12.13.23
Caress invites the beauty and personal care business community to support the small businesses founded by “resilient, dedicated and inspiring” women of color entrepreneurs that participated in the 2023 Caress Dreams Fund this holiday season.
Caress has invested $2.25 million since 2020 to support women of color entrepreneurs in efforts to address the funding gap that exists. Per the company, less than 1% of women of color receive venture funding for new projects and more than 70% of female founders cite a lack of access to capital as the number on barrier to starting a business.
This year, Caress recommitted $500,000 to IFundWomen of Color to support its mission of elevating women of color entrepreneurs. Together, they’ve awarded $5,000 grants to 12 small businesses specialized in home goods, fashion and beauty products, education, kids' products and food experiences, along with the coaching, mentorship and resources needed to help their businesses achieve success.
Participating Businesses
The women of color entrepreneurs that participated in the 2023 Caress Dreams Fund this holiday season are:
Candice Cox, owner of CanDid Art, an artisanal jewelry, home décor and kids lifestyle brand influenced by the modern African Diaspora and cosmic geometry. (Now available at Nordstroms in eight store locations and online);
Naibe Reynoso, owner of Con Todo Press, a Latina-owned publishing company that creates children’s books that celebrate Latino leaders and culture to help fill the gap in the publishing industry, where Latina/o/x stories are vastly under-represented;
Mary Gui, owner of Sock Candy, a fashion sock line inspired by whimsical prints, bold colors and quirky combinations that celebrates unconventional personal style;
Rossanna Ceccato, owner, ReDress, a clothing company where consumers can swap their dresses and save up to 90% of what they spend buying a new one;
Erica Gammble, owner, The Wig Dr., a quality wig and hair piece maker for men, women and children;
Helya Mohammadian, owner of Slick Chicks, a patented adaptive panties for women;
Rachel Topping, owner of Nappy Head Club, a lifestyle / fashion brand to celebrate unapologetic Blackness in style;
Janet Hoang, owner, Janet Gwen, seller of chic Macbook covers in gold and marble, or silver and marble, hand-painted iPhone cases and colorful and unique cases for Apple products.
Pallavi Pande, owner, Dtocs LLC, seller of palm leaf plates and eco-friendly dinnerware in the USA and Canada;
Kristen Wells-Lewis, owner, Black to the Lab, a STEM educational learning toy designed to expose young girls to science, technology, engineering and math and STEM’s unique impact on the cosmetic industry; and
Ann Sim, owner, The Table Less Traveled, curated trips around the world and live virtual cooking classes.