Announcing 1517 Fund Investment: Upkeep

We're thrilled to be supporting Tiffany Faith Demers in her building Upkeep. Upkeep is a vertical SaaS solution for MedSpas to help them better book, organize, and solicit clients for a variety of services. Like Opentable for restaurants, Upkeep also works as a platform for consumers to connect with MedSpas in their areas for everything from laser hair removal to lip filler to botox injections and more complex consultations.

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We originally supported Tiffany with one of our smaller angel checks while she was in the earliest stages of her company. When we write a check for a team at this stage, we take a bet on the founder, her ability to understand and navigate a market well, and what we believe will be her ability to build out a competent team. Since making that bet, we've been pleased to see Tiffany build out her team from herself and a group of outsourced engineers to now include a skilled a competent product manager, several skilled developers, and a network of MedSpa using the early version of the product.

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Vertical SaaS generally has been an approach our portfolio companies have successfully targeted. Collecting a disparate group of SMBs or even networked franchises and affiliated businesses, getting them to use a software through a core product offering, and then building around a consumer element on top of that presents a strong opportunity to founders with a grasp of niche markets.

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MedSpas pose an intriguing question to us, as they're a growing market with increased social acceptability due to the intersection of a few strong social forces like the rise of celebrity influencers, video social media focusing on products around MedSpas, and the acceptance of mobile-first solutions for both consumers and operators in similar markets. Tiffany knows her market well and shows an impressive ability to manage and build a team. We're thrilled to support her now and going forward.

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Upkeep is live and taking books in the Los Angeles area and launching very shortly in the Miami and Austin areas. You can request concierge bookings at the Upkeep website.

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The full Upkeep app experience will be available soon in the following markets:

• Austin
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New York
• Dallas
• Houston
• Others TBA

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You can sign up to get the app at the Upkeep website.

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If you or a founder you know would like to chat with us about investment, please get in touch using the "Get in Touch" button above!