How Beauty Insiders Think Sephora Accelerate Can Prepare Brands For More Than Launch Day

In a fiercely competitive beauty market where retailers are battling Amazon, TikTok Shop and one another for relevance, retail-readiness accelerator programs have become strategic pipelines for forging early relationships with emerging brands and helping guide them to success.

Launched in 2016, Sephora’s Accelerate was among the first retail-readiness programs of its kind focused on female founders, and in its 10th year it’s evolving to keep pace with the changing realities of beauty retail. The updated curriculum centers on brand launch fundamentals and scaling a business for long-term success, spanning operations, finance, media training, team building and strategic planning. Participants also receive personalized mentorship from Sephora executives, industry leaders, brand founders and program alumni.

Carolyn Bojanowski, EVP of merchandising at Sephora in the United States, describes the revamped program as part of a broader support network designed to extend beyond the curriculum. “Our updated curriculum recognizes that no two brands or founder journeys are the same,” she says. “It takes a holistic view of brand building, equipping founders with the tools to define, own and refine their unique point of view while building toward scale.”

Sephora previously modified Accelerate in 2021, when it concentrated the program on BIPOC-owned brands as part of its diversity efforts and commitment to the Fifteen Percent Pledge. To date, 41 brands have graduated from the program, with more than half launching at Sephora, including Topicals, Fara Homidi, Eadem, Kulfi, 54 Thrones, Basma Beauty and The 7 Virtues. Sephora Accelerate exists within a wider group of retail readiness programs, and Ulta Beauty’s MUSE, Walmart Start and Target Accelerators are among the others.

As Sephora adapts Accelerate for beauty’s next era, we were curious to find out what beauty industry insiders think about the best moves for the program. In our ongoing series posing questions relevant to indie beauty, we asked eight former Accelerate graduates, consultants and investors the following question: How would you change Sephora’s Accelerate program to provide the most value for founders operating in today’s retail landscape and in the future?

Funmi Monet Founder, Influxious

Sephora’s Accelerate program has already done something incredibly important by opening doors for founders who historically haven’t had access to this industry. But if we're talking about the future of retail, especially in beauty and fragrance, I think the program needs to evolve from being primarily mentorship-focused into a true operational growth incubator.

A lot of founders today already understand branding, storytelling and community. Founder-creators, like myself, have especially mastered marketing, community and social influence. What becomes challenging is navigating the operational complexity of scaling successfully into retail.

I'd love to see Accelerate go deeper on the systems side: supply chain and inventory forecasting, retailer compliance and EDI, international manufacturing and logistics. And on the financial side: cash flow management during wholesale expansion, paid media efficiency and retention and retail sell-through strategy post-launch. These aren't random pain points. They're connected, and founders need them taught as a system.

The last thing is longer-term support beyond launch. Getting into Sephora is one milestone. Staying there and growing profitably is the real challenge. Continued mentorship, alumni funding access, operational office hours and trusted vendor partnerships could make a real difference in founder longevity.

Going forward, the most impactful accelerators will be the ones that help founders build resilient businesses capable of scaling, adapting and surviving in a rapidly changing retail environment, not just launch-ready brands.

Nisha Phatak Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Lion Pose

Acceptance into Sephora Accelerate was a literal dream come true. We were a pre-launch brand with just one skincare product barely in development, and first-time beauty founders at that. The exposure we gained to Sephora leadership, merchants and other brand founders was truly unparalleled.

Given our early stage—and the similarly early stages of other founders in the program—the one thing I might add is a realistic launch timeline that meets small brands where they are. Very few founders realize that most brands spend years building community before stepping into retail.

From the outside, it can seem as though brands explode out of nowhere and instantly achieve millions in sales, but that’s simply not the case. Being transparent, not just idealistic, about what a successful launch, growth timeline, and exit truly look like in beauty could be one of the most valuable takeaways from the program.

Madhu Punjabi Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Lion Pose

Sephora Accelerate Program gave us the biggest gift: a lifelong sisterhood of founders going through the same experience. Four years later, we still keep in touch to share wins and losses, trade advice and check in on each other’s families. As a founder, that friendship and bond is something I would never trade.

If I could add one thing, it would be more tailored content for early-stage, capital-constrained brands. Retail is expensive and we learned that the hard way. Deep, practical sessions on retail cost structure, how to build a financial model and forecasting a path to positive EBITDA could be game-changing.

Those skills are critical for ensuring a brand not only launches but thrives long after the program ends. Financial education is an area I am particularly passionate about, and spend time with new founders to walk them through this.

Manica Blain Founder and Investor, Top Knot Ventures

I actually think Sephora Accelerate’s evolution toward long-term brand building and operational readiness is directionally very smart. Retail and capital environments founders are operating in today are fundamentally different than they were even five years ago.

If I could add anything further to the curriculum, I’d probably focus even more heavily on capital strategy and retail economics. A lot of founders are incredibly strong at product, branding, community-building and storytelling, but far fewer deeply understand how capitalization decisions impact long-term optionality and durability.

The reality is that not all growth capital is created equal. The amount of capital you raise, the timing of it, the expectations attached to it and the type of investor sitting around your table can dramatically shape the trajectory of the business years later.

I think Sephora Accelerate has a huge opportunity to help founders better understand:

dilution and ownership management,
debt versus equity financing,
retail margin structures,
inventory planning,
promotional strategy,
cash conversion cycles,
and what “healthy” growth actually looks like within beauty today.

I’d also love to see more curriculum around the operational realities of scaling inside modern retail. Not just “how to launch at Sephora,” but what happens after launch:

maintaining productivity,
supporting field education,
balancing DTC and retail,
managing inventory and open-to-buy cycles,
and building true hero products that can sustain velocity over time.

Another area I think is increasingly important is helping founders understand that brand pillars evolve. Sustainability, clean beauty, transparency, wellness, these were once highly differentiated concepts. Increasingly, consumers view many of these things as table stakes rather than true differentiation.

So, the question becomes: what happens once the initial positioning advantage normalizes? How does the brand continue evolving culturally, emotionally and commercially over a 10-plus year horizon? Hearing from founders who have built enduring brands through these evolutions I'm sure could be hugely impactful for the next cohort.

And, finally, I think one of the most valuable things Sephora can continue providing is exposure to founders and operators who are willing to speak honestly about the messy middle, not just the launch moment or the glossy success story.

Because building enduring beauty brands today requires a very different skill set than simply generating early excitement. And the founders who understand both brand-building and capital discipline are the ones I increasingly believe will build the most resilient companies over the long-term.

Karen Hayes Founder, Indie Global Strategies

Sephora’s Accelerate program deserves its flowers. A decade in, it’s launched fantastic brands like Fara Homidi, Sienna Naturals and Eadem while meaningfully advancing the Fifteen Percent Pledge, but as the beauty landscape evolves, so should this industry cornerstone.

The paradox for indie brands is that it’s easier than ever to launch, yet exponentially harder to sustain growth beyond that critical $10 million threshold. With venture funding tightening and BIPOC founders facing steeper hurdles than ever in the current political climate, emerging brands need more than mentorship and retail fundamentals: they need financial firepower and long-term strategic support.

I can envision Accelerate 2.0 as a tiered approach that addresses the industry’s current realities. The foundational program could continue nurturing early-stage brands, while an “upperclassman” track targets established brands striving to reach $50 million. Think Y Combinator for beauty: meaningful six-figure funding through strategic partnerships, integrated long-term business planning and post-graduation support to ensure brands don’t just launch but thrive across a variety of retail channels (important for brands who don’t make it to The Next Big Thing wall).

Ulta’s MUSE program has raised the bar with substantial funding commitments. Sephora has the opportunity to reclaim leadership by creating a more comprehensive support system; one that acknowledges the full journey from startup to scale-up. The program’s prestige already opens doors industry-wide. Imagine the impact if it also provided the capital and strategic depth to keep them open.

In truth, the beauty industry needs fewer launches and more sustainable success stories. Sephora’s next evolution could deliver exactly that.

Kelly St. John Founder and CEO, KSJ Collective

Sephora’s Accelerate curriculum has focused on mentorship, merchandising support, investor connections, and sometimes, leads to a confirmed launch with the retailer. In 2024, I was excited when they added advisory teams for each participant (financial experts, industry partners and successful founders).

As the program reaches a decade of impact, celebrating diverse categories in beauty, and the industry continues to evolve, here are some enhancements I feel would add value for today’s brand founders.

Post-Launch Support and Inventory Resilience
At KSJ Collective, we often meet brands who secured shelf space early in their lifecycle but come to us struggling post-launch due to inventory and supply constraints. Having the right inventory to support the shelf space is critical.
Suggestion: Introduce brands to operations and back-end support post-launch via supply-chain coaching, inventory forecasting, demand planning workshops to help ensure shelf longevity and reduce stockouts.
Capital Access and Flexible Financing
Access to capital remains a persistent obstacle for today’s brands and often delays a brand’s ability to engage with us early on before costly mistakes are made.
Suggestion: Complement existing grants with alternative funding options such as no-interest micro-loans, matched funding or partnerships with VC networks. This allows brands to scale sustainably without sacrificing financial control.
Coaching on Sustainable, Long-Term Growth Strategy
We see a tendency for brands to fast-track expansion and aim for rapid growth rather than focus on brand DNA and incremental strategy.
Suggestion: Add modules that emphasize scalability with brand identity, long-term brand positioning, customer loyalty and gradual expansion strategies tailored to each founder’s vision.
Application Transparency and Feedback
Brands who apply and are not chosen would greatly benefit from understanding the key factors that impacted their eligibility.
Suggestion: Provide constructive feedback to applicants who aren’t selected so they can refine future submissions and understand if/when their brand might be a fit. Greater clarity on eligibility, such as whether the focus remains on Black-owned brands, if funding is required or if pre-launch brands are still considered. This would make the process feel less like a “black box” and help applicants self-assess before applying.

These types of refinements would help turn Sephora Accelerate from an excellent launchpad into a genuinely sustainable growth engine for diverse beauty brands. There is an opportunity to support founders not just through launch, but through scaling and enduring impact.

Tasha Blackman Founder and CEO, Blackman Digital Consulting

One of the first things I’d change about the Sephora Accelerate Program is how “early stage” is defined. Right now, having a prototype is enough to qualify, but there’s a big difference between having a product and running a beauty business for a few years.

Once you’ve been in it, you know your customer, you’ve tested whether your product truly stands out, and you’ve seen all the ways people actually use it. You’ve gathered feedback, refined your product and built the kind of insight that makes the program’s education and mentorship far more valuable.

Founders would benefit from greater transparency about the real cost of doing business with a retailer. They’re paying for associate education, sampling, product, marketing and more, and that’s before they even talk about driving sales. Just getting on Sephora’s shelf or e-commerce site isn’t a silver bullet.

Founders still have to drive traffic there, keep it coming and maintain their own DTC business at the same time, all while managing margins across channels and keeping the brand afloat. Landing at Sephora is the beginning, not the finish line.

Lastly, the program should offer real, direct access to capital for all founders. Early-stage brands need the chance to connect one-on-one with investment partners to learn exactly what investors are looking for. That way, when it’s time to raise, they already know what’s needed, how to position themselves and what it takes to scale. Giving that access early could change a business’s trajectory before funding conversations even start.

Anna Vale Marketing and Communications Leadership Consultant

The program already offers founders a great deal. It supports them not only with education and resources, but also with network and business acumen.

I’m seeing many founders enter retail long before they are ready with team, structure, awareness. This program should be radically transparent about expectations and the harsh reality of securing shelf space.

From there, founders need support understanding the challenges of building true awareness, customer retention and real brand stickiness while building brand heat without overspending. The brands winning today are building emotional connection and cultural relevance long before they scale the distribution channel.

I’d also extend support well beyond the initial program window. The hardest phase is often 12 to 24 months after launch, when brands are navigating reorder pressure, cash flow strain and growth expectations. Continued access to advisors, operators and peer networks during that period would create far more long-term success stories.

If you have a question you'd like Beauty Independent to ask brand founders, consultants and investors, send it to [email protected].