Having already catapulted many smaller indie brands into the mainstream arena, SEPHORA has announced it is further extending a helping hand with plans to roll out a new initiative benefiting female business owners.
The new initiative is part of the SEPHORA Stands program, SEPHORA Accelerate, which sees the company recognise and support the female founders or co-founders of beauty brands. Those brands selected by SEPHORA are eligible to receive access to boot camp-style sessions at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, a mentorship program, and funding.
“SEPHORA is uniquely positioned to support and inspire women as they achieve their goals, and from the beginning, [these types of programs have] been among the top requests from both our clients and our employees,” says SEPHORA president and chief executive Calvin McDonald.
SEPHORA head of social impact Corrie Conrad adds: “About 85 per cent of venture capital start-ups are led by men, even in an industry where women are the principal customers. The SEPHORA Accelerate program is designed to build a community of innovative female founders in all areas of the beauty industry.
“The goal of SEPHORA Accelerate is, by 2020, to support more than 50 women-led beauty businesses with a social impact through boot camps, mentorship, and small loans.”
As well as SEPHORA Accelerate, the company is offering Classes for Confidence that sees specialised in-store classes held to empower female consumers, and SEPHORA Stands Together - a philanthropic emergency and hardship fund for SEPHORA employees impacted by natural disasters, family emergencies and other unexpected events.
Images: Instagram.com/sephora
