Nancy Twine, Entrepreneur, Executive, Investor and Philanthropist, recently announced the Dream Makers Founder Grant. A visionary initiative designed to empower and support female entrepreneurs. There is a particular focus on Black and BIPOC founders in the consumer goods industry. The one-million-dollar grant aims to bridge the resource gap and help emerging businesses flourish. The grant, spanning four years from 2024 to 2027, will distribute $250,000 annually to selected grant recipients.
The need for funding
“Navigating early-stage business funding can be incredibly challenging. Much of my decade-long trajectory growing Briogeo was spent as a heads-down entrepreneur, focused on building the business. As I eventually scaled the business, I was able to be more ‘heads-up’ mentoring and investing in other entrepreneurs. Inspired by my journey, I created the Dream Makers Founder Grant to provide critical, early-stage funding to underrepresented female founders. This support is uniquely structured—it doesn’t involve surrendering rights, equity or entail payback obligations. It’s designed to let these founders concentrate on their vision while securing essential initial funding to bridge pivotal startup needs,” said Twine.
The Dream Makers Founder Grant will collaborate with Sephora’s 2024 Accelerate program and Fifteen Percent Pledge.
Statements from grant collaborators
“At Sephora, we believe in pushing for more diverse voices and perspectives within the beauty industry. Partnering with the Dream Makers Founder Grant aligns with our commitment to fostering inclusivity and supporting underrepresented beauty entrepreneurs. By collaborating with Nancy Twine and this initiative to further support Sephora Accelerate founders, we aim to empower the next generation of beauty leaders and contribute to a more equitable and vibrant industry,” shared Priya Venkatesh, Global Chief Merchandising Officer at Sephora.
“At the Fifteen Percent Pledge, we are working to close the racial wealth gap by calling on retailers to dedicate a minimum of 15 percent of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. Now more than ever, we recognize that advancing our mission requires direct investment in the growth of Black-owned businesses,” said Aurora James, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge. “As a Black business owner myself, I know firsthand the barriers that entrepreneurs face when trying to find the necessary capital to grow their businesses and how much of an impact the Dream Makers Founders Grant will make. I want to thank Nancy for her partnership and commitment to our shared mission.”
Twine said, “I am eternally grateful for the bets placed on me over the years and am thrilled to pay this opportunity forward. I hope that the Dream Makers Founder Grant, coupled with mentorship, will inspire and empower underrepresented female founders to relentlessly pursue their dreams.”
For more information about the grant, eligibility and deadlines, visit NancyTwine.com/TheGrant and 15PercentPledge.org/Award.
Nancy Twine’s Story
Nancy Twine has carved her own unique path in the business world. She pivoted from her first career as a VP at Goldman Sachs. She sought a different life filled with inspiration and purpose. Tapping into her mother’s roots in natural product formulation, Nancy created Briogeo. A clean, high-performance hair care line that pioneered the “skinification” of hair movement. At 29, Nancy became the then-youngest Black woman to launch a product line at Sephora. The brand has gone on to win dozens of awards for innovation. It has one of the highest number of Allure Beauty Awards in the prestige hair care space.
In 2022, less than 10 years after launch, Nancy sold Briogeo to The Wella Company. Nancy is one of the few Black CEOs and businesswomen who have launched & scaled a global business, raised over $20M of Private Equity Funding and sold her company in a strategic M&A process – all before the age of 40.
While Nancy continues in her role as Founder & CEO of Briogeo globally, she is now evolving once again, harnessing the power of her business expertise and life experience to enrich the lives of her community. She provides meaningful connections to information, tools and resources on NancyTwine.com and through her upcoming podcast, Makers Mindset. Nancy is helping to open up a world of possibilities for others empowering everyone to create a life well lived.
Twine’s work today
Today, Nancy is an active investor in multiple startups across the Beauty, Wellness, Food & Beverage, Tech and Real Estate industries. She is also considered a leading expert in entrepreneurship, growth mindset and female leadership. She has been sought out for profiles and opinions from publications such as Inc., Forbes, WWD, NPR, Allure and Vogue. Nancy is the recipient of the Goldman Sachs Builders + Innovators Award, Entrepreneur’s 100 Women of Impact, Inc.’s Female Founders 100 and Black Enterprise 40 Under 40 amongst others. She currently serves on the board of Cosmetic Executive Women and the philanthropic organization, Room to Grow.
For more information, visit nancytwine.com or @NancyTwine on social media.
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