Marina's nail salon offers unique, high quality services in the NYC area. In particular she and her team pride themselves in utilizing a Russian Nail Technique which helps customers to strengthen their nails with a gel application. They have been operating for about a year, and are excited to continue growing their clientele and spreading awareness about their unique technique.
Kathy runs a bakery from a commercial kitchen specializing in hand-crafted, small batch, artisan rum cakes and mini rum cakes with all natural ingredients and Caribbean inspired flavors. Conducts pop-ups around Brooklyn as a main source of revenue. Ships cakes online and offers local pick-up and delivery. Kathy is looking for capital to open a café/bar storefront in Brooklyn and expand product offerings to be in more specialty food stores.
Naijean started her premium beverage company in Austin, using recipes based on her Grandmother's recipes from Granada. During the pandemic, she decided to pursue her business full time. They offer many unique and bold flavors, all rooted in Caribbean culture. The flavors rotate based on the season since they try to use as many local fruits and vegetables as possible.
Tamika is very passionate about her specialty popcorn business, which boasts 26 different (& extremely unique!) flavors, with something for everyone. She just opened her storefront in Michigan, although she ships her popcorn nationally. Her popcorn is all handmade fresh by her, and it is made with love.
Dr. Calisha Brooks' business centers around providing holistic mental and emotional wellness services for communities of color, with a focus on race-based stress and trauma. She has developed a highly effective model which assesses community needs at an individual and systemic level, and is a hands on experience. Her vision is to create a community of wellness, which she hopes to achieve by supporting both individuals and organizations serving her target communities. In the coming year, she hopes to scale the business and gain more financial stability and brand visibility.
Cedreca owns a luxury e-commerce site selling a wide variety of bags, hats, and accessories to provide customers a quality product that offers them protection from technology + natural elements. Cedrica first started selling blue-light glasses, but has increased the number of collections targeted towards different audiences. She hopes to expand her inventory in order to become a wholesale retailer selling nationally + internationally. She eventually wants to purchase a trailer where she may operate her pop-up shop in during events/festivals.
Ashley decided to leave her job as a warehouse supervisor during the pandemic in order to pursue a lifelong love for cooking and opening a restaurant. It is a family business, and they take pride in the feel that the restaurant has - everyone who comes to eat is treated like family and made to feel at home. They serve quick bites that everyone loves, and she infuses her unique style and flavor into classic casual dishes. Her goal is to build out the business infrastructure, and she hopes to share everything she has learned with other entrepreneurs looking to open a restaurant.
Jasmin is passionate about changing the trajectory of birthing for Black women, and decided to start her doula business during the pandemic after losing her job. She provides support to birthing families through all stages of the birthing process, from conception to postpartum to understanding your rights in birth spaces and breastfeeding. She provides support for the entire family and is very thorough in her approach.
Aileena is an artist who designs and paints original nail art from her own commercial space. She loves the creative aspect and the artistry of the work that she does, and she is branching into tattoos as well. Her goal is to open a space that is both an art gallery and a beauty salon, where he natural artistic talent and her attention to detail can shine!
Litzy is the owner of a hair salon in Lowell, Massachusetts. She offers braiding services to the local college community as well as in-home services while she is traveling. Litzy also sells hair care products in her salon, and contracts different hair stylists to work at her salon. Her goal is to fill the empty chairs she has with hairstylists, and improve her branding in order to attract new clients and improve sales.