Tribus Urbaines - The hair salon that reconciles identity, excellence and inclusion

I’m Sylvie Makela, founder of Tribus Urbaines SA. For years, I searched for a place where my hair could be understood, respected, and celebrated. A place where I wouldn’t be pressured to straighten it, but instead be encouraged to love it as it naturally is. When I couldn’t find that place — I created it.

I grew up with thick, fine, kinky hair. And the feeling that my beauty didn’t fit any standard. In Europe, over 50% of people have curly, wavy, or kinky hair. Yet the hair industry is still overwhelmingly focused on straight textures. Appropriate products are rare, training is virtually non-existent, and expertise is limited — along with understanding.

As a result, many people default to using flat irons, wigs, or chemical treatments. Not by choice, but because they feel they have no other options. That cycle had to be broken. Tribus Urbaines was born from that need: a premium, professional, inclusive, and sustainable alternative. A chain of salons designed as spaces of empowerment — where natural hair is celebrated and everyone is invited to love themselves as they are.

Today, we operate four salons — the latest opened in Sion this May — with a team of 15, over 8,500 loyal clients, and more than 1 million CHF in annual revenue. All without institutional investment, driven solely by vision and purpose.

At Tribus Urbaines, we believe every curl, coil, and kink is a living work of art. Yet millions of people across Europe still don’t have access to a space where their hair is seen, understood, and honored.

We’ve decided to change that.

Our Ecosystem - A Global Solution for Textured Hair

Our Salons

Welcoming, professional spaces that respect the health and cultural significance of textured hair. No toxins, no one-size-fits-all — just knowledge, care, and celebration.

Our Products

Locally made, natural haircare products formulated specifically for curly, coily, and kinky (CCK) hair. Since 2024, we’ve launched two in-house lines. Products sale represents 30% of our revenue. Our goal is to reach 90,000 units sold annually by 2028..

Our Academy

No hair school in Switzerland provides serious training in textured haircare. Our planned academy (launching in 2026) will train 300 stylists annually in collaboration with private institutions — ensuring a pipeline of qualified talent for our salons and franchisees.

Tribus Urbaines is not just a salon — it’s a bold, sensory, ethical experience designed to celebrate hair diversity in a premium, eco-conscious setting.

A Natural, Organic, and Unstoppable Growth

Driven by strong unmet demand, our concept has quickly gained thousands of customers:

• +8,500 active customers in Western Switzerland
• 4 profitable salons in Lausanne, Lausanne Petit-Chêne, Geneva, and Sion
• An average basket of 150 CHF, above industry average
• Over 10,000 followers on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube
• Average rating: 4.8/5

Today, we're opening our salon doors to potential investors to accelerate the expansion of our model into major Swiss and European cities.

A Profitable, Differentiating, and Scalable Business Model

Our model is based on 3 strong pillars:

1. Exclusive expertise for natural textures (wavy, curly, kinky)
2. A holistic approach: hair care, identity support, overall well-being
3. A proven business model with high margins and recurring revenue (training, products, subscriptions)

2028 Goals:

• 5 company-owned salons, 9 franchises
• First inclusive salon network with high impact in Switzerland. Our franchisees invest 250,000 CHF to become part of our model, with returns in a market estimated at 24 billion for the CCK segment (curly, coily, kinky) by 2029.
• 9 Million CHF revenue, 2.6 Million CHF EBITDA
• 300 trained hairdressers per year

A Visionary Team Serving Transformation and Trust

Tribus Urbaines is literally a tribe, a visionary and aligned team. We’re a passionate community blending excellence in hairdressing, strategy, communications, HR, digital development, and customer experience.

As the founder, CEO, and a client myself, I’m surrounded by professionals from entrepreneurship, corporations, education, and hands-on practice. Together, we move forward with humility and purpose, living our values every day. Our trainers pass down rare and valuable knowledge. And our salons are spaces of pride, transformation, and inspiration.

Why Invest Now?

• Funding goal: 500,000 CHF
• Use of funds: Launch of the Tribus Urbaines "Academy", strengthening our e-commerce & e-learning platform, recruiting key talents, and structuring our growth
• Minimum investment: 250 CHF
• Pre-money valuation: 3**.125 Million CHF**
• Target ROI in 5 years: 4x (excluding social impact)

Because everyone deserves to feel beautiful in their curls, coils, and kinks. Because my sons, my nephew — and all of us — deserve a world where our hair isn’t a problem to fix.

Join the "Tribus"

Investing in Tribus Urbaines means believing in a fairer, more modern, more human vision of beauty. It means backing a business that’s both profitable and socially transformative — where economic growth, justice, and excellence unite.

You’re not just investing in a company. You’re becoming part of a movement.

Join us. And help change beauty — for good.

Invest in a visionary hair salon concept that meets the needs of all hair types and embodies a new way of life: respectful, profitable, and deeply human.