“With all the innovations in beauty across emerging brands, new business models, and consumer experiences, we are excited to support startups and discover the next generation of Beauty,” says Shana Randhava, Vice President of New Incubation Ventures and New Business Development at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
“It brings us great joy,” she says in today’s media release, “to be a presenting sponsor of this year's Roadmap to Billions Conference by Black Women Talk Tech.”
Tech conference by and for Black female founders
The Roadmap to Billions conference from Black Women Talk Tech is now in its 5th year. The 2021 edition, this August 12 and 13, will be a virtual event and will welcome “over 2,500 investors, tech evangelists, and founders for an exclusive virtual gathering of Black female founders in the tech world,” according to the event website.
The event is multifaceted with breakout sessions, expert speakers, recruiting opportunities, tech awards, cash prizes, and much more. Content is organized into 4 tracks: leadership, product and technology, finance and operations, and culture and marketing.
Beauty pitch competition for Black women in tech
This year’s Roadmap to Billions pitch competition is sponsored by Google and by The Estée Lauder Companies. $50,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded over the course of the event. Interested founders must lead a company in one of these categories: cosmetics, skin care, hair care, retail tech, or consumer experience and engagement tech.
To apply for the competition, Founder must purchase a ticket to the Roadmap to Billions event here. Have a company in one of the categories listed above and complete the application which, “will be sent via email to everyone who purchases a ticket in a separate email,” explains the release, noting also that, “The pitch application process is being powered by Fundr, the only automated seed investing platform.”
Esosa Ighadaro and Regina Gwynn co-founded the Black Women Talk Tech collective in 2017 to “identify, support and encourage Black women to build the next billion dollar business,” according to the organization’s site.
And speaking directly to the ELC sponsorship of this year’s Roadmap to Billions, Gwynn says, "We admire the work that Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is doing to further opportunities for the Black and minority communities. Their Diversity and Inclusion efforts are superb and we are glad that their team believes in our mission."
