Women Startup Competition semi-finalists mentored by Glov – one of Avon’s Innovation Incubator success stories

The team behind Glov, a start-up that Avon has previously nurtured as part of its Innovation Incubator programme, is mentoring semi-finalists in the Women Startup Competition (WSC) in Poland.

As principal sponsor, Avon is proud to work with WSC to drive change in the start-up industry which currently sees women account for only 27% of all start-ups and 7% of the funding pool. With a millions-strong network of beauty entrepreneurs all over the world, championing women’s entrepreneurship is baked into the Avon’s DNA.

The brand has also partnered with businesses, including start-ups like Glov, to open up its brand with an exciting innovation pipeline. In partnership, Avon and Glov have launched its signature innovative soap-free cleansing glove in five markets, and at the semi-final event in Poland, the Glov team will pass on their invaluable knowledge and experience to support other entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses.

Glov’s co-founder Monika Żochowska is a former Avon Representative and proud to be working the global beauty powerhouse once again. She said: “I have always wanted to be a businesswoman and when I was 14 my mum had a friend working as AVON consultant. I wanted be like her - independent, working with cosmetics, being active, buying cosmetics cheaper and always be the first to know what’s new. This is how my business story of my life has started!”

In April this year, Avon announced its partnership with WSC, a not-for-profit organisation set up to inspire, educate and unite female entrepreneurs from around the world. The semi-final in Poland is one of a series of semi-final events around the world at which contestants are pitching their ideas or brands to the investment community. Ania Jakubowski, General Manager of Avon in Poland, will be on the judging panel.

The grand finals will take place in London in November, bringing together the winners from all the semi-final events to pitch again. They will be joined by the winners of the WSC online Beauty Accelerator programme – powered by Avon, so that WSC can award the ultimate prize.

Louise Scott, Chief Scientific Officer at Avon, said: “We are really excited to be partnering with Women Startup Competition. There is a great deal of alignment in our missions. This alliance not only allows us to support more women in their business endeavours but is also very consistent with our mission to open up our innovation program to new ideas - allowing us to discover early promising new beauty innovations that could be highly appealing to our global network of Representatives and consumers.”

Avon has sponsored the beauty sub-category of the competition, reviewing and screening applications and helping to judge the winners. Avon commits to providing a customised mentoring programme for the beauty category winners within its Innovation Incubator, helping support their business growth.