Makeup & Beauty Learning Platform Airblack raises $5.2 million led by Edge Ventures & Others
Airblack, a makeup and beauty learning platform, has raised $5.2 million in a Series A round led by Info Edge Ventures and Elevation Capital.
According to founder Videt Jaiswal, the funds will be used to accelerate the expansion of 'Beauty Club,' launch new 'clubs,' and invest in products, engineering, and brand.
Atelier Ventures, founded by Li Jin, a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz, also participated in the funding round. Elevation Capital led a $1.5 million seed funding round for the company in April 2019.
Airblack, founded in 2019 by Pulkit Pujara and Jaiswal, assists micro entrepreneurs and creators by providing access to DIT (do-it-together) courses taught by curated experts.
These courses are presented live in a workshop format by curated experts. Airblack Beauty Club's programmes, which start at INR 10000, are aimed at millions of women who have a passion for makeup and beauty and want to open a salon, launch a freelance service, or simply improve their makeup skills.
The company began by connecting travellers on a personal chat with other verified power travellers and influencers to exchange recommendations about their travel plans. After the pandemic halted the travel and hospitality industries, it shifted its focus to the beauty sector.
Since entering the beauty segment last year, the company claims that over 25,000 students have taken these courses in over 500 cities. The majority are women who have gone on to become freelancers, online creators, or home-salon owners.
“The Instagram and YouTube revolution has made people aware that there are hundreds of ways to earn a livelihood. Traditional edtech is just the tip of the iceberg and has been limited to a few skills,” said Jaiswal, who is also CEO at Airblack. “We foresee 100 million-plus people becoming digital creators and freelancers in India in the next five years. At Airblack, we are fuelling this economy by empowering people to learn a practical skill in a fraction of time and cost of traditional education and launch their livelihoods on the internet.”
The funding provides the company with 18-24 months of runway as it aims to grow its revenues 10x in the next 12 months.
“The future of work is going to look very different for millennials and Gen Z. A perfect storm of new aspirations, a decline of old career choices, and new opportunities are brewing,” said Vaas Bhaskar, vice president, Elevation Capital. “India is already home to the second-largest freelancer community in the world, and Covid has only accelerated this trend.”
Every month, Airblack holds over 45,000 hours of live classes, which are supplemented by take-home assignments.
Kitty Aggarwal, the partner at Info Edge Ventures, said, “Globally, people are increasingly becoming keen to stay independent and follow their passion, and it’s heartening to see Airblack empowering and skilling thousands of entrepreneurs and freelancers, mainly women...”
According to founder Videt Jaiswal, the funds will be used to accelerate the expansion of 'Beauty Club,' launch new 'clubs,' and invest in products, engineering, and brand.
Atelier Ventures, founded by Li Jin, a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz, also participated in the funding round. Elevation Capital led a $1.5 million seed funding round for the company in April 2019.
Airblack, founded in 2019 by Pulkit Pujara and Jaiswal, assists micro entrepreneurs and creators by providing access to DIT (do-it-together) courses taught by curated experts.
These courses are presented live in a workshop format by curated experts. Airblack Beauty Club's programmes, which start at INR 10000, are aimed at millions of women who have a passion for makeup and beauty and want to open a salon, launch a freelance service, or simply improve their makeup skills.
The company began by connecting travellers on a personal chat with other verified power travellers and influencers to exchange recommendations about their travel plans. After the pandemic halted the travel and hospitality industries, it shifted its focus to the beauty sector.
Since entering the beauty segment last year, the company claims that over 25,000 students have taken these courses in over 500 cities. The majority are women who have gone on to become freelancers, online creators, or home-salon owners.
“The Instagram and YouTube revolution has made people aware that there are hundreds of ways to earn a livelihood. Traditional edtech is just the tip of the iceberg and has been limited to a few skills,” said Jaiswal, who is also CEO at Airblack. “We foresee 100 million-plus people becoming digital creators and freelancers in India in the next five years. At Airblack, we are fuelling this economy by empowering people to learn a practical skill in a fraction of time and cost of traditional education and launch their livelihoods on the internet.”
The funding provides the company with 18-24 months of runway as it aims to grow its revenues 10x in the next 12 months.
“The future of work is going to look very different for millennials and Gen Z. A perfect storm of new aspirations, a decline of old career choices, and new opportunities are brewing,” said Vaas Bhaskar, vice president, Elevation Capital. “India is already home to the second-largest freelancer community in the world, and Covid has only accelerated this trend.”
Every month, Airblack holds over 45,000 hours of live classes, which are supplemented by take-home assignments.
Kitty Aggarwal, the partner at Info Edge Ventures, said, “Globally, people are increasingly becoming keen to stay independent and follow their passion, and it’s heartening to see Airblack empowering and skilling thousands of entrepreneurs and freelancers, mainly women...”
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