For women of color, it can take hours to style their natural, highly textured hair after shampooing. Dawn Myers, who chose to eschew damaging chemical relaxers as a young woman, set out to provide those with tight coils like her own with a solution that made styling faster and was better for textured hair. Her patented device, The Mint by Richualist, is a thermal infuser and styler that heats and applies conditioning product while gently detangling hair in a convenient, easy-to-use all-in-one device.

Many new mothers breastfeed their newborns, but turn to pumping once they return to work. Pumping has its challenges and Veon Brewster discovered that tracking the expiration of her pumped milk was one of them. So she developed Veba Baby, the only baby bottle monitor that tracks the temperature and expiration of a mother’s milk in real time, ensuring peace of mind that it remains safe for babies’ consumption.

When it comes to sweet treats, more is definitely better. So when Delson Jeanvilma developed Yum Crumbs, they quickly gained a following. Jeanvilma describes the product as “if a cookie and a sprinkle had a baby.” Meant to be sprinkled on everything from ice cream and cakes to fruit, they can also be used in baking and as a rub for an extra texture and taste profile. Yum Crumbs are offered in 20 flavors and also has gluten-free options.

While attending Norfolk State University, Ashley Jones was disappointed with the collegiate apparel available on campus. None of it, she felt, reflected her individual style or represented the ethos of the HBCU. So she created Tones of Melanin, a line of collegiate athleisurewear. Jones soon struck licensing deals with HBCUs across the country, as well as with historically Black fraternities and sororities and now sells Tones of Melanin at a variety of big-name retailers in addition to on HBCU campuses.

Margaret Nyamumbo grew up as a third-generation coffee farmer in Kenya, where she witnessed firsthand the inequalities in the coffee industry. Women played a significant role in coffee production but often faced challenges related to land ownership and fair compensation for their efforts. To help women earn their due, the Harvard MBA launched Kahawa 1893, and works directly with women farmers in Kenya, Rwanda and Congo. In addition to providing fair and sustainable earnings, Kahawa 1893 enables consumers to tip the women by scanning a QR code on each bag, and matches every tip the women receive.