£500k · Pre-Seed · Software · London, UK
London-based FlairMakers has raised a £500,000 pre-seed round led by SFC Capital, with angel investors and existing backers also participating. The company says the capital will fund product and technology development and expand its network of UK hospitality venues.
The administrative layer behind flexible staffing
FlairMakers connects hospitality businesses with vetted freelance professionals across operational, management and advisory roles. The platform says it handles training, compliance, contracts, payments and quality assurance, rather than stopping at introductions or shift listings.
That distinction matters commercially because a flexible workforce creates work on both sides of a booking. A venue needs confidence that a professional has the right identity, skills and compliance documents; the freelancer needs a clear contract and reliable payment. By carrying those processes in one system, FlairMakers is trying to make project-based staffing usable by larger hospitality operators rather than leaving it to informal referrals and messaging groups.
The company is live in the UK and Romania. Co-founder and chief executive Raluca Epureanu described the product as infrastructure for “portfolio careers” in hospitality, where one professional can combine shifts, teaching, consulting and interim work. Co-founder and CTO Alexis Sikorsky said adoption by hotel groups depends on solving identity, vetting, compliance, contracting and cross-border payments.
Density determines whether the model compounds
For a marketplace of this kind, software alone is not enough. Venues need suitable professionals available when and where demand appears, while freelancers need enough relevant engagements to make the platform worthwhile. Expanding the UK venue network can improve that matching density, but it also raises the burden of maintaining vetting and service quality across more bookings.
FlairMakers’ broader product could make each relationship more durable. Training and compliance records can travel with a professional between engagements, while contracts and payments give venues a consistent operating process. If the platform becomes the record of work rather than only the place where a shift is found, it can retain both sides through repeated transactions.
The execution test is whether FlairMakers can grow supply and venue demand together without weakening the checks that differentiate it from a simple jobs board. The funding gives the company more capacity to build that operational layer; the next proof point is repeat usage across its expanded venue network.
Sources checked:
FlairMakers · Soapbox · Raluca Epureanu / FlairMakers announcement · Tech.eu Funding Explorer
