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AFROCENCHIX FOUNDERS: Jocelyn Mate and Rachael Corson

THE FOUNDERS of Afrocenchix, an organic haircare brand, have been announced as finalists of WeWork’s Creator Awards.

Rachael Corson and Jocelyn Mate, both 28, are one of five finalists within the business venture category.

On Thursday (October 25) they will pitch to a panel of esteemed judges in London for their chance to win prizes ranging from $18,000 to $360,000.

The panel of internationally renowned judges will include: Ashton Kutcher, Hollywood actor and entrepreneur; Vanessa Kingori, Vogue publishing director; Michelle Kennedy, app entrepreneur; and Jonas Templestein, co-founder of Monzo. Diplo will headline the event.

Mate and Corson – who were selected as finalists from nearly 800 applicants – founded Afrocenchix back in 2009, after meeting at the University of Birmingham. They shared a frustration with afro hair care options, having tried countless products which claimed to be great for afro hair, but just didn’t work and contained lots of harmful chemicals, and so they got to work on creating their own.

Afrocenchix, based in London, works with UK scientists and chemists to hand blend natural and organic hair ingredients, in order to make hair care as simple as possible for men and women with afro hair.

The Creator Awards is a global initiative that has been established by WeWork to recognise and reward creators from all over the world. A purpose-led event, The Creator Awards furnishes individuals, start-ups, non-profits and established businesses with the extra funding they need to take their ideas to the next stage.

Whether entrepreneurs are just planting the seeds of their idea or already growing a full-fledged operation, awards are granted for innovation at every level, in every industry.

The awards cover three different categories – performing arts, non-profit, business venture.

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