Naomi Osaka backed Pressed Roots in a $3,100,000 funding round in 2024. Two years later, the textured-hair salon business has raised $6,000,000 in total funding and is preparing to open its first location outside Texas. The company, founded by Piersten Gaines, announced in October 2026 that its fifth corporate salon will open in Washington, D.C., in early December.The expansion comes after Pressed Roots grew from a series of pop-up salons into a business with four profitable locations in Texas. The company has also reported a rise in revenue and plans to expand through franchising. Osaka was among the investors who backed Gaines’ business, alongside Howard Schultz, Meg Whitman and venture capital firms.
Pressed Roots is opening its first salon outside Texas
Pressed Roots will open its fifth corporate location at 1325 5th Street NE in Washington, D.C. The salon is expected to welcome customers in early December 2026. It will be the company’s first location outside Texas and its first step into the East Coast market.Founder Piersten Gaines told AFROTECH that customers had been asking the company to enter other cities for some time. However, she wanted to make sure the business could maintain its service standards before moving beyond Texas.“People have been requesting us in different cities across the country since our inception,” Gaines told the publication. She also explained that the company wanted to perfect its operating model before expanding outside its home state.Washington, D.C., became the first choice after the company studied potential markets. Gaines said the location offered the right mix of available commercial spaces, population density, customers and growth opportunities. The company is also looking at opening more salons in the area over the next few years.The new location will offer the same services and customer experience as its existing salons. It will also have a dedicated training station where stylists can learn the company’s methods.The expansion is expected to increase Pressed Roots’ workforce by 50%. The company currently employs more than 100 people, and that figure could rise to around 150 after the Washington opening.
Naomi Osaka joined a $3,100,000 funding round in 2024
Osaka became one of the notable investors in Pressed Roots when Gaines raised $3,100,000 in funding. Fortune reported the round in March 2024, naming Osaka, former HP CEO Meg Whitman and Howard Schultz’s Schultz Family Foundation among the backers.Slauson & Co. and RevTech Ventures also participated in the funding. Gaines connected with several angel investors through Slauson & Co., according to the reports.The investment came after Pressed Roots had already shown that customers were willing to pay for its services. The company had recorded more than $2,000,000 in annual revenue in 2022. That figure increased to $3,500,000 in 2023, according to Inc.The funding helped the company continue building its salon business. However, there is no public figure for how much Osaka personally invested. Her ownership percentage has also not been disclosed. The $3,100,000 figure represents the funding raised by Pressed Roots from its group of investors, not Osaka’s individual contribution.The company has since secured more capital. Its October 2026 announcement put total funding at $6,000,000. The latest capital is supporting the Washington, D.C., opening and the company’s plans for further corporate and franchise expansion.
Piersten Gaines built the business after struggling to find the right salon
The idea behind Pressed Roots came from Gaines’ own experience. While studying at Harvard Business School, she found that blowout bars could offer customers a similar service and experience across different locations. But she struggled to find the same level of convenience at salons that could properly care for textured hair.Gaines wanted to build a business where customers would not have to depend on finding one particular stylist to get the service they needed. She began testing the idea through pop-up salons in 2018.The early events took place in Boston, Atlanta and Dallas. They gave Gaines a chance to see whether customers would book appointments at a salon that specialised in textured hair. The response helped her establish that there was demand for the service.Pressed Roots opened its first permanent salon in Dallas on May 14, 2020. The timing brought an immediate challenge. The salon closed two days later as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted businesses across the country. It reopened in May and had a waiting list, according to AFROTECH’s 2025 report.The company continued to grow despite the difficult start. Its business model focused on a specific service rather than trying to operate as a general salon. That gave Pressed Roots a clear customer base and allowed it to build its own approach to training and service.
The company has grown revenue and expanded its Texas locations
Pressed Roots had three locations when Fortune reported its $3,100,000 funding round in March 2024. The company later expanded into Houston, taking its business beyond the Dallas-Fort Worth area.By October 2025, the company had four locations, according to AFROTECH. The publication reported that Pressed Roots had reached $5,000,000 in annual revenue. The figure marked a considerable increase from the $2,000,000 reported for 2022 and $3,500,000 for 2023.The latest announcement gives another indication of its growth. Pressed Roots said its revenue had increased more than 20 times since its first permanent salon opened in Dallas in 2020. It also said all four of its existing Texas locations were profitable.The company is targeting 150,000 services by the end of 2026. It has also completed nearly 15,000 services, according to information shared with AFROTECH. These figures show the scale the business has reached as it prepares to enter another market.The company has also focused on keeping its services consistent across locations. That is important for a salon chain where customers expect the same standard of care even when they visit a different branch.
Pressed Roots uses its own training system for textured hair
The company’s main service is the silk blowout, which is designed for customers with textured hair. Its approach combines styling with hair-health care. Pressed Roots also offers trims, conditioning treatments and other services.Gaines has said that the business uses its own training methods to help stylists deliver a consistent experience. New team members learn the company’s approach before working with customers. The process covers hair care, styling techniques and the way clients are treated during their appointments.Technology also plays a role in the company’s operations. Gaines told AFROTECH that stylists receive weekly performance information, including average service time, customer feedback and additional retail sales. The company uses those figures to track performance across its salons.The aim is to complete appointments in under 120 minutes. Gaines said customers spend around 100 minutes at the salon on average. The Washington location will use the same operating model and include a training station for stylists.Pressed Roots also plans to grow through franchising. The company established its franchise programme in 2025 and confirmed that it has signed its first franchisee. The first franchised salon is expected to open in 2027.Gaines has said that franchising could create opportunities for stylists and other entrepreneurs who want to own a business. The company is now working to qualify more franchise candidates.In Osaka’s case, the investment remains one of her business interests outside tennis. Pressed Roots has moved from its early pop-up events to a growing salon chain with plans to enter new markets. Its latest expansion does not reveal the value of Osaka’s stake or any personal return from the investment. But the company’s growth since the 2024 funding round gives a fresh update on the business she backed.
