Courtney Caldwell is the co-founder and COO of ShearShare, a “Hairbnb” startup that helps salon owners maximize their earnings potential by renting out their spaces to beauty industry professionals.

Courtney talked to us about how ShearShare works, and why “space as a service” has been such a big deal for people working in the beauty industry. We also go over why many professionals in the space have been deciding to pursue a solo career, instead of working as employees in salons.

We cover the origin story of ShearShare, which is rather far from serendipitous. Courtney herself was a high-ranking employee at Oracle, while her co-founder and husband has been one of the most notorious barbers and beauty industry professionals in the country. After finding a niche neglected by tech, they’ve initially bootstrapped the company before going through 500 Startups and receiving first investor check.

We also discuss the bias against married founders in the VC community, and how limited that industry still is in terms of funding initiatives that make a difference for people in need.

Courtney also speaks about interesting companies to watch in the beauty space and talks about what the future may hold for the entire industry.