The inaugural Forbes Next 1000 list has been released by Forbes Magazine, and of course it includes fierce Black women who are making waves in business today.
However, Forbes took a deeper look at the women who were “standouts” including Slutty Vegan’s Pinky Cole, Alex West Steinman of The Coven, and Toyin Kolawole of Iya Foods.
Each of the nominated women has an inspiring story to tell. For Kolawole, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and got into the food business after she helped her mother run her own businesses, it was growing her own Iya Foods out of the frustration of not being able to find African-inspired flours, sauces, and spices.
Meanwhile, fellow Forbes Next 1000 lister Alex West Steinman founded The Coven with two of her friends. The Coven, as its name perhaps implies, was founded to help women, non-binary, and trans people become confident leaders in their chosen fields. The co-founders initially received funding of $350,000 through the iFundWomen app.
Finally, Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole is also prominently featured on this edition of the Forbes Next 1000 — in fact, she’s the first woman on the list! Slutty Vegan is a plant-based burger joint in Atlanta, GA. She first made headlines when she partnered with prominent HBCU Clark Atlanta University to provide $600,000 to the children of police brutality victim Rayshard Brooks.
The full list of Forbes Next 1000 list can be found on the company’s website.
