Bella, hailed as the first of its kind start-up in the beauty industry, has achieved a milestone by winning the prestigious Genesis start-up accelerator of the University of Sydney.
Launched in January this year, Bella is a social marketplace platform that helps women discover and book beauty services, whether it’s for hair, makeup, eyebrows, or eyelashes among other services, leveraging social proof and recommendations from friends to help them find local salons they can trust.
Founders Elysée Dubois and Kyana Chan state that Bella is aiming to revolutionise the beauty industry by empowering women to find salons they can trust, while also helping salons reach new customers who they would not have reached through traditional marketing channels or even the newer ones such as Google reviews and social media,
Aside from the $30,000 prize it received for winning the Genesis accelerator, Bella also joins the ranks of other notable start-ups who won the accelerator, some of whom have subsequently turned over significant revenue.
“Being recognised alongside such successful start-ups has been an incredible honour,” co-founder Elysée Dubois said. “It has reaffirmed our strong belief in Bella’s mission and has given us the opportunity to learn invaluable lessons from inspiring mentors and fellow start-up founders.”
In addition to the platform, Bella is also creating a community of women called Bella Girls where women can share honest thoughts about their beauty experiences.
“We want women to have all the information they need to make an informed decision at the tip of their fingers,” Co-founder Kyana Chan explained. “When women are spending an average of $431 on beauty appointments per month, information about the right salon for you shouldn’t be so hard to find.”
“Starting Bella has been an empowering experience,” Dubois added. “We hope to inspire other women to pursue their ambitions in entrepreneurship and to break barriers in their respective fields. Without a doubt, there needs to be more women in the start-up ecosystem here in Australia.”
