The round was led by Forerunner Ventures with participation from Correlation Ventures. This brings Prose's total funding to $7 million, which includes capital from early investors including Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Maveron, ISAI and Red Sea Ventures.

Whether clients collaborate with their own hair stylists, or go directly to Prose, they benefit from hair professionals' expertise and algorithm-driven formulations for the most unique and essential hair care products. The Prose collection includes Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair Mask, which are freshly made-to-order in NYC.

The brand is founded by a team of former L'Oréal and Phyto executives with 40 years of combined experience in beauty, science and technology and includes CEO Arnaud Plas, R&D Advisor Catherine Taurin, CTO Nicolas Mussat and VP of Product Paul Michaux. Prose was created to fix diversion, in which mass-produced haircare systems labeling themselves as professional-grade are being sold everywhere from Amazon to Costco, bypassing professionals. This problem has plagued the salon industry for decades. Prose is not only an innovative, hyper-tailored hair care service for its customers, but also a reimagined retail solution for the new generation of independent stylists and salons.

The Prose experience begins with a holistic consultation that clients can take with their stylist or on their own on www.prosehair.com, assisted by a Prose professional, to assess scalp needs, hair goals, lifestyle habits and environmental exposure (pollution, UV, humidity, etc.). This guarantees only the most essential ingredients are bottled to effectively treat and nourish hair for long-term health. Each exclusive formulation also accounts for personal preferences, whether they are vegan, gluten or fragrance-free. Prose's in-house team of chemists and engineers have sourced 76 highly effective natural ingredients and developed a proprietary algorithm that evaluates 85 data points to create exclusive, custom-made formulas with more than 50 billion combinations.

Funds from the Series A will be used to continue building Prose's U.S. team of seasoned industry professionals with global expertise. Capital will also be used to amplify the brand's scientific research on utilizing artificial intelligence in its hair and scalp diagnostic process and further engineer its distribution platform as the service scales.

"With an experienced group of investor partners by our side, we're thrilled to be able to build Prose and offer a true and unique salon-quality experience," said Arnaud Plas, co-founder and CEO of Prose. "We're reinventing the way that stylists retail products by enabling them to co-create the unique hair care solutions that their clients need. With Prose, salons and stylists can now grow sustainable retail businesses with made-to-order products that can't be found elsewhere."

Prose is currently building a network of hair-obsessed stylists through its proprietary platform, and 1.2 million hairstylists in the U.S can now register on the brand's website, www.prosehair.com, and download the app (iPad only) to join the community. Stylists make a commission on the initial and repeat purchases from their clients.

"The team at Prose is in a unique position to unveil the discord between salons and manufacturers of traditional hair care brands." said Kirsten Green, founder and managing director of Forerunner Ventures. "Traditional professional quality products, which have been commoditized, can now regain their value through the power of custom-made. With a proven track record of excellence, Arnaud, Paul, Nicolas, and Catherine bring years of expertise to reinvent the U.S. market."

Prose's Shampoos and Conditioners cost $28-$38 each and Hair Masks $38-$58, depending on the ingredient combination. All formulas are cruelty-free, non-toxic and free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, phthalates and GMO. Ingredients can include pomegranate peel, sacha yushi oil, plant stem cells, hyaluronic acid, geranium and lemongrass essential oils, among others. For more information, please visit www.prosehair.com.

ABOUT PROSE

Prose offers fresh and custom-made hair care, combining expertise from a professional stylist (online or in-salon), clients' unique needs and the highest-quality ingredients to help clients achieve great hair. The Prose experience starts with a holistic consultation that is designed to understand clients' hair and scalp needs, goals, lifestyle habits and environmental exposure (pollution, UV, humidity, etc.) to guarantee only the most essential ingredients are bottled to effectively treat and nourish hair for long-term health. Each exclusive formulation accounts for personal preferences, whether they are vegan, gluten or fragrance-free, and is freshly made in NYC by a team of chemists.
For more information, please visit www.prosehair.com.