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MEET OUR 2024 GRANT RECIPIENTS
MAKING A REAL IMPACT
With a record-breaking nearly 11k applicants, our judging panel from BOTOX® Cosmetic and IFundWomen has selected their final grant recipients. 20 unstoppable women who are ready to take their businesses to the next level—awarded $25,000 each, plus mentorship and coaching. We are helping to close the Confidence Gap and so can you by supporting these women-led businesses and following their success stories.
WHAT THEY RECEIVE
A $25,000 GRANT
Grant recipients have each been awarded a $25,000 grant from BOTOX® Cosmetic to accelerate the growth of their business.
WHAT THEY RECEIVE
COACHING & MENTORSHIP
Grant recipients will receive 1:1 coaching with BOTOX® Cosmetic and IFundWomen experts to champion leadership skills and confidence in the workplace.
RECIPIENT SPOTLIGHT
Card Title
Health & Wellness
KRISTA MARTINS
WUKKOUT! LLC
Krista Martins is the founder of Wukkout!® a high-energy soca-based dance fitness class designed to make you have fun and sweat just like you would at a Caribbean Carnival. It is a new kind of welcoming, diverse, carefree fitness experience and continues to grow with the Wukkout!® Instructor Training Workshop, which helps others along their path to business ownership.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Mental Health
KRISTINA JONES
GUARDIAN LANE
Kristina Jones is redefining grief counseling with a fun on-demand app for children ages 5-15. Guardian Lane is a children’s mental health startup that provides grief counseling for kids, social healing, weekly emotions data check-ins for parents, and telecounseling for added support. Called the Disney+ of children’s grief counseling, Guardian Lane produces the largest video library of creative grief projects, allowing grieving children and families to immediately access expert help from a phone or computer.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Beauty
LIHAU WILLIN
IWI NAILS
Lihau Willing is the founder of Iwi Nails–a DIY nail art and accessory company that utilizes storytelling in design to uplift marginalized voices and increase inclusivity in the beauty industry. Not only are Iwi products easy to use, safe and healthy for your nails, salon-quality, and long-lasting, but their unique designs allow people to feel seen in an industry that has too long been overrun by stereotypical homogenous femininity.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Footwear
YEWANDE AKINSEL
SALUBATA, INC.
Yewande Akinse is on a mission to invent lifestyle technologies that help people and the planet. SALUBATA modular shoes are repurposed from plastic wastes and utilizes carbon decomposition technology to create sustainable and eco-friendly footwear options.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Beauty
Joy Hoover
Esōes Cosmetics
Joy Hoover is the founder of Esōes Cosmetics. After 14 years serving over 10,000 women affected by violence, she invented Esōes safety lipstick, the first patent-issued smart safety device combining beauty, science, and technology. The Esōes safety lipstick is a real lipstick that houses roofie test strips and a built-in panic button that connects to a customizable safety app to help women wherever they are.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Sportswear
MARINA PAUL
SPRHRA
Marina Paul is the founder of Superhera, a specialized activewear line that gives every female athlete the Freedom to Perform in her sportswear. Superhera began during her time as a college soccer player at Georgetown University and the restrictive sportswear was not made for her athletic body which affected her performance and health. Superhera was born so that no female athlete would ever feel restricted by their sportswear again.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Beauty
KETA BURKE-WILLIAMS
OURSIDE
Keta Burke-Williams is redefining luxury fragrance with Ourside. Combining unique experiences with familiar ingredients to create unexpected fragrances that, until now, never even existed, Ourside addresses the fragrance market's demand for inclusive, eco-conscious options while catering to customers seeking non-toxic alternatives.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Retail
NATASHA NORI STANDARD
EQWAL FOOTING
Natasha Nori Standard is a US Army veteran who designs military-grade combat boots specifically designed for the female foot. EQWAL Footing provides female service members with the proper support and fit needed to excel in their physically demanding roles while promoting inclusivity and equality in the armed forces.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Community
BRENDA KASATY
ROSE CAT COFFEE COMPANY, LLC
Brenda Kastay is all about coffee, connections, and collective change. Her coffee shop, Rose Cat Coffee Company, is the only local shop that primarily employs individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and also provides a one-of-a-kind environment focused on creating a community that champions inclusivity, fosters connections, and empowers individuals.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Childcare
DANIELLA CORNUE
LE VILLAGE COWORK
Danielle Cornue is supporting working parents by providing top-quality childcare, on-site at Le Village Cowork. An inspiring coworking space allows members to be present with their kids, create a flexible and independent lifestyle, make lifelong friends, and love coming to work again.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Culture
MAI TRUONG
BO & MEI
Mai Truong is the founder of Bo & Mei–thoughtfully designed culture kits that help people experience Asian culture and carry on their heritage with confidence. A daughter of Vietnamese refugees, as she grew up she didn’t have pride in her Asian identity. Years later as a parent, she felt a deep responsibility to create a strong connection for her children to their Vietnamese and Chinese roots. She created Bo & Mei, named after her two daughters.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Beauty
CORY & NICOL VARONA
OCOA BEAUTY
Cory and Nicol Varona are sisters who founded Ocoa Beauty. They are redefining beauty standards and promoting self-acceptance among Latinas and multicultural women. Ocoa Beauty is changing the curly hair experience and helping women feel confident in their natural beauty with products that work. They are dedicated to addressing the underrepresentation of Latina women in the beauty industry, catering to their curly hair and promoting inclusivity.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Accessories
CEATA E. LASH
PUFFCUFF LLC
Ceata E. Lash is changing the game for the 65% of the world with curly, textured hair with PuffCuff. PuffCuff is a damage-free, inclusive styling solution that unlike traditional bands that pull and break hair, instead secures hair without pain. It's easy to use, versatile, and promotes the celebration of natural beauty across all curl types.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Beauty
KIA-SHUN VOLTZ
SHAMPOOTIME®
Kia-Shun Voltz is the founder of ShampooTime®. She turns the tedious chore of washing, rinsing, brushing, taming, and styling children’s hair into a fun experience. The ShampooTime® specially designed patented mat and products keep kids calm, entertained, and promotes bonding between the parent and child for a memorable, tear-free experience.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Eyewear
NANCEY HARRIS
VONTÉLLE LLC
Nancey Harris is paying homage to her African ancestry through better-fitting, fashion-forward eyewear brand, Vontélle. Each Vontélle product and accessory is created with traditional colors and patterns that channel African, Caribbean, and Latin heritage. These designs are tailored to empower humanity to see the world through a cultural and global lens.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Parenting
AMBERLEE VENTI
PIPPY SIPS
Amberlee Venti is a mom who founded Pippy Sips. She is of the utmost belief that women should be able to pump and store their breast milk anywhere. Pippy Sips makes pumping easier and more accessible to all breastfeeders with products that add simplicity to the pumping experience and break barriers in breast milk storage and cooling.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Consumer Packaged Goods
MEGAN LANCASTER
ELLEVATE WAGON
Megan Lancaster is disrupting the wagon industry by offering the first electric everyday wagon. Ellavate Wagon aims to solve the all-too-relatable consumer problem–the hassle of transporting heavy items and children, especially across difficult terrain. The company's mission is to create innovative and stylish electric wagons that cater to the many needs of modern families and businesses.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Automotive
TALENA HANDLEY
GIRLIE GARAGE
Talena Handley is ready to provide women with the resources they need at Girlie Garage. Girlie Garage offers automotive education and consulting for women to lessen the anxiety around visiting a mechanic so they don’t get taken advantage of financially and maintain their vehicles more often.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Sports
CAROLINE FITZGERALD
GOALS SPORTS LLC
Caroline Fitzgerald is the founder of GOALS, a start-up consultancy and media company that is fully dedicated to growing the business side of women's sports. The stories are all too common: pay gaps on and off the field, exploitation, lower endorsements, poor facilities, lack of coverage; the list is endless. Women's sports deserve more. GOALS creates a level playing field for women’s sports by giving leaders in sports the support and information they need to help change the game.
Not actual patient.
Card Title
Food
HANNAH PERRY
FLOOF COTTON CANDY
Hannah Perry is the creator of the original cotton candy cake. Floof cakes are made entirely out of cotton candy, and they slice just like a piece of cake. They are gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan-safe for anyone with a food allergy. Above all, Floof is dedicated to providing a unique and memorable experience that delights the senses and creates lasting connections.
Not actual patient.
WHAT IS THE CONFIDENCE GAP?
42%
Women make up approximately 42% of all business owners in the US.
50%
On average, women start with about 50% less working capital.
<3%
Women receive approximately less than 3% of all venture capital funding.
<1%
Women of color founders receive less than 1% of funding.
FOLLOW THEIR STORIES
