How One Cohort of Female-Founded Brands Gave Hope to Each Other and the Retail Space
The Local and Emerging Accelerator program (LEAP) was launched in 2022 and fosters mentorship for a cohort consisting of emerging brands with Whole Foods Market experts, provides tailored educational opportunities and giving participants the potential for direct financial support.
Encouraging emerging brands and giving them the necessary tools to reach success through this program creates a dynamic platform for innovation and enriches the shopping experience for customers who are just as passionate about taste and discovery as we are.
This year’s cohort is made up of brands that are all female-founded, which led to community, hope, and urgency as they grew and thrived.
“Fewer than two percent of all funding goes to female-founded businesses. And it’s even less when you have the intersectionality of a female-founded business with a black-founded business or whatever. Like that’s wild to me. And I think, I think the challenge there is human nature, right?”
Kelly Landrieu, Global Coordinator/Director, Local & Emerging Brands, Whole Foods Market
by 