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?
As a self-funded business and having been in the shoes of start-up beauty founders, we understand bootstrapping with limited budgets. When we decided to take BeautyMatter live, integral to our planning was finding a way to make the event accessible and meaningful to businesses of all sizes in the beauty ecosystem.
One of a founder's greatest resources is building a network, but the reality is live events are costly to plan and execute, often making them out of reach for early-stage brands. The NEXT Grant Program is meant to help ease some of the financial conflict between attending industry events and paying expenses. Our goal is to put founders in the room with key industry players who could help them grow their businesses and build resources for founder's to access the BeautyMatter community of experts.
2023 NEXT Grant winner Leona Dondi, Founder and CEO of UZIMA, said of the program, "Attending the summit allowed me to meet inspiring founders, connect with industry insiders, and make invaluable new connections. BeautyMatter founder Kelly Kovack and her team's wealth of knowledge has been a crucial resource. As a solo founder, having a trusted source for answers has been indispensable."
She continued, "The recognition UZIMA received as a grantee has significantly raised our profile, leading to press coverage and early meetings with investors. This experience has elevated both UZIMA and my entrepreneurial journey, and I am deeply grateful for it."
We’re looking for founders who appreciate the value of access to the community and looking to take their business to the next level. This isn’t just about funding or charity—it’s about access and support. Grantees can expect to engage with nearly every team at BeautyMatter, whether through office hours sessions, webinars, leveraging our start-up Slack Channel, or sending an SOS for help or a shoulder to lean on.
Scott Gurfein, Founder of Skyefox Ventures and Brand-OS, has partnered with us this year, underwriting the cost of bringing eight start-up founders to Los Angeles to attend our NEXT Summit.
He shared, "Brand-OS is committed to empowering the world’s most ambitious beauty entrepreneurs. As founders who have walked the same challenging roads in pursuit of our own dreams, we know firsthand the positive impact support can have on outcomes. In fact, this is what guides us daily in supporting beauty brands with the financial and operational resources they need most when they have limited resources, and why we back the BeautyMatter NEXT Grant Program."
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.”
REQUIREMENTS
This program is available for early-stage start-ups with less than $1 million in revenue.
THE GRANT
KEY DATES
We’ve done our best to make the application process as streamlined as possible. We look forward to reviewing applications and hearing your stories.
If you are interested in the program, please submit here.
