NEW YORK, NY (June 25, 2021) – The Tory Burch Foundation announced today the 50 early-stage women entrepreneurs selected for the 2021 class of the Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program, now in its seventh year.

Receiving over a thousand applications, the Foundation selected a cohort of diverse small businesses for the year-long education program. The Fellows also have access to a premier online peer-to-peer network, a $5,000 grant for business education, inventory loan-fund and extensive mentorship opportunities.

Traditionally providing four days of workshops in Tory Burch’s New York office, the program evolved in 2020 to focus on virtual learning due to the pandemic. “We pivoted quickly and redesigned our programs to navigate women through the crisis,” noted Laurie Fabiano, President of the Tory Burch Foundation. “As a result, we found better ways to deliver programming and meet the greatest needs of our community.”

Tory welcomed the new group of Fellows over Zoom (watch the video). “To amass this group of women is why I started the company,” said Tory Burch in a virtual welcome address to the incoming Fellows class. “I don’t talk about it a lot, but 17 years ago, that was my business plan: to start a global fashion company so I could start a foundation for women. To see it come to fruition like this; to see this beauty on my screen; hearing you speak, is so inspiring.”

Hailing from 18 states including Washington, D.C., all ranging in age from 24 to 60 - the 2021 Fellows are diverse in every sense of the word. The top industries represented are retail, apparel, food/beverage and technology, with two entrepreneurs making strides in the male-dominated construction industry. Several of the companies represented are purpose-driven, with many focusing on sustainability initiatives and fifty-eight percent of those are founders of color.

The majority of the entrepreneurs have been in business less than five years, and considering that nearly half of all small businesses fail within those first five years, it is a critical time. In addition, women founders are less likely to pass $1 million in revenue.

The Foundation is dedicated to helping the Fellows reach and surpass these key indicators of success.

The 2021-2022 Fellows Program is Made Possible with Support From

BDT Capital

Fossil

General Atlantic Foundation Rene Kern

Trott Family Philanthropies

American Express

Deloitte

Luxottica

PayPal

Shiseido

A Complete List of the 2021 Tory Burch Foundation Fellows

1. Adriana C Vazquez: Lilu, New York
2. Adrienne Pickett: The Guerrilla Politic, Michigan
3. Ahva Sadeghi: Symba, California
4. Amira Rasool: The Folklore, New York
5. Anastasia Montoya: Lean Orb, Florida
6. Annabel Gatto: Suitably, New York
7. Avani Sarkar: Modi Toys, New Jersey
8. Cameron Hardesty: Poppy, Washington DC
9. Catherine Griffin: ImpactableX, Pennsylvania
10. Cecilia Flores: Webee, California
11. Christine Ntim: Global Startup Ecosystem, New York
12. Claudia McMullin: Hugo Coffee Roasters, Utah
13. Emily Bibb: Curated, Colorado
14. Erica Williams: gr8nola, New York
15. Esther Wallace: Playa Society, Massachusetts
16. Fernanda Gomes: Terra Beauty Bars, Florida
17. Janice Omadeke: The Mentor Method, Texas
18. Joyce Zhu: Numa Foods, New Jersey
19. Kahindo Mateene: KAHINDO, New York
20. Katy Flannery: Beckon, Massachusetts
21. Kia-Shun Voltz: ShampooTime, Texas
22. Kim Hehir: Brutus Broth, Maryland
23. Kristen Schmitt: WELL, California
24. Krystal Vaquerano: Sheabrand, New York
25. LaTeasha Gaither-Davis: Therapeutic Focus, Arkansas
26. Lisa Weiss: Storybeat Studio, Illinois
27. Mackenzie Drazan: MiResource, California
28. Malika Jacobs: Kingmakers, Ohio
29. Mandy (Chi Man) Yeung: bobagreen, New York
30. Mariloly Orozco: Little Postage House, Tennessee
31. Meggie Palmer: PepTalkHer, New York
32. Mildred Tolentino: M TO-Pros, New York
33. Movitzsa Simmons: Smooth Pops, New York
34. Pamela J. Booker: Koils by Nature, Georgia
35. Pilar Guzman Zavala: Half Moon Empanadas, Florida
36. Renee Powers: Feminist Book Club, Minnesota
37. Rukayatu (Ruky) Tijani: Firm for the Culture, California
38. Sally King McBride: The Letter Nest, New York
39. Sarah Diehl: Empowered Hospitality, New Jersey
40. Serena Minott: Ashima, Florida
41. Shazia Ijaz: Seek Refuge, California
42. Sheena Jongeneel: Stylette, California
43. Sofia Deleon: ElMerkury, Pennsylvania
44. Stephanie Bolton: Patriot Roofing Company, North Carolina
45. Stephanie Summerson Hall: Estelle Colored Glass, South Carolina
46. Suran Yoo: Silk or Lace, Texas
47. Tamar Miller: Bells & Becks, California
48. Tricia M Taitt: The Art of Money Matters, New York
49. Virginia George: Crafts & Drafts NC, North Carolina
50. Vivian Chen: Rise, New York

About the Tory Burch Foundation

The Tory Burch Foundation advances women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship in the United States by providing access to capital, education and digital resources: the Fellows Program has provided over $1.3M in grants to help women grow their businesses; the Tory Burch Capital Program, powered by Bank of America, has distributed over $65 million dollars in loans to more than 3,500 women entrepreneurs; and each month, the Foundation provides online tools and digital education to more than 500,000 women and more than 10,000 women have created their business plans on ToryBurchFoundation.org.

Weekly webinars supporting small business owners can be viewed here.

Follow the Tory Burch Foundation on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.