Maesa Selected Three Beauty Startup Founders for Incubator

The incubator program awards grant funding and mentorship to help emerging brands scale their businesses.

Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Beauty

Gouache-painted illustration of a glass serum bottle and three botanical shapes, representing beauty industry incubation and mentorship. — Maesa has awarded grant funding and mentorship to three beauty startup founders to help their brands achieve long-term growth. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Maesa has chosen three beauty brand founders for its 2027 incubator program. The selected entrepreneurs will receive mentorship and a $35,000 grant to help grow their businesses.

Why it matters

The program aims to support founders from underrepresented communities as they navigate early-stage growth. Maesa anticipates that a participant will eventually reach the $100 million revenue threshold.

Program eligibility requires participants to have less than $1 million in revenue. Each founder receives a $35,000 grant to support their startup.

The players

Maesa

Maesa is a company that operates an incubator program to support beauty founders from underrepresented communities.

Eniye Okah

Eniye Okah is the founder of Beame, a company that produces UV-detection face patches.

Monique Claiborne Cardwell

Monique Claiborne Cardwell is the founder of Sugar Standard, a brand specializing in press-on nails for children and tweens.

Hau Yeung and Erin Choi

Hau Yeung and Erin Choi are the founders of Gemi, which creates K-beauty hand-care products.

The details

Participants work with mentors on tailored major and minor topics during the program. The class includes Eniye Okah of Beame, Monique Claiborne Cardwell of Sugar Standard, and Hau Yeung and Erin Choi of Gemi.

Maesa launched the incubator program in 2023.
Participants attend meetings at Harvard in October 2026.
The program concludes at the Cosmoprof trade show in January 2027.

Culture Shift

This program reflects a broader trend of corporate incubators providing structured mentorship to underrepresented founders. By targeting brands with under $1 million in revenue, Maesa is positioning itself to capture high-potential startups early in their lifecycle.

Consumers should expect to see increased availability of niche products from Beame, Sugar Standard, and Gemi as these brands receive professional guidance. The program duration and funding suggest these startups will focus on rapid operational scaling in the coming months.

The takeaway

Incubator programs act as a bridge for founders to move from initial launch to professional market scaling. Aspiring entrepreneurs should prioritize defining niche product categories to better qualify for industry-backed support.