Barespace secures €2.9M to revolutionize the beauty industry with a global data-driven operating system

The software company now has more than 260 salons across Ireland, UK, France and Spain.

Leading venture capitalist and entrepreneur Brian Caulfield joins as Chairperson as Barespace builds out UK perations and expands into additional European markets by 2026.

Barespace, the fast-growing software company transforming the beauty industry, today announced it has secured €2.9 million in seed funding, bringing total external investment to €4.68 million. Since launching in January 2022, Barespace has been embraced by more than 260 salons and barbershops, including Buff Day Spa, BoomBae and The Laser Club UK, spanning hair, barbering, spa and medical aesthetics. By replacing fragmented apps and manual processes with a unified, intuitive interface, Barespace empowers professionals to transform operations into effortless experiences that accelerate business growth.

The round was led by Elkstone Ventures, with participation from Dogpatch Labs, Enterprise Ireland, and notable angel investors including Barry Napier (CEO of Cubic Telecom), Rick Kelley (former MD of Meta Ireland), Patrick Walsh (CEO of Dogpatch Labs) and Tom Kennedy (co-founder of Hostelworld). The investment will support Barespace as it builds out UK operations and expands into two additional European markets by 2026.

Alongside the funding, Barespace plans to create new roles across engineering, sales, and customer success to support its growth, and to continue developing its AI-driven Operating System that unifies scheduling, payments, ERP, marketing, and analytics into a single platform purpose-built for the hair and beauty industry.

Barespace is changing the way salons and barbershops operate by combining scheduling, payments, resource planning, marketing, and analytics into one easy-to-use platform. Its AI-powered automations save salon owners about 10 hours of manual work each week. With built-in card payments and a point-of-sale system, Barespace cuts out third-party fees and makes managing cash flow simple. Unlike marketplaces that own client data, Barespace gives salons full ownership over their own data and direct access to client, transaction, and inventory information, offering complete transparency without hidden fees.

Barespace has also announced the appointment of Brian Caulfield, formerly of Molten Ventures, who joins as Chairman of the Board. Brian brings fintech and scale-up expertise to support Barespace’s continued growth and innovation.

Conor Moules Co-Founder and CEO of Barespace said: “Today, salons face a world of fragmented tools, unseen fees, and technology that distracts from what truly matters - creativity and connection. At Barespace, we have reimagined the salon experience with one seamless, AI-driven system for bookings, payments, marketing and more. No clutter. No surprises. Just a platform that works in harmony with the passion and skill behind every salon chair. Salons deserve better and that’s exactly what we’re here to deliver.”

Niall McEvoy, Head of Venture, at Elkstone who led the round added: “Barespace have developed a platform that can be truly disruptive and transformational in the salon owner space, enabling their customers to maximise revenue and margins, while maintaining focus on growing their core business. 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 in building successful businesses with happier and more engaged customers.”

Leo McAdams, Divisional Manager for Investment Solutions at Enterprise Ireland, said:“Barespace has demonstrated real innovation in developing an AI-driven platform that is transforming how salons and barbershops operate. Congratulations to the entire team on this latest funding round - Enterprise Ireland is proud to support their growth as they expand into new markets and continue to scale internationally.”

Patrick Walsh, founder and CEO of Dogpatch Labs, also commented: “What struck me about the Barespace founders is that they've come directly from the floor of the salon world; they know exactly what it's like to own and operate these businesses day-to-day. They've taken that lived experience and combined it with what's possible today in AI to create something entirely new. The combination of founder-market insights and cutting-edge technology is powerful. It means salon owners can spend less time on administration and more time doing what they love- serving their clients."

Salons have always found growth challenging. Most owners are creatives first and still spend a lot of their time behind the chair. Yet the software in this space has failed them with high fees and tools that don’t protect margins. Barespace uses AI to change that, rethinking growth tools and putting profits first, to help salons scale sustainably. Since launching in 2022, the software company has supported hundreds of salons and barbers in streamlining their operations. It’s an all-in-one platform that integrates front-desk, back-office, and mobile workflows into a single seamless system, eliminating the need for multiple disconnected tools. With built-in payment processing and point-of-sale functionality, salons can manage transactions efficiently without extra fees from third-party providers.
 
Barespace was born from the shared vision of Conor Moules and Glenn McGoldrick, two industry insiders who saw salons struggling under outdated systems and fragmented tools. Conor left school early, beginning his career as a teenage apprentice in a Dublin salon, where he gained firsthand insight into the challenges faced by beauty professionals. He later combined that experience with a passion for technology and growth. Glenn, an industry thought leader in the beauty space, began barbering at 16 and went on to spend over a decade scaling a major men’s hairdressing brand across seven countries. Along the way, he realised that existing salon software was not equipped to truly help salons grow sustainably, inspiring him to focus on building better solutions for the industry. Together, they set out to build the world’s first true Operating System for the beauty industry, a platform designed to restore control, drive innovation, and help every salon drive sustainable growth.

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About Barespace 

Barespace is the first true Operating System for the hair and beauty industry. Founded in 2022, the company unifies front‑desk, back‑office and mobile workflows into one data‑driven platform powered by AI forecasting, automated marketing campaigns and open APIs. Built for offline resilience, multi‑location deployments and multi‑currency transactions, Barespace delivers a scalable, secure foundation that empowers salons and beauty professionals to thrive.

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