barespace, a Dublin-based company providing an operating system for the hair and beauty sector, has successfully raised €2.9 million to facilitate its expansion into the UK and other European markets.

the seed funding will enable Barespace to accelerate its growth in the UK and launch in two additional European countries by 2026. This recent investment brings the total external funding received by the startup to €4.68 million.

Established in 2022 by Conor Moules and Glenn McGoldrick, Barespace currently serves 260 salons and barber shops in Ireland. The company’s mission is to create a seamless “true operating system” for salons, replacing various apps and manual processes. Barespace estimates that its system saves salons approximately 10 hours of manual work each week.

Both founders have experience in the beauty industry. Moules worked as an apprentice in a Dublin salon while also pursuing his interest in technology. McGoldrick started barbering at 16 and later expanded a men’s hairdressing brand across seven countries.

“Today, salons face a world of fragmented tools, unseen fees, and technology that distracts from what truly matters – creativity and connection,” said Moules. “At Barespace, we have reimagined the salon experience with one seamless, AI-driven system for bookings, payments, marketing and more. Salons deserve better and that’s exactly what we’re here to deliver.”

“This is a great example of a purpose built AI and mobile-first technology product developed by a founding team who have deep industry sector expertise at their core, truly understanding their customers and the challenges they face,” said Niall McEvoy, Head of Venture, at Elkstone who led the seed round.

Other investors include Dogpatch Labs, Enterprise Ireland, and angel investors like Barry Napier of Cubic Telecom, Rick Kelley, former MD of Meta Ireland, Patrick Walsh of Dogpatch Labs and Tom Kennedy of hostelworld. Irish venture capitalist and entrepreneur Brian Caulfield has joined the company as chair.

Barespace intends to use the funding to create new positions in engineering, sales, and customer success to support its expansion and to further develop its AI-driven Operating System.