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Mayvenn operates an e-commerce platform providing 100% virgin human hair extensions directly to consumers. It empowers independent hairstylists and salons to retail these products to clients without upfront inventory. This model integrates stylists into the beauty supply chain, enhancing their business and ensuring clients receive premium products from trusted professionals.
Founded by Diishan Imira, Mayvenn originated from his observation that his community consumed beauty products without owning the supply chain. This insight, born from personally distributing hair, fueled Mayvenn's creation. Imira sought to foster economic empowerment by creating direct retail avenues for stylists, recirculating value within the beauty community.
Mayvenn serves individual hair extension consumers and the network of hairstylists and salons using its retail platform. The company’s vision is to empower women through their beauty journeys, building a more equitable beauty market. It aims to simplify the fragmented beauty sector, ensuring access to quality products and fostering economic participation for its community.
Mayvenn has raised $76.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Mayvenn has raised $76.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Mayvenn has raised $76.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Mayvenn's investors include Mingu Lee, Andreessen Horowitz, Intel Capital, The House Fund, Peter Sonsini, Ben Horowitz, Hillel Moerman, Richelieu Dennis, MaC Venture Capital, Dreamers VC, Shawn Modarresi, Serena Ventures.
Mayvenn is a U.S.-based beauty tech company headquartered in Oakland, California, operating as a managed marketplace that connects independent beauty professionals—primarily hairstylists—with clients for products and services.[1][2][3] It builds an e-commerce platform and services marketplace offering 100% virgin human hair extensions (e.g., Peruvian, Malaysian, Indian, Brazilian), custom wigs, ready-to-wear wigs, and salon bookings, serving hairstylists and their clients, especially in the Black community.[1][2][4] Mayvenn solves the fragmentation in the beauty industry by enabling stylists to sell products without inventory, recommend offerings, and book services digitally, while empowering Black-owned entrepreneurship; it has paid out over $35 million to 50,000+ stylists and generated $80 million in cumulative revenue since 2013, with $14.9 million in recent annual revenue.[1][3] Growth includes a $40 million Series C in 2022, partnerships like Walmart for omni-channel "Beauty Lounges," and positioning as the largest Black-owned, venture-backed beauty tech firm.[1][3]
Founded in 2013 by Diishan Imira in Oakland, California, Mayvenn emerged from Imira's personal observations of family hairstylists who lacked equity in the beauty supply chain despite community spending billions on products.[1][3][4] Starting humbly with a box of hair in his Toyota Corolla trunk, Imira aimed to let salons and stylists retail high-quality virgin hair directly, ensuring ownership and dignified shopping for customers of color.[4] Early traction built through a platform empowering stylists to sell without inventory burdens; pivotal moments include expanding into a full marketplace for services, paying out millions to pros (rising to $35 million by 2022), and securing venture backing from a16z and others amid COVID-19 relief efforts for stylists.[1][3] This evolved Mayvenn into a nationwide network of 50,000+ stylists and hundreds of thousands of customers.[3][4]
Mayvenn rides the explosion in beauty tech and e-commerce, where digital adoption, AI personalization, and direct-to-consumer models are transforming a $6.3 billion hair extensions market projected for rapid growth.[1][2] Timing aligns with post-COVID shifts to online sales, stylist independence, and omni-channel retail, amplified by consumer demand for inclusive, community-owned brands in a sector long dominated by non-diverse players.[1][3] Market forces like rising e-commerce (retail stores, supermarkets) and regional expansion (North America leading) favor its stylist-centric approach, influencing the ecosystem by injecting $35M+ into Black entrepreneurship, fostering tech-enabled equity, and setting precedents for managed marketplaces in niche verticals like haircare.[1][2][3]
Mayvenn is poised for scaled impact through Walmart expansions and AI-driven personalization, potentially dominating beauty tech for diverse pros amid a booming $6B+ extensions market.[2][3] Trends like omni-channel integration, global e-commerce growth (Asia-Pacific, LAMEA), and stylist gig-economy tools will propel revenue beyond $14.9M annually, with profitability hinging on operational efficiency.[1][2] Its influence may evolve by inspiring more inclusive platforms, deepening enterprise partnerships, and exporting the model internationally—reinforcing its origin as a trunk-sale spark into a nationwide empowerment engine.[1][3][4]
Mayvenn has raised $76.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $40.0M Series C in June 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2022 | $40.0M Series C | Mingu Lee | Andreessen Horowitz, Intel Capital, The House Fund, Peter Sonsini, Ben Horowitz, Hillel Moerman |
| Nov 1, 2018 | $23.0M Series B | Richelieu Dennis | MaC Venture Capital |
| Jun 1, 2015 | $10.0M Series A | Ben Horowitz | Andreessen Horowitz, Dreamers VC, Intel Capital, Shawn Modarresi, MaC Venture Capital, Serena Ventures, The House Fund, Jay Z, Peter Sonsini, Anjula Acharia-Bath, Jimmy Iovine, Serena Williams, Steve Stoute, 500 Startups, Core Innovation Capital, Impact America Fund, Trinity Ventures |
| Apr 1, 2013 | $3.0M Seed | Scout Ventures |
