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Tisha Thompson is among the 2% of female founders who have successfully secured funding. Thompson launched LYS Beauty in 2021, a clean color cosmetics brand designed to serve a diverse range of skin tones and types, according to its website. Her journey in the beauty industry began during college when she worked as a makeup artist to support her education while studying accounting, Fortune reports. After earning her degree, she secured an accounting role at PÜR Cosmetics, where she quickly advanced through the ranks, eventually becoming VP of Marketing and Innovation. “During my tenure there, I wore a lot of hats, similar to what I do now as a startup founder. I helped to innovate clean beauty product development, supported brand management and marketing, and also oversaw finance and operations,” she told the outlet. Now, Thompson is successfully leading her own business and has stacked on wins since. This includes making history as the first Black-owned clean makeup brand to launch...
Issa Rae refers to Sienna Naturals’ expansion with Sephora as a “dream come true.” Rae co-founded the award-winning hair care brand Sienna Naturals, which was first envisioned by Hannah Diop in 2012. Diop, reflecting on her own challenges in finding hair products that met her needs, recalls how clarifying shampoos fell short in restoring her hair’s health during her time on the swim team. This firsthand experience played a pivotal role in shaping Sienna Naturals, a brand founded on a proprietary clean chemistry approach that prioritizes scalp health , according t o the brand’s website. The haircare line is powered by hydrating, abiotic, pH-balanced ingredients (H.A.P.I.). “The first impression I want people to have when they use Sienna Naturals is how beautiful their hair is. So that wet-feel design is very intentional,” Diop told AFROTECH™. Photo Credit: Sienna Naturals When Rae discovered Sienna Naturals, she was in the process of learning how to best care for her natural hair...
Issa Rae has landed a deal with a major retailer. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Rae joined forces with Hannah Diop’s Sienna Naturals in 2020, becoming a co-founder of the haircare line focused on Afro-textured hair. Per its website, Sienna Naturals uses Rooted Technology in its formulations to restore hair health beginning with the scalp. “It is our clean technology promise to our textured hair community. The result is a clean haircare formula with performance superior to that of conventional haircare,” the company website mentioned. Now, the company will be able to reach more individuals in the textured hair community after securing a deal with Sephora to sell its products on the cosmetic retailer’s online store, a press release sent to AFROTECH™ mentioned. “We are excited to partner with Sephora to make Sienna Naturals even more accessible for consumers,” said CEO and co-founder Diop, per the press release. “Our mission is to empower everyone to embrace their natural hair with...
To foster inviting settings and decrease racially-biased experiences for shoppers, U.S. retailers have linked up. According to a press release sent to AfroTech, the nonprofit Open to All has announced that 28 major retail brands have signed the Mitigate Racial Bias in Retail Charter. What this means is that signees have committed to integrating actions that work to dismantle racially biased interactions while creating a friendly atmosphere for shoppers.
Last year, Sephora committed a 15 percent pledge alongside founder Aurora James in an effort to show their support for Black-owned beauty brands on the market. Now the beauty retailer is recommitting its vow to honor these brands be reintroducing its 2021 Accelerate incubator program with a renewed focus, which for the first time ever features a cohort comprised exclusively of founders of color, a press release shares. Now in the program’s sixth year, Sephora is dedicated to evolving its business incubator — which previously focused on cultivating an international community of female beauty founders while supporting the launch of more than 50 women-owned brands — to reflect its recent commitment of increasing Black and people of color representation on Sephora store shelves. “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...
It’s no secret that retailers could do better when it comes to building an inclusive environment for those who keep them in business — consumers. In a National Racial Bias in Retail Study commissioned by Sephora, the brand finds five truths when it comes to racial inequality during retail experiences with the first being a lack of racial diversity within companies. Here are those truths, as listed in a press release: 1. Limited diversity across marketing, merchandise and retail employees results in exclusionary treatment before shoppers even enter a store, and across their in-store journey. 2. U.S. BIPOC shoppers feel in-store interactions are driven by their skin color, appearance and ethnicity, yet retail employees cite behavioral attributes, rather than appearance, as the basis for their interactions. 3. U.S. BIPOC retail shoppers use coping mechanisms, such as shopping online, to minimize, or avoid an anticipated biased experience when in-store. While many customer experience...
Several corporations are standing in solidarity in the fight for racial justice with an outpouring of copy-and-paste #BlackLivesMatter statements and million-dollar donations. Other major retailers are committing to yielding long-lasting, impactful change in Black youth communities . On May 29, Brother Vellies founder Aurora James called for major retailers to sell a greater percentage of Black-owned products as a step in the fight toward economic equality. “So many of your businesses are built on Black spending power. So many of your stores are set up in Black communities,” James’s Instagram proposal reads. “This is the least you can do for us. We represent 15% of the population and we need to represent 15% of your shelf space.” A week later, at the urging of James, Sephora pledged to devote 15 percent of its shelf space to Black-owned products, The New York Times reports . View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aurora James 🦢 (@aurorajames) In addition, Sephora will create...
Sephora is not just the beauty mecca where women go to spend their money shamelessly on Fenty Beauty and Pat McGrath. The personal care retailer is also responsible for helping to accelerate Black beauty founders’ innovative ideas through Sephora Accelerate. Sephora Accelerate is a six-month program designed to build a community of forward-thinking businesswomen. The commitment begins with a one-week boot camp, then the founders experience a series of mentoring sessions and business challenges. The entire initiative culminates into Demo Day, where participants present their company to gain investments. This year, Sephora Accelerate has selected 13 founders for the 2020 cohort , including women from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Singapore, Germany, the U.S., and the U.K. Among those selected to participate in the accelerator are Kymberlee Hill, a co-founder of Curl IQ; Helena Mendes, founder of Mawena; and Dawn Myers, founder of THE MOST. To date, the accelerator has...
Cost of Doing Business (CODB), the holding company co-founded by Topicals CEO Olamide Olowe and President Sochi Mbadugha, has acquired premium haircare brand Bread Beauty Supply. According to a news release, the acquisition is CODB’s first step in building brands that connect culture, community, and commerce — especially as many companies scale back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts . “At a time when DEI commitments are being rolled back, it’s critical that Black-owned businesses not only survive — we have to win,” Olowe said. “Maeva Heim, BREAD’s Founder, is one of the most talented creatives in the space and has led BREAD to have a major impact in the hair care industry, and with CODB’s resources and expertise, we’re ensuring that it continues to grow while remaining deeply rooted in its mission and creative ethos.” Photo Credit: Gold Owolabi With Bread now under CODB, the brand is set for growth while preserving its commitment to textured hair care. The...
Let’s be honest—when it comes to beauty, Black women have always been the standard, even if the industry has been slow to give credit where it’s due. But while some are still playing catch-up, Danessa Myricks Beauty has already rewritten the rules—and ensured we’re front and center in the narrative. From melting down drugstore makeup in her kitchen to landing on Sephora shelves across the globe, Danessa Myricks didn’t wait for anyone’s permission. She built her own table—and now the world’s pulling up a seat. From “Accidental Artist” to Beauty Powerhouse Myricks didn’t come from a legacy of wealth or beauty school credentials. She came with hustle, vision, and a deep belief that makeup should be for everyone. According to her Closers 2025 Time Magazine feature, after getting laid off from a publishing gig, she took a chance on creativity and started doing makeup—teaching herself through trial, error, and audacity. Her early kits? Straight-up DIY magic. Melting down products to...
If you are creating impact as a founder and leader or are a corporate catalyst interested in joining a board, look no further than AFROTECH’s Board Readiness Summit. From 10 a.m. ET to noon ET on March 25, 2025, this virtual event will deliver exclusive insights and strategies to empower you with the tools and confidence to secure a board seat. Landing a post whether for a nonprofit, which is often a good starting point, or for-profit, will require experience and skills such as strategic planning and development, leadership, collaboration and more, Forbes notes. Learn From Nancy Twine To position you for success, discussions will be led by industry leaders, starting with former Goldman Sachs VP Nancy Twine, who launched Briogeo Hair Care in 2013 and turned it into a $100 million business within nearly a decade, according to Forbes. She also made history as the youngest Black woman to launch products at Sephora. The brand went on to land placement at Ulta Beauty. What’s more, Twine...
The right circle can change your circumstances in the blink of an eye! Calling all early-stage, pre-seed, and seed founders — join the AFROTECH™ Insider Founders Circle to build for the future alongside a network that could lead to your next investor or co-founder. This membership aligns with our mission to empower Black entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed and drive innovation across industries, including fintech, medtech, and consumer tech. “At AFROTECH™, we strive to help make a difference and change the narrative regarding raising capital, starting and scaling a startup, and networking with the right people to help grow your business,” Blavity Chief Revenue Officer Michael Hadgis said on LinkedIn. “We created the AFROTECH™ Insider Founders Circle to help founders navigate the path and their business pitch become investor-ready!” Perks The sky’s the limit! Your direct participation in the AFROTECH™ Insider Founders Circle gives you access to exclusive perks, including office...
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has done it again. Cécred The iconic entertainer, who earned her first Grammy in the prestigious album of the year category for “Cowboy Carter” in 2025, shows no signs of slowing down. Her influence stretches far beyond music and into the business world, where she has made a significant mark in the haircare industry. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Houston, TX, native launched the science-backed and self-funded haircare brand Cécred, drawing inspiration from her early years spent at her mother Tina Knowles’ salon. This venture highlights her entrepreneurial spirit and deep connection to the beauty industry. “Hair has always been a very big part of our lives,” Tina, who served as Cécred’s vice chairwoman, told Essence. “Just as fashion saved our family, hair is how we made a living.” The inception of Cécred was six years in the making. Its hair repair technology has led to its first line of products, which includes Clarifying Shampoo and Scalp Scrub...
Cherryrock Capital has raised $172 million to support diverse founders. The venture capital firm, founded in 2023 by Stacy Brown-Philpot (Managing Partner) — head of Alphabet Inc.’s online sales and operations in India and board member at HP Inc., StockX, and Noom Inc. — provides Series A and B funding to underrepresented founders of software companies driving innovation, according to its website. The VC firm, backed by a team with over 60 years of operating experience, has closed its first fund at $172 million, Bloomberg reports. “Today, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Cherryrock Capital, the first fund focused on investing at the Series A & B stages in underinvested entrepreneurs …Cherryrock Capital is about being the foundation of success for the next generation of entrepreneurs…We’re on a mission to change the face of wealth creation and build an enduring institution. We are looking for founders who have the courage to be audacious in their vision, accountable to their...