Ascend.Her Beauty Accelerator Applications Due!

Women of color entrepreneurs face unique challenges, from raising capital to external biases affecting day-to-day operations. As an expansion of Wacif's award-winning Ascend Capital Accelerator program, Ascend.Her is dedicated to serving women of color entrepreneurs through a holistic, multi-week program. Our hands-on approach includes interactive workshops, one-on-one expert consultations, and individualized support. Ultimately, our goal is to support the growth and long-term success of women entrepreneurs of color in the Greater Washington, D.C. region, including the surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia.

This year's Ascend.Her Capital Accelerator program, the Ascend.Her Beauty Cohort, is the first cohort designed by a beauty entrepreneur for beauty entrepreneurs. For this special cohort, we will partner with DMV-based beauty entrepreneur Rahama Wright and her team at the Yeleen Beauty Makerspace to develop a program that is impactful and supportive of local beauty makers. The cohort will focus on small business owners who manufacture and/or sell hair care, skin care, & body care products. This program is designed for entrepreneurs to scale and grow their businesses to the next level.

The Ascend.Her Beauty cohort will include up to fifteen (15) local small businesses owned by women of color entrepreneurs from the Greater Washington, D.C. region.

The focus areas of Ascend.Her Beauty includes:

• How to structure your business
• Product formulation
• Building a customer-focused brand
• Marketing and sales strategies

MEMBERS CAN EXPECT:

• Weekly classes for six weeks
• Individualized, vetted growth plan and opportunity to work with Wacif small business advisers
• Optional expert "open hours" based on what cohort participants need the most (i.e., one-on-one meetings with bankers, legal experts, branding experts, etc.)
• Final "capstone" presentation
• Eligibility for Wacif grant and debt capital
• 12 months of continued accountability and engagement opportunities
• Networking opportunities with other cohort members and alumni of past Ascend Accelerators
• A graduation celebration

• Commit up to 10 hours a week for workshops, research, and class assignments
• Attend all six sessions
• Create a 12-month growth plan
• Build relationships with cohort members, advisors, and other stakeholders
• Attend networking events