Notre Espace presse

Kinshasa, DRC - February 13, 2024: Zuri, the leading Black-owned Pan-African beauty company, is pleased to announce a first institutional tech investment from Launch Africa Ventures, the leading Pan-African early-stage fund.

This exciting move follows impressive growth fueled by a powerful vision and dedicated leadership.

Zuri designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of hair products, cosmetics and services, directly for the benefits of customers, as well as businesses, but also through a franchisee model. More recently, Zuri has also started to expand its offering for performance and inventory management systems for hair salons and stakeholders. Zuri is currently operating in Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda and is already expanding in France and Belgium - extending its mission from empowering black women in Africa to fostering empowerment globally.

In this context, Zuri stands poised to further revolutionize the industry, celebrating diversity, empowering women, and democratizing access to exceptional beauty experiences.

From Car Trunk to Market Leader: Zuri remarkable journey began in 2016 when Gisela Van Houcke, Zuri's visionary CEO, started selling hair extensions and beauty products from her father's car in Kinshasa. With sheer determination and strategic brilliance, she transformed Zuri into a pan-African tech-driven powerhouse with manufacturing and distribution capabilities:

  • +20,000 loyal customers
  • 60 passionate employees
  • +500,000 engaged social media followers
  • Multi-million dollar revenue

Achieving More with Less: Gisela's journey highlights the immense potential within the Black beauty market, fuelled by a young growing consumer base seeking for more authenticity and African feel.

"Investing in Zuri represents an attractive opportunity in the growing beautytech industry in Africa. As one of the top seed funds on the Continent, we are pleased to support Zuri’s geographical and product diversification, to streamline its technology strategy and to unlock new partnerships for them. Gisela's vision and execution are truly inspiring, and we are proud to continue to back underrepresented founders in underserved markets in Africa featuring robust business fundamentals" says Hannah Subayi Kamuanga, Partner at Launch Africa Ventures.

Technology Meets Tradition: Zuri goes beyond offering quality hair products. Zuri is also bringing cutting-edge technology to African hair salons and stakeholders, revolutionizing performance management, inventory tracking, customer relationships, data collection & analysis and overall service delivery. This data-driven approach will continue to ensure a seamless experience for the clients across all touchpoints, from social media interactions to in-hairbar treatments or online shopping.

"Zuri is more than just a beauty brand - it's a catalyst for empowerment, elegance confidence and technology," says Gisela Van Houcke. "Together, we are redefining beauty standards and creating a space where every woman can embrace her individuality and shine – in line with international standards. This funding round will enable us to expand our reach, continue to be tech-savvy, impact more lives, and become a truly global force."

Seeking Strategic Partners: Zuri welcomes additional strategic investors who share their vision of revolutionizing the Beauty landscape and empowering women entrepreneurs. Zuri ongoing Series A round aims to fuel expansion across Africa and Europe, solidify their market leadership, and continue to inspire and empower women worldwide.

About Zuri:

Zuri is a company with a mission to redefine beauty standards and empower women to embrace their individuality. We believe that beauty comes in all forms, and we celebrate the diversity of women around the world.

We offer a wide range of products and services that are designed to help women feel confident and beautiful in their own skin. From our high-quality cosmetics to our empowering workshops, we provide everything women need to look and feel their best.

We are committed to creating a more inclusive and diverse beauty industry. We believe that every woman deserves to feel beautiful, regardless of her race, ethnicity, age, or size.