June 26, 2025
Maesa Magic Incubator To Offer Early-Stage Beauty Founders $35K Grants
The Maesa Magic Incubator program seeks to award beauty founders with funding, weekly curriculum, mentorship and promotional opportunities.
Maesa Magic Incubator opened applications for its 2025-26 program and welcomes early-stage beauty and wellness founders from historically marginalized communities to apply for its $35,000, no-strings-attached grant funding.
Now in its third year, the fast-track business-building incubator has awarded over $200,000 in funding to entrepreneurs. “The Maesa Magic Incubator was created in direct response to the ever-present entrepreneurial access gap and aims to empower and amplify early-stage, underrepresented voices,” the website states. “The beauty and wellness industry has created an abundance of incubator programs for specific under-served populations over the past decade, but time and time again, early-stage entrepreneurs are ineligible due to a lack of revenue or inability to be shelf-ready.”
The program offers recipients a hands-on entrepreneurship curriculum, in-person workshops, events, funding, publicity, and community. Measa’s Hands-On Entrepreneurial Track offers a weekly curriculum conducted through virtual lectures and fireside chats with successful beauty and wellness company founders, unique major and minor tracks, and a final capstone project to present to a distinguished Advisory Board. Entrepreneurs are granted admission to Emerson University’s “Future of Commerce and Work” program at Harvard Faculty Club, a fully paid trip to Cosmoprof North America Miami in January 2026, and a premium BeautyMatter membership.
According to a press release, “with less than 3% of venture capital going to women and/or BIPOC founders, the industry’s pipeline problem runs deep,” and Maesa aims to change that. The Maesa Magic Incubator program, founded by Kelly Kovack, is “a hands-on, high-impact program” from the team behind Kristen Ess Haircare, Hairitage by Mindy McKnight, Being Frenshe by Ashley Tisdale, and Fine’ry.
Three winners will be selected to receive a $35,000 grant to support their business, promotional support on CEW, BeautyMatter, and Maesa handles, and mentorship from beauty founders, Maesa executive leaders, and industry experts. Previous program recipients include: The Potion Studio founder Aziza El Wanni; Trinoli founder Marsha McBain; House of Foster fragrance brand owner Selah Jael; and Fuzz Clinic hair removal brand owner Keisha Wagner-Gaymon.
The application for the Class of 2026 is now open and will close Aug. 6 at 11:59 pm EST. Women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, differently abled individuals, seniors 65+, and those from low-income households are encouraged to apply via Maesa’s official website.
RELATED CONTENT: Savannah James Enters Beauty Biz With Luxe Skincare Brand