London, 2 April 2024 – JENA, a pioneering vertical SaaS platform for solopreneurs, announced today it has secured £1.2 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round.

JENA is an Operating System (OS) for solopreneurs: an integrated platform so they can run their business smoothly instead of piecing together disjointed tools. The company provides them a full tech-stack: website, AI-powered booking system, payments, CRM, marketing, and e-commerce in one app.

JENA stands apart by providing a powerful all-in-one ecosystem. At its core is a professional website with a unique URL seamlessly integrated with an advanced booking system and secure payment processing capabilities. 

Actively incorporating user feedback, JENA continuously adds new features. Coming soon is an AI-powered booking agent to automate scheduling, seamless Klarna payment integration, and Tap to Pay functionality, replacing the need for a card reader. This empowers solopreneurs to focus on delivering exceptional services, and manage their entire workflow from one app.

The financing was led by top-tier venture capital funds True and Gfund, and saw the participation of a distinguished group of angel investors including Rob Small (Founder of Miniclip), David Pritchard (Founder OpenTable Europe), Misha Gopaul (Founder Fatmap), David Szekely, George Graham (Founder Wolf & Badger), and the angel collective Ventures Together, among others.

JENA will use the new capital to accelerate product development and customer growth.

JENA was founded by serial entrepreneurs Jean-Michel Chalayer and Nabil Freeman, who built and exited LeSalon.com, a leading on-demand beauty service provider, to a US-listed company. Their proven track record of entrepreneurial success and deep industry insight positions JENA for a groundbreaking journey ahead.

“This funding validates our vision and will fuel our efforts to empower more solopreneurs to thrive on their own terms”

“We are thrilled to have the support of experienced partners like True and Gfund.”

Jean-Michel Chalayer, Co-Founder and CEO of JENA

Jean-Michel brings a wealth of experience in business and product development. As a former management consultant at Oliver Wyman and co-founder of LeSalon, Chalayer’s strategic vision has been pivotal in identifying and capitalising on this unique market opportunity.

“The overwhelming interest in our pre-seed round proves the market need for our streamlined tools. This enables us to double down on our cutting-edge technology and bring JENA’s innovative solutions to more customers globally.”

Co-founder and CTO Nabil Freeman

Nabil is a seasoned full-stack developer with over 15 years of experience, specialising in JavaScript, NodeJS, React, and React Native. Freeman’s entrepreneurial spirit has led him to found four businesses, including LeSalon, with three successful exits under his belt.

The rapid growth of solo entrepreneurs has created demand for vertical SaaS solutions tailored to their needs. JENA’s integrated platform helps them run their businesses smoothly without juggling multiple apps.

The solopreneur revolution is sweeping across industries, with the UK alone boasting a staggering 5 million independent professionals, over 400,000 of whom operate within the personal care sector. Most still use pen and paper to run their businesses. They need better tools that work together easily.

This is a huge $50 billion opportunity worldwide, with $3 billion just in the UK market.  With a deep understanding of user needs, JENA is poised to lead this digital transformation.

The oversubscription of JENA’s funding round underscores the market’s strong belief in the company’s vision and the foundational strength provided by its experienced and complementary founding team.

True and Gfund bring a wealth of experience and a strong network within the tech industry, poised to offer valuable guidance as JENA scales.

“We’re really excited to back Jean-Michel and Nabil’s vision of bringing vertical software to the independent service industry. They have already demonstrated clear demand from ‘solopreneurs’ wanting simple and intuitive tools to help manage and grow their businesses, so we’re looking forward to supporting the team as they bring Jena to market.”

Mike Martin, Director at True

About JENA

Founded in 2023 by serial entrepreneurs Jean-Michel Chalayer and Nabil Freeman, JENA is building the “Shopify for service professionals”, starting with personal care. The company is on a mission to empower solopreneurs to thrive on their own terms with radically simple business tools. This allows users to focus on service delivery versus tackling multiple systems.

JENA is an Operating System (OS) for solopreneurs: an integrated platform so solopreneurs can run their business smoothly instead of piecing together disjointed tools. As part of the offering, users receive a full tech-stack: website, AI-powered booking system, payments, CRM, marketing, and e-commerce in one app.

JENA is based in London, UK.

For more information, visit https://www.jena.so/

What people say about JENA

“I’m super impressed with JENA. It’s easy to upload all my own photos and information stuff, which now compliments the look of my Facebook and Instagram accounts. This makes me look more professional, and gives an excellent first impression of my business which is so important to regular and potential clients. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend JENA and give 5 stars.”

Gillian Hay – Matrix Nails

“It’s fantastic. It basically runs my business for me… I just have to turn up and do the nails! I would definitely recommend JENA. The support I get is so helpful.”

Hannah ODowd – Phenominail

“JENA really saved my skin. This is the first time I used a calendar app for my work and it was so easy, everything is specially made for therapists with their own business. Before I was actually writing my clients’ names in the Notes app on my phone!”

Melissa Barrett

About True

True is a consumer-focused investment and innovation advisory firm that is reimagining what good business looks like. True’s holistic approach to building and connecting consumer brands, encapsulates everyone in the industry from startups and growing brands, such as British cycling brand Ribble and Soulfresh as well as workplace mental health platform Unmind. 

From its early-stage VC fund, it focuses on Pre-Seed to Series A, investing up to £2m initially and reserving capital to re-invest in the most promising companies including JENA, Boy Smells, By Rotation, Haeckels and Maude. 

True is the future-focused partner for global corporates and household brands such as Marks & Spencer, 7-Eleven, and TJX, helping to navigate uncertainty and drive growth in a net zero world. True is investing from its third private equity fund, investing £10-100m of equity in the future of the retail and consumer industry.