Olamide Olowe, Founder & CEO, Topicals
Sephora has eight selected brands for its 2021 Accelerate incubator program, which features a cohort comprised exclusively of women founders of color. If you re looking for fresh faces and brands that are going to be huge this year, this is the place to look. From Hyper Skin to Kulfi Beauty, the founders are just as impressive as the brands.
The group will participate in months of Sephora-led curriculum and intensive support, as well as receive coveted mentorship from industry veterans like Tatcha s Vicky Tsai and Briogeo s Nancy Twine, feedback and exposure to leading investment firms and venture capitalists, and more. Upon completion of the program, all participating brands will launch at Sephora, putting the retailer on track to double its assortment of Black-owned brands by the end of 2021.
Sephora Relaunches Brand Incubator Program
Sephora has announced the eight selected brands who will participate in the retailer’s 2021 Accelerate incubator program, which for the first time ever features a cohort comprised exclusively of founders of color.
Now in its sixth year, the evolution of the program – which has previously focused on cultivating an international community of female beauty founders and supported the launch of more than 50 women-owned brands – reflects Sephora’s commitment to increasing BIPOC representation in prestige beauty and on Sephora shelves.
In addition to months of Sephora-led curriculum and intensive support, this year’s program also features coveted mentorship from industry veterans, feedback and exposure to leading investment firms and venture capitalists. Taken together, these establish Sephora’s commitment to not only creating a program that educates, but also building a pipeline of support that promotes the long-term success