Nailie

About Nailie

Nailie Inc., established on September 15, 2016, by CEO Kengo Asakura and COO Hiroki Asakura, operates a direct booking and payment application that connects consumers with beauty technicians. The founders' journey in the beauty industry began long before Nailie, with the establishment of the nail and eye salon "TRU NAIL & EYE" in 2007, which expanded to 30 stores across Japan. This hands-on experience within the salon industry provided them with deep insights into its challenges, particularly the issues facing individual technicians, which directly inspired the creation of Nailie.

The company's core product is the "Nailie Beauty" app, a C2C platform that allows users to discover and book appointments directly with nail artists, lash artists, and brow stylists based on their portfolios. This model shifts the focus from the salon to the individual technician, empowering them to build their personal brand and client base. The platform addresses a significant issue in the Japanese nail industry, where over 90% of businesses are individual owners who struggle with the high costs of traditional advertising and booking sites that favor larger, well-funded salons. By operating on a commission-based model instead of a fixed listing fee, Nailie provides a more accessible marketing channel for freelance and independent technicians. For users, the app offers a discovery-oriented experience with over 3 million design images, enabling them to find a technician whose style aligns with their preferences.

The application facilitates the entire client lifecycle, from discovery and booking to in-app messaging for consultations and secure, cashless payments, which also helps technicians mitigate losses from last-minute cancellations. Initially launched in 2018 focusing on nail artists, the service has since expanded to include eyelash and eyebrow services and, as of September 2025, is preparing to launch a hair booking function. The company has achieved significant traction, reporting over 3 million app downloads and more than 35,000 registered beauticians. Nailie has successfully raised a total of 1.32 billion JPY through multiple funding rounds, with investors including CyberAgent, SMBC Venture Capital, and POLA ORBIS CAPITAL.