How could we create an event focused on the future of the beauty industry when the event might be out of reach to the future leaders of the beauty industry?

Having been in the shoes of start-up beauty founders, we understand bootstrapping and limited budgets. When we decided to take BeautyMatter live for our first summit, integral to our planning was finding a way to make the event accessible to businesses of all sizes in the beauty ecosystem. 

Sandra Lilia Velasquez, CEO and founder, Nopalera, and 2022 NEXT Grant Recipient, said of the program, "One of the greatest assets a founder can have is a network. BeautyMatter facilitates this through their NEXT Grant Program which puts founders in a room with key industry players."

Brandon Ford, Chief Accelerator Director, Lubrizol Life Science, has partnered with us for a second year underwriting the cost to bring eight start-up founders to Los Angeles to join us at our NEXT Summit: The Future of Beauty.

Ford shared, "The Lubrizol Corporation is committed to uplifting the beauty community that we serve. The BeautyMatter NEXT Grant Program is one small way we are working to create a more equitable and inclusive environment for those beauty brands that are often overlooked and underrepresented. Founders often have to choose between having these network opportunities or paying expenses. The NEXT Grant Program is meant to help ease some of the financial conflict and get them in front of people that could help them grow their business.”

REQUIREMENTS

This program is available for all start-ups that are self-funded or have raised angel investment. Venture- or PE-backed businesses do not qualify for this program.

THE GRANT

• 1 ticket to attend the BeautyMatter NEXT Summit (value $1,499) 
• 2 hotel nights at The Hoxton, Downtown Los Angeles, CA (estimated value $600)
• $200 travel stipend 
• 1-year Premium Membership to the BeautyMatter platform (value $290)
• 1-year Independent Beauty Association (IBA) Membership (value $545)
• 1-year mentorship program

KEY DATES

• 9/1 - Application deadline 
• 9 /8 - Grant recipients notified 
• 10/26 - BeautyMatter NEXT Summit: The Future of Beauty held in Los Angeles, CA

This year the Independent Beauty Association will provide the eight grant recipients a year of membership—an invaluable resource for independent businesses in the beauty ecosystem.

Don Frey, President and CEO of IBA, shared, "Integral to our mission is supporting Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Beauty Industry, which fosters growth and economic opportunity. We look forward to the addition of the winners of the NEXT Grant to our association. We relish the opportunity to connect with new businesses and provide practical advice to help them grow their business as well as to provide our personal support as they navigate their next steps.”

If you are interested in the program, please submit here.