After the sale of their car rental startup Swipcar, Julio Ribes, Pablo Pascual and Blas Gil, along with some of the company's employees, decided to turn the wheel 180 degrees. The new management led them to found the chain of aesthetic medicine clinics specialized in skin care Holaglow, in February 2023. As an expert in this new business, the three partners hired Sonsoles Espí, who serves as medical director.
Currently, Holaglow has three clinics (one in Barcelona, one in Madrid and one in Valencia) and plans to open another four this year, according to Julio Ribes, who serves as executive director of the startup. The entire team is made up of around 30 people, many of them from Swipcar, who have been joined by medical professionals specialized in different disciplines.
Among the most popular treatments offered at Holaglow clinics, which are always part of non-invasive aesthetic medicine, those aimed at preventing expression wrinkles stand out, such as those located on the forehead, between the eyebrows and crow's feet. They also project fillers with hyaluronic acid in order to increase, profile or hydrate areas such as the lips, minimize the darkening or sagging of the dark circles area or enhance the cheek area with the projection of cheekbones, as well as rhinomodeling treatments or buttock augmentation, all without surgery. “We want to break down prejudices around aesthetic medicine and make taking care of your skin as common as going to the hairdresser,” says Ribes.
Another of Holaglow's goals is to launch its own brand of aesthetic dermatology products before the end of the year. To boost the launch of the brand, the opening of new clinics, as well as the digitalization of the company, the founding partners are closing a financing round of one million euros. This financial injection will be added to the 250,000 euros of initial investment made by the partners. Once established in the national territory, the new goal of the founders is to make their way outside of Spain in order to “become the reference for the new generation of aesthetic medicine clinics,” in the words of Ribes.
Based in Barcelona, Holaglow closed 2023 with a turnover of half a million euros. For the current financial year, the founders plan to reach four million euros and reach 45 employees thanks to the new clinic openings planned for this year.
