• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Manicube raises $5 million for in-office ‘beauty chores’

By
Erin Griffith
Erin Griffith
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erin Griffith
Erin Griffith
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 14, 2014, 7:07 PM ET
Manicube has 90 corporate clients in three cities.

FORTUNE — Certain industries are known for their over-the-top employee perks. Workers in the finance and tech sectors, for example, enjoy such benefits as unlimited vacations and free lunches. Now you can add one more perk to the list: “beauty chores.”

Manicube, a New York-based startup, offers manicures and pedicures to working women in their offices. This week the company raised $5 million from Bain Capital Ventures and F Cubed, bringing the total raised to $5.85 million.

Manicube is part of a rising class of startups offering software platforms for service industries. Call it the “Uber for X” category. Here are a few examples:

  • Homejoy connects consumers with house cleaners.
  • Handybook and HouseCall connect consumers with plumbers and handymen.
  • Houzz connects consumers with home renovation contractors.
  • Kitchensurfing connects consumers with private chefs.
  • Washio and FlyCleaners connect consumers with laundry services.
  • Dashlocker connects consumers with dry cleaners.
  • Washly connects consumers with car washing services.
  • Swifto and Fettch connect consumers with dog walkers.
  • BlackJet connected consumers with private jets (briefly).
  • Silvercar connects consumers with airport car rental services.
  • And of course, Uber connects them with black car services.

In the beauty and personal care sector, specifically, there’s Glamsquad, which offers in-home blowouts. And there’s Zeel, which connects consumers with massage therapists.

Manicube is the only one of its kind that’s going through corporate clients rather than marketing directly to consumers. Co-founder Katina Mountanos says the company chose to start that way because it’s a lean model. The offices can market Manicube’s services on its behalf, and it’s convenient for the nail technician to see a large group of clients all in one place.

MORE: Food startups are cookin’

The company got started after Mountanos and co-founder Liz Whitman noticed that the perks at their Wall Street employers were mostly male-focused: shoe shining, a barbershop, and suit tailoring. The senior-level men at these companies had started these services, but hadn’t considered what perks might be attractive to women. Getting one’s nails done has become part of a standard list of “beauty chores” carried out each week by many women. The nail salon industry netted $7.5 billion in revenue and is expected to grow to $10 billion in the next five years. Yet it’s entirely fragmented, dominated by local mom-and-pop shops with no national player.

So they launched Manicube in 2012 and quickly expanded from New York to Boston, racking up more than 90 corporate clients. The company now provides 5,000 manicures a month and is growing by 100% each month. Half of all of its clients get a manicure every two weeks; many of them get 50 manicures through Manicube each year. (They cost between $12 and $20 each.)

Manicube pitches itself to companies as a way to retain female employees by making their lives easier.

“We want to save these women an hour,” Mountanos says. “Knowing that women who work full-time have their household, their children, their spouse, their fitness, and their personal chores to handle, beauty chores can fall to the bottom of the list.”

Working women have a number of personal care and beauty routine items that they consider a part of their professional upkeep. In addition to geographic expansion, Manicube plans to experiment beyond manicures and pedicures into other beauty services.

About the Author
By Erin Griffith
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
PoliticsFood and drink
The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
By Catherina GioinoApril 10, 2026
1 hour ago
Three people sit behind a desk and look at the phone screen of the person in the middle.
Future of WorkConsulting
Meet ‘trendslop,’ the new, AI-fueled scourge of workplace consultants everywhere
By Sasha RogelbergApril 10, 2026
1 hour ago
How to get out of debt: 9 proven strategies that actually work
Personal Financedebt relief
How to get out of debt: 9 proven strategies that actually work
By Joseph HostetlerApril 10, 2026
3 hours ago
Alpha Brain Review
HealthDietary Supplements
Alpha Brain Review (2026): Expert Reviewed Nootropic
By Emily PharesApril 10, 2026
3 hours ago
Amazon is still paying Jeff Bezos an $80,000 yearly salary—but $1.6 million for travel and security
Big TechCEO salaries and executive compensation
Amazon is still paying Jeff Bezos an $80,000 yearly salary—but $1.6 million for travel and security
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 10, 2026
3 hours ago
A laptop screen shows World Liberty Financial's website
CryptoCryptocurrency
Trump-backed World Liberty Financial tokens hit all-time low on reports of insider loans
By Jack KubinecApril 10, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
Economy
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
AI
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
Investing
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
Innovation
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
15 hours ago
'I hate working 5 days': Zoom CEO says traditional work schedules are becoming obsolete—and predicts a 3-day workweek by 2031
Success
'I hate working 5 days': Zoom CEO says traditional work schedules are becoming obsolete—and predicts a 3-day workweek by 2031
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
Success
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.