Tech reports that the app already has more than 2,000 artists available to work on your nails. It reportedly processes more than 4,000 orders a day, with the average order exceeding RMB 150 (US$24).

The company has just above 100 makeup experts signed up, so at the moment it’s a better app for getting your nails done than it is for other beauty services. But with US$50 million in new funding, Helijia certainly has the resources to expand. In addition to adding new makeup artists to its rolls, the company is likely also looking at expanding into new cities.

Helijia is available on iOS and Android.

(Source: Sina Tech)