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2022 Cantu Elevate Winner is SknMuse Founder Ezinne Iroanya

Founders of Sade Baron and Lamik Beauty also awarded grant money by in pitch competition with PDC’s Cantu Beauty and BrainTrust Founders Studio.

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By: Christine Esposito

Editor-in-Chief

Cantu Elevate, the brand-owned initiative and entrepreneurship accelerator program from multicultural hair and skincare brand Cantu Beauty, together with BrainTrust Founders Studio (BTFS), has selected the 2022 Cantu Elevate $20,000 grant winner: Ezinne Iroanya, founder and CEO of SKNMUSE. Iroanya’s body care brand prioritizes “elevating the beauty experience for Black women” while utilizing clean ingredients as well as clean beauty practices adopted from West Africa, according to Cantu and BTFS, which is beauty and wellness membership platform for Black founders.

“Black founders are filled with ideas and dreams that sometimes die with them,” said Iroanya. “That is why initiatives like Cantu Elevate and BrainTrust Founders Studio are important. They provide resources for companies like mine to thrive on fertile soil.”

Each founder in the competition participated in masterclasses led by Cantu and its partner agencies—BrainTrust, The Sasha Group, and Reddish—to strengthen their business and marketing acumen and subsequently grow their budding businesses.

The finalists then advanced in the selection process through their engaging pitches presented live and virtually at the BTFS Founders House last weekend in New Orleans. Cantu and BTFS awarded finalists Rachel Lambo, founder of Sade Baron, and Kim Roxie, founder of Lamik Beauty, $10,000 grants, in addition to $1,000 grants to the remaining five competitors for their participation, for a total of $45,000 awarded throughout the program.

Cantu is owned by PDC Brands.

As the 2022 Cantu Elevate winner,  Iroanya will join Dametria Kinsley, vice president of global marketing at Cantu Beauty for the BTFS B School: Business of Beauty Summit in Atlanta this October to share how her business has expanded with the support of Cantu Elevate and supporting agencies.

“Exposure is everything,” said  Kinsley. “Cantu is proud to help expose Black Female Founders to the tools and resources that have helped us grow over the years.  The ultimate goal is to build better business ecosystems to support and shape the future of beauty, which is more diverse and female-led than it has ever been before.”

Cantu Elevate is just one of Cantu Beauty's commitments to elevate their communities through bespoke events, programming, and both financial and intellectual resources. Last year, the brand began a multi-year relationship with nonprofit Gyrl Wonder, to support Black and Latina communities by nurturing the next generation of female leaders from curl to toe. The partnership continues this year with Gyrl Wonder's #GyrlGetHired programming, powered by Cantu.

You can reach about Cantu Elevate in 2021 here.

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