finalists

Meet Our Top 10 Finalists!

The Everygirl Media Group Foundation is pleased to present the top 10 finalists for the inaugural The Everygirl’s Women-Owned Business Grant powered by La Marca Prosecco, which awards four $5000 grants to women who own small businesses or are pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors. The four awardees will receive $5000 in business funding, as well as exposure through theeverygirl.com and The Everygirl’s social media channels.

Our editorial board has selected 10 finalists from over 500 (!!!) applications—two of the four grant awardees are decided on by this public vote, and two more awardees will be chosen by The Everygirl and La Marca Prosecco teams.

The four grant awardees will be announced on theeverygirl.com on Thursday, October 29.

The voting period has ended.

Questions regarding the grants? Click here.

Read more about the launch of our Foundation and The Everygirl’s Women-Owned Business Grant.

“At 26 years old I was diagnosed with a cervical tumor that was linked to chemicals found in 90 percent of the feminine hygiene options on shelves. I also discovered that the majority of these were designed by men, ergonomically uncomfortable, and harmful for the environment.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2016

Femly is subscription box for feminine/period products with clean, plant-based ingredients. There is also the option to purchase products individually without a subscription. For every purchase, Femly provides donations to organizations promoting period equity, racial equity, and equality. They also donate products and more to organizations that increase access to those in need.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“Femly merges community and hi-tech manufacturing to provide healthier personal care alternatives and education.”

“Wedding planning was tough and stressful beyond what it should be. It was difficult to find all the information we were looking for in one place. It was difficult to find vendors. It was difficult to compare pricing information. It was difficult to determine real-time availability. And in many cases, it was difficult just to get someone to pick up the phone. What should be a fun process turned out to be horrendous.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2020

Pyaari Weddings is an online platform where couples can find wedding vendors, their pricing, and all the information needed to make a decision, cutting out the cost and need for a wedding planner. It easily displays wedding vendor information for more than 1000+ vendors in eight different cities, across the United States. Based on user selections, a user is delivered a final wedding plan in less than five minutes. Pyaari Weddings also offers consulting services, wedding merchandise sourced from local artisans in India, and open source advice and input via blog posts.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“Plan your dream wedding in less than five minutes!”

“Frustrated by all of the other companies (most of them run by men) that cut corners with cheap ingredients, I started making my own high protein collagen bars with real ingredients. I would share these bars with co-workers, fellow fitness instructors, friends, and the feedback was amazing making me realize that I wasn't alone in wanting to reinvent the protein bar and shake up an antiquated, male-dominated industry.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2019

Elavi is the first high protein bar that delivers the most bioavailable collagen, keeps you full with 16g protein, is void of gluten, dairy, refined sugars, and artificial sweeteners, and delivers a decadent taste with just dates and honey. It is created by two female fitness instructors who want to help keep you going—anywhere, anytime.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“We’re a community of health-conscious go-getters, driven and motivated to do more, serve more, and become better versions of ourselves. Our mission is to fuel our community with sustainably sourced ingredients to keep you going through anything, anywhere.”

“When COVID-19 hit and cities started going into lockdown, I started prepping home-cooked meals and platters for frontline healthcare employees and dropping them off to Boston area hospitals for free. It was the only thing I could think of to help out at that time. After a few weeks of hospital drop-offs, people started asking if I would consider selling those platters for personal events or date nights at home.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2020

BoardByMo produces and sells custom charcuterie and cheese boards (currently Boston area-based), virtual classes, e-books, and build-your-own board kits. Ten percent of profits go to a different charity each month—so far including Color of Change, BAGLY, The Innocence Project, and the American Foundation of Suicide Awareness—in an effort to help make a difference while also eating lots of delicious cheese and meats.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“To make a difference and create experiences with food art!”

“I spent my free time snapping photos of my daughter in cute outfits, working with big name brands, and later turning that into a business as a brand photographer for female creatives and entrepreneurs. I’ve now expanded my business to stock photography for Women of Color and women who want to create a more inclusive brand.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2019

Colorjoy Stock is a membership-based service that provides brands with access to a library of stock images celebrating diversity in all body types and skin tones, as well as other business resources. New clean, neutral, and professional images are uploaded weekly.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“To empower women to create more freedom in their lives through their creative businesses, and help them creative brand visuals that reflect their personality, personal style and the work they love to do!”

“We knew the type of skin care products we were looking for but couldn’t find them in stores, trying countless products that were too expensive and didn’t meet our expectations, leaving us disappointed and out of money. Frustrated, but motivated, we decided to develop our own line of skin care products.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2016

Brown & Coconut produces plant-based face and body care products. After researching and identifying the ingredients Letisha and Zeena found effective in healing their own skin, they came up with formulas that matched their needs: plant-based powerhouse products that did exactly what they said.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“Our mission is to provide experiential plant-based products that help the ingredient-conscious individual create delightfully lavish personal care moments while addressing their skin care needs. As a brand, we value authenticity, accessibility, and a high moral code. Simply put, we strive to be there for our customers and do right by them, always.”

“Liz, tired and stressed and NOT desiring to drag her toddler and baby to Target, went to her doorstep and saw boxes from Blue Apron, Stitch Fix, Honest Company and Kiwi Crate—all curated and delivered to help make life easier and better. Where was the equivalent for holiday decorations?”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2019

ReadyFestive is a subscription box service that scours hundreds of vendors and manufacturers to source only quality, on-trend holiday and seasonal decor. Customers are offered curated boxes (in three different size options) of decorations for four seasons and eight holidays, based on an intake questionnaire about preferences and style.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“Our mission is to bring the festive spirit of the holidays and seasons to every home.”

“I started my business because I was tired of seeing women (especially Women of Color) overworked, underpaid, and afraid or unsure how to negotiate because the data clearly shows, when women earn less, there is a community ripple effect.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2020

Ashley Cash Coaching & Consulting specializes in resume writing, job search, interview coaching, and salary negotiation. Services are delivered through a hybrid coaching, curriculum, and community model which affords clients individualized attention, self-paced curriculum, and a network for support.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“Our mission is to help professionals in transition cultivate confidence, starve the stigma around career transition, and ultimately get hired and get paid.”

“Today, brands, consumers, and the environment are losing. We have set out to build something better—an apparel brand we are excited to work for, a brand we want to buy from, and a brand that can make a true impact on sustainability.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2020

Pareto is an e-commerce women’s apparel brand that identifies pieces that make up the core 20 percent of the closet that women actually wear, and then perfects every detail of each piece. New pieces are launched one addition at a time, and each new piece is permanent in the assortment, ultimately building a wardrobe of timeless essentials. Each new wardrobe addition is guided by three product development pillars: perfect fit, purposeful details and pure traceability.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“Women wear 20% of their closets, 80% of the time, yet the apparel industry is all about more—more product, more often. We’re here to challenge this need for “more.” We’re here to show the world that great wardrobes and great brands can be built from fewer, more purposeful pieces. One piece at a time, we make the best version of the clothing you actually wear. “

“After the murder of George Floyd, we received several requests from friends, networks, and referrals to facilitate 'healing' spaces for Black/African American employees within the workplace. During this time, many companies were struggling with how to respond in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and even more so, struggling with how to hold space for their Black colleagues and employees.”

BUSINESS FOUNDED IN: 2020

and/now provides racial justice and healing workshops, trainings, tools, consulting, and coaching for individuals and businesses based on an organization’s needs, goals, and strategic plan. In November, and/now will be launching a BIPOC-focused six month cohort for individuals to grow their personal and professional skills on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), while also attending to their healing and wellness in the face of racism.

COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT:

“We seek to build a radical collective for revolutionary wellness and collective rising through the prism of racial justice and social healing.”

The voting period has ended.