2019+Annual+Report+Final+v2

“
Our support and engagement are helping the brilliant
pool of FSF talent drive the future of the fashion industry.”
Rick Barber
Global Account Director at SAP
“The FSF Accelerator
Grant gave me the
money, connections, and
advice I needed to make
my brand a success.”
Eleanor Turner
2019 FSF $50,000 Accelerator Grant Recipient
FSF
ACCELERATOR
GRANT
The mission of the annual FSF Accelerator Grant is to invest in
past FSF Scholarship recipients we believe to be the future leaders
of fashion. The program awards a $50,000 grant and a year’s
worth of mentorship to an outstanding FSF Alumni-led company
start-up and $10,000 grant and mentoring to one runner-up. A
team of fashion industry leaders works with our 2019 Accelerator
Grant winner and runner up throughout the year on specific
business issues.
2019 ACCELERATOR GRANT SHARK TANK EVENT
In April 2019, four entrepreneurial FSF Alumni (Jameel
Mohammed, KHIRY, a luxury jewelry company; Francesca
Skwark, Checka, a women’s ready-to-wear brand; Madalyn
Manzeck, Madalyn Joy Designs, a bespoke lingerie brand; and
Nicholas Lee, Arturo, an e-commerce marketplace platform)
pitched their business ideas to four industry luminaries: Waris
Ahluwalia, Designer at House of Waris; Meghan Cross Breeden,
Partner at Amplifyher Ventures; Laurel Pantin, Fashion Features
Director at InStyle; Anushka Salinas, Chief Revenue Officer of
Rent the Runway. Mary Alice Stephenson, Founder of Glam4Good
and renowned fashion expert, moderated the event.
This event was held at SAP's headquarter in New York City and
marked the opening of the application portal for the 2019 FSF
Accelerator Grant.
The winner of the $50,000 2019 FSF Accelerator Grant,
underwritten by SAP, was Eleanor Turner’s The Big Favorite—an
elevated brand reimagined as affordable, recyclable basics. Tim
Tembrink’s Foundationals, a women’s brand that produces modern
styles with sustainable textiles and ethical labor, also received a
$10,000 award as runner-up. Our Accelerator Grant recipients
are actively engaged with FSF industry experts on specific issues
relative to their businesses.
Throughout the year following receipt of the Accelerator Grant,
our winner and runner up have been actively engaged with their
respective FSF mentoring teams on specific issues relative to our
Grant winners’ businesses. Our mentoring teams—comprised of
industry experts—are working with this year’s winners on such
issues as design and product development, sourcing, product
assortment, public relations, digital marketing and customer
acquisition, private equity and other forms of investment, and
brand building, to name a few.
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