Sephora’s New Incubator Brands To Focus On Elevating BIPOC-Owned Beauty Brands

Words by Retail Bum

Sephora’s New Incubator Brands To Focus On Elevating BIPOC-Owned Beauty Brands
Sephora’s New Incubator Brands To Focus On Elevating BIPOC-Owned Beauty Brands

Sephora is relaunching its accelerator program, but this time with a focus on advancing startups that have founders who come from racially diverse backgrounds.

Previously, the incubator focused on cultivating an international community of female beauty founders and supported the launch of more than 50 women-owned brands.

“Last year, we made a commitment to dedicate fifteen percent of Sephora’s assortment to Black-owned brands, and we quickly realized the role that our Accelerate program could play in not only helping us to reach that goal, but to set these brands up for long-term success and growth,” said Artemis Patrick, Sephora’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Merchandising Officer.

“The goal of this program has long been to provide meaningful, ongoing support for growing brands, and that is exactly what we’re aiming to deliver to our 2021 Accelerate cohort. Each of the eight participating founders is inspiring in their own right, and we believe wholeheartedly in their potential at Sephora; we are so excited to help shape their futures and to ultimately introduce these brands to our clients.”

This year’s program will be held virtually and will provide Sephora-led curriculum to promote long-term success, support, mentorship from industry veterans and exposure to leading investment firms and venture capitalists.

After completing the program, all participating brands will be made available at Sephora.

The 2021 Sephora Accelerate Cohort includes:

  • Christina Funke Tegbe, Founder, 54 Thrones
  • Marie Kouadio Amouzame, Co-Founder, and Alice Lin Glover, Co-Founder, EADEM
  • Alisia Michelle Ford, Founder & CEO, Glory
  • Desiree Verdejo, Founder & CEO, Hyper Skin
  • Nia Wellman, Founder, Imania Beauty
  • Priyanka Ganjoo, Founder, Kulfi Beauty
  • Megan Graham, Founder, ries
  • Olamide Olowe, Founder & CEO, Topicals

Some of the experts to advise throughout the program include Brand founders Nancy Twine (Briogeo) and Vicky Tsai (Tatcha), in addition to investors Janet Gurwitch (Advent International) and Alissa Williams (VMG).

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