Sephora’s 2022 Accelerate brand incubator program participants chosen

13 Dec 2021 --- Sephora’s 2022 Accelerate brand incubator program has finalized its line-up of entrepreneurs who excel in their respective fields of make-up, skincare, fragrance and haircare.

In its seventh year, the Sephora Accelerate program continues its focus on supporting “founders of color” and this year’s cohort includes ten Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) brand founders. The focus was instituted earlier this year reflecting the company’s commitment to increasing BIPOC representation in prestige beauty and in its assortment in order to build “a beauty community to which everyone feels they belong,” says Priya Venkatesh, SVP merchandising, skin care and hair, Sephora. 

“To do so, it’s important that brand founders of all backgrounds have the opportunity and resources they need to grow their businesses and thrive.”

“Through the Accelerate program, Sephora is committed to giving founders the long-term mentorship, access to market and scale they need to accelerate growth, with the program serving as a springboard for nascent brands to become visible, viable, stable and financially solvent,” explains Venkatesh.

Celebration of color
This year’s program builds on an existing curriculum that includes mentorship, merchandizing support, potential funding and investor networks. Participants will be able to launch their products at Sephora when they complete the program. 

Eligible applicants need to be at least 18 years old, have a North American-incorporated company and be in the early stages of business development, not widely distributed.Participants will be able to launch their products at Sephora when they complete the program. 

The participants will have the opportunity to form relationships with their merchant sponsors and develop their branding. They then join a bootcamp in April focused on helping them set up and sustain their brands followed by graduation in June. 

Representatives from brands such as Tatcha, First Aid Beauty, Kosas, Briogeo, Milk Makeup and Tower 28 will lead sessions on brand strategy, financial modeling, product development and marketing.

Sephora will also host a “BIPOC Founder Inspirational Series” featuring stories by brand “founders of color”; Julian Addo (Adwoa Beauty), Danessa Myricks (Danessa Myricks Beauty), Sarah Lee and Christine Chang (Glow Recipe), Akash Mehta (Fable & Mane) and Heela Jang (Sol de Janeiro).

“We know that business growth in communities of color creates jobs, opportunity, stability and generational wealth – having the potential for decades of positive impact,” Venkatesh elaborates.

Edited by Inga de Jong