AN ECOSYSTEM FOR WINNING

BrainTrust Founders Studio is the largest membership-based platform designed for inclusive founders of beauty and wellness companies.

OUR CORE PILLARS

Community.
Mentorship.
Education.
Capital.
Strengthened by these core pillars, our platform is designed to provide founders at all stages with always-on access to expert programming and resources, from legal and financial advice to marketing strategy and retail-readiness.

DESIGNED FOR INCLUSIVE FOUNDERS

BrainTrust Founders Studio creates a scalable way for inclusive founders to access a like-minded community and share key information about growing beauty and wellness businesses.
JUST
2%
of U.S. venture in 2023 was garnered by companies founded by women.1
IN 2023
0.48%
of venture funding went to companies with a Black founder, declining for the third year in a row.2
YET...
TEAMS THAT ARE DIVERSE BY
GENDER, RACE AND/OR ETHNICITY
ethnicity are correlated with better business outcomes overall, including 30% higher MOIC upon exit and 63-65% higher business value.3
VC-FUNDED
BLACK BEAUTY 
VENTURES
have a superior track record of success compared with non-Black counterparts.4

OUR ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT REPORT

“Despite the true obstacles and challenges entrepreneurs face in starting and leading companies, the 2024 Economic Advancement Report confirms Black beauty and wellness entrepreneurs are growing the American economy with new, innovative products and services that drive sales by leading retailers, online and in-store, and create jobs. We invite you to join us in celebrating this commercial and cultural leadership by our members, the grand majority of whom are Black women!”
~ Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Founder and Lisa Stone, Chief Investment Officer

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Founders Community

Access to our founder community where you connect with other founders through our app.

Founders Directory

An exclusive directory of founders listed by tier, sector, and geography for 1:1 networking.

Founders Studio Presents

Access to our member newsletters highlighting fellow founders, agency and corporate partners.

Knowledge Salon

Access to the “Knowledge Salon,” agency and service provider resources, toolkits and templates.

Education Perks

Access to educational resources, fellowships, accelerators, discounts, and online courses.

Events Stage

Join members only in-person and virtual workshops, discussions, fireside chats, panels and events from experts, partners and advisors.

Founder Friday Virtual Coffee Chat

Monthly Founder Friday 1:1s and monthly meet-ups.

Retail Access

Opportunities to integrate into various retail environments as well as programming from our retail partners.

1:1 Coaching

Tap into coaching resources to dive deep into your specific business needs.

Inclusion in Marketing Media

Additional promotional support and exposure for your business through partner PR, newsletters, and social media.

Investor Relations

Support for fundraising and preparation of investor decks and pitch materials + introductions to investors and funding sources.
START. GROW. ACCELERATE.

Apply to join

Our platform was designed to match participating founders with supporting resources based upon their individual profile and goals. The START tier is focused on pre-revenue founders, the GROW tier for founders between $10K - $1MM in revenue and the ACCELERATE tier for those beyond $1MM in revenue.

SIGNATURE PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 

BrainTrust Founders Studio has deep roots in the advocacy of inclusive beauty and wellness founders, and experience directing that trust and goodwill toward our partners to deliver social impact, community engagement and digital amplification.

If you are interested in a flagship partnership to connect in authentic and culturally relevant ways to one of the fastest growing influential and dynamic founder ecosystems serving majority consumers, we welcome a conversation.

CONTACT US
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PARTNERS & 
RESOURCES

MEET SOME OF OUR FOUNDERS

Get full access to our vibrant community of over 200+ founders when you join our platform.

Ashunta Sheriff Beauty

Ashunta Sheriff
LINK

Pound Cake

Camille Bell
LINK

FORVR 
MOOD

Denis Asamoah
LINK

Pressed Roots

Piersten Gaines
LINK

Thirteen Lune

Nyakio Grieco
LINK

LAMIK Beauty

Kim Roxie
LINK

BeautyStat

Ron Robinson
LINK

SKNMUSE

Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye
LINK

Femly

Arion Long
LINK

MYAVANA

Candace Mitchell Harris
LINK

Kazmaleje

LaToya Stirrup & Sisters
LINK

Parfait

Isoken Igbinedion
LINK
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP
MELISSA HIBBERT
President
LINKEDIN
KENDRA BRACKEN-FERGUSON
Founder and CEO Emeritus
LINKEDIN

OUR ADVISORY BOARD

Chidinma Asonye

President, S by Serena

Debra G. Perelman

Advisor, Revlon

Christiane Pendarvis

Co-Chief Executive Officer, PATTERN Beauty

Gloria Chang YIP, CFA

Managing Director and Head of Asian Wealth Initiatives at J.P. Morgan Private Bank

Kyle Walker

Co-Founder and Chief Acquisitions/Integration Officer at Foundry

Footnotes:

1. https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/the-vc-female-founders-dashboard

2. https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/17/funding-black-founders-down-in-2023/

3. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/black-representation-in-the-beauty-industry

4. Various, including: Multiple studies by McKinsey & Company, Kauffman Fellows Research Center, Pitchbook, Goldman Sachs. See also: First Round Capital, “The 10 Year Project” July 2015.