APPLEBAUM DARE TO DREAM IMPACT STORY
Lillian Augusta: Creating ‘Hair Without Harm’
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Jannice Newson, M.S.’20, Chicago, IL and Nana Britwum, M.S. ’20, Lawrence, KS
illian Augusta is a company that reimagines the possibilities for Black hair care. Synthetic braiding hair is made from plastic, and it causes irritation for Black women who wear it, as well as adding to the plastic pollution problem in the environment. Plantbased hair eliminates these issues. This venture received Phase II funding in the Applebaum Dare to Dream program offered at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business during the 2019-20 Academic Year.
How It Began
We were just two friends that found ourselves complaining about how uncomfortable synthetic braiding hair is. We began to dig deeper into what made the product so awful. The health and environmental consequences that are linked to synthetic braiding hair made us feel uneasy. As a team of two, we decided to address this problem by developing plant-based braiding hair.
Why We’re Passionate About It
Lillian Augusta started out as a passion project but is now a full-fledged venture. We are Black women scientists who are fed up with the low-quality plastic hair on the market. The lack of transparency and the harm that plastic-based synthetic braiding hair causes to the health of our community and the environment does not sit well with us, so we decided to do something about it. Lillian Augusta seeks to revolutionize the Black hair care industry by offering hair without harm. Our plant-based hair is toxin-free and eco-friendly.
Since participating in Applebaum Dare to Dream, Lillian Augusta won the Michigan Investment Challenge (MIC) investment, the OneMagnify Best in Business Award, and took first place in the Siegle Impact Track at the Michigan Business Challenge. Upon graduation, the two of us are working on Lillian Augusta full-time. The startup is currently in the Desai accelerator and Galvanizer.
Advice
Seize all opportunities that come your way! Taking that first big leap might be scary, but you will always be glad that you did it.
You! The Applebaum Dare To Dream Impact Thank We are so appreciative of the funding and support we received We were fortunate enough to participate in phase II of Applebaum Dare to Dream. The programming, and more importantly, the ZLI staff, helped us develop our business acumen. While participating in Applebaum Dare to Dream, we had the opportunity to interact with other innovators in the Michigan ecosystem.
Updates
We used the Applebaum Dare to Dream funds to purchase equipment to move our product development further along.
through the donors’ generous gifts to the University of Michigan. These funds allowed us to turn our idea into a viable entity. The Applebaum Dare to Dream program was made possible by generous support from the Eugene Applebaum Family Foundation. Offered through Michigan Ross’ Zell Lurie Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies, this program helps undergraduate and graduate students develop a business idea from the ground up by offering business development workshops and awarding grants of $300 up to $5,000.