EDUCATION • NETWORK • MENTORSHIP • OPPORTUNITY
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EDUCATION • NETWORK • MENTORSHIP • OPPORTUNITY
Clean Beauty Summer School is a collective effort by founders and leaders in the beauty industry to support the growth of majority BIPOC-owned small clean beauty businesses. We are coming together to provide education, network mentorship and opportunity to help accelerate BIPOC entrepreneurs. Together, we are excited to help work towards making the beauty industry a more diverse and inclusive one. 10 Clean Beauty Summer School finalists will gain access to: live sessions hosted by industry experts, mentorship, peer support, and the opportunity to pitch for $35,000 in cash grants, legal, and retail sales support and guaranteed buyer meetings with Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Credo Beauty to help accelerate their businesses.
1. APPLY (Due 11:59PM PST May 9, 2022)
Tell us all about yourself and your company's vision, mission, and goals. Applications are open NOW and due no later than midnight PST of May 9, 2022!
All applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- You must have a majority BIPOC-owned business
- Your business must be Incorporated
- Your business must be in the Beauty/Wellness space —specifically a CPG or other hard good
- Your products must be / will be clean and / or sustainable
- You must have a product prototype or have already launched with limited distribution
- You must be available to attend weekly sessions (May 31 – August 2, 2022) and Pitch Day (August 17, 2022)
- Your business must be based in the United States
- You are at least 18 years old as of the date of your application
- You identify as BIPOC
- You are the owner / co-owner of the business
- You have no more than 3 full-time employees
*Employees of Tower 28 Beauty and other CBSS mentors' brands along with their immediate family are not eligible for the Initiative.
Click here for the full Terms and Conditions
Click here for the Privacy Policy
10 majority BIPOC-owned businesses will be selected as finalists by May 23rd, 2022.
There are a variety of criteria our team uses to make the final selection. Some of the most important are:
- You + Team: What’s your special sauce? Tell us why you (and your team!) are the right - person to make this business the next big thing!
- Vision: Do you have the passion needed to make your business successful?
- Innovation: Is there a clear market opportunity and are you solving a specific need that is not yet served by an existing company?
- Product: Do you have a working prototype that has been iterated on at least once to incorporate user feedback?
- Plan: Do you have a business model or a strategy to grow your company?
- Better for Beauty: Are you moving the beauty industry towards improving in some way - whether with better, more clean ingredients, sustainable materials, ethically sourced, etc.
2. LEARN + NETWORK (May 31 – August 2, 2022)
Finalists attend virtual CLEAN BEAUTY SUMMER SCHOOL and will receive:
Education: 10 session course x 1 hour each taught by our expert mentors/teachers taught online via zoom. Here is a sample of the types of classes that will be covered:
1. Top Legal Do's + Don'ts - Tye Gonser, Weinberg Gonser LLP
2. Operations and Finance 411- Cat Chen, Skylar
3. Guide to Product Development and Manufacturing - Tisha Thompson, LYS
4. DTC 101 - Jason Wong, Doe Lashes
5. Tiktok Creative Workshop for Beauty Brands - Ann Krisha Buenaobra, Tiktok
6. Marketing on a Shoestring Budget - Olamide Olowe, Topicals
7. Influencers + Digital Marketing - Akash, Fable + Mane and Deepica, Live Tinted
8. The Truth about Fundraising - Divya Gugnani, Wander Beauty
9. Instagram Best Practices for Brands - Amala and Kristie, Instagram
10. Moving from Founder to CEO - Ju E Wong, Olaplex
11. How to Work with Retailers - Nyakio Grieco, Thirteen Lune
Network: Teachers, mentors, and judges are thought leaders and industry movers
Mentorship: Each finalist will be paired with a mentor and receive 5 x one-on-one office hours with them (dates/times TBC by finalist and mentor).
3. PITCH DAY (August 17, 2022):
The winner (1) of the pitch contest will receive a $10K grant from New Voices Foundation, $15K worth of services from Headkount, and $10K worth of services from Weinberg Gonser LLP. The winner will also receive guaranteed buyer meetings with both Sephora and Ulta Beauty.
Winning pitch to be determined by our panel of judges and based upon an agreed upon criteria with Sponsors.
Events will be held via zoom on the following dates.
Classes: every Tuesday from 10-11AM PST
Pitch Day: August 17th from 12-3pm PST ** Dates are subject to change due to mentor/judges availability
The New Voices Foundation has partnered with us to give away $10K to our pitch winner!
New Voices Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization offering women of color entrepreneurs access, capital, and expertise to build, grow and scale their businesses with purpose via flexible funding, learning and networking opportunities.
HeadKount will be giving away $15K in services
HeadKount is a group of Outsourced Beauty Professional with an in-house vibe. Their services include help with in-store education and helping building a relationship with retails teams in addition to assisting with consumer engagement and retail strategy.
Weinberg Gonser LLP will be gifting $10K worth of services.
A group of lawyers who are committed and focused on understanding what you want and helping you achieve those goals.
Submit the online application.
Limit one entry per small business.
The application period closes on May 9, 2022 at 11:59PM EST.
Do not send us or tell us any proprietary information. If you do, your application will be subject to disqualification.
To be Eligible:
- You must be a majority BIPOC-owned business
- You must be an Incorporated business
- Beauty/Wellness Business (specifically CPG or other hard good, any category)
- Clean and/or sustainable or working towards it
- Have a product prototype or launched with limited distribution
- Available to attend class session and Pitch Day
- The business must be US based.
- You are at least 18 years old as of the date of submission.
- You identify as BIPOC.
- You are the owner of the business.
- No more than 3 full-time employees.
- Employees of Tower 28 Beauty and other CBSS mentors' brands along with their immediate family are not eligible for the Initiative.
Click here for Terms and Conditions
Click here for the Privacy Policy
Can I apply more than once?
We are only accepting one application per business.
How do I apply?
By filling out the application below!
Do I have to do the application in 1 session?
We suggest copying and pasting the questions into another platform before you start the online submission process.
How are you choosing candidates?
There are a variety of criteria our team uses to make the final selection. Some of the most important are:
- You + Team: What’s your special sauce? Tell us why you (and your team!) are the right - person to make this business the next big thing!
- Vision: Do you have the passion needed to make your business successful?
- Innovation: Is there a clear market opportunity and are you solving a specific need that is not yet served by an existing company?
- Product: Do you have a working prototype that has been iterated on at least once to incorporate user feedback?
- Plan: Do you have a business model or a strategy to grow your company?
- Better for Beauty: Are you moving the beauty industry towards improving in some way - whether with better, more clean ingredients, sustainable materials, ethically sourced, etc.
How will I know if my application has been received?
You will receive an email confirmation shortly after you've submitted.
Who is reviewing applications?
The mentors and New Voices Foundation will collectively be choosing the finalists.
What if there are no social media accounts or website for my business?
There is no penalty for having no website or social media account(s). You don't have to create one just for this application.
What if we have more than one founder?
Up to two of you can join if you are co-founders. You can both join classes but you will only get one mentor for the both of you. Only one can pitch.
Who do I contact with additional questions about the application?
Feel free to reach out to cleanbeautysummerschool@tower28beauty.com!