Five U.S. Female Entrepreneurs in Digital Technology Receive Prestigious L'Oreal USA Women in Digital "NEXT Generation Award"

Innovative Women Leading Technology-Driven Companies Honored for their Digital Ingenuity

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Jul 19, 2012, 09:29 ET

NEW YORK, July 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- L'Oreal USA Women in Digital recognized five women leading groundbreaking digital companies that focus on how technology is revolutionizing the beauty industry during the NEXT Generation awards ceremony in New York City. The highly esteemed L'Oreal USA Women in Digital "NEXT Generation Award" honors the most promising female entrepreneurs in digital technology.

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The L'Oreal USA Next Generation winners were selected by a panel of L'Oreal USA executives, Venture Capital Partners and the L'Oreal USA Women in Digital Board of Advisors that include: Joanne Bradford, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, Demand Media; Shaherose Charania, Co-Founder and CEO, Women 2.0; Carolyn Everson, Vice President, Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook; Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief, Huffington Post Media Group; Jalak Jobanputra, Managing Director and Founding Partner, RTP Ventures; Karin Klein Business Development, New Initiatives, Bloomberg, L.P.; Katie Rae, Managing Director, TechStars Boston; Rudina Seseri, Partner, Fairhaven Capital; Shelley Zalis, CEO, Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange.

"At L'Oreal, women are at the heart of our business and play a fundamental role in the company's success in the US and worldwide," commented Frederic Roze, President & CEO, L'Oreal USA. "The Women in Digital program is a natural extension for L'Oreal USA, as we want to continue our lineage of celebrating and empowering women who will be essential to the growth of our company."

The winners of the 2012 L'Oreal USA Women in Digital "NEXT Generation Awards" are:

Doreen Bloch, Founder CEO, Poshly.com - Poshly is a beauty-meets-digital company that provides customized samples based on an algorithm that will help the beauty industry market to consumers with targeted samples and giveaways.

Bettina Hein, Founder and CEO, Pixibility - Pixability is a video marketing company that helps organizations get the right video in front of the right audience, by driving more business and increasing awareness with online video, whether on YouTube, Facebook, or any other hosting platform with its powerful cloud-based online video marketing software.

Sarah McIlroy, Founder and CEO, FashionPlaytes.com - FashionPlaytes is the first girl-driven fashion and style commerce company. At the forefront of commerce innovation, the FashionPlaytes' website, FPgirl.com, empowers tween girls to create, share and wear original looks, transforming creative ideas into wearable fashions. With millions of possible design combinations, designers on FPgirl.com can create their own brand and showcase their designs through the development of an online collection, studio, look-book, models and participation in social games.

Kathryn Minshew, Founder, The Daily Muse - is the leading online community for professional women (and a few great dudes too). With the recent launch of their career and job discovery tool at CompanyMuse.com, the site also helps connect hundreds of thousands of aspiring professionals with amazing companies.

Vivian Rosenthal, Founder and CEO, GoldRun - GoldRun is an augmented reality mobile platform that transforms traditional digital media placements into immersive and immediately shareable brand-consumer engagements: GPS-defined Virtual Photobooths. Users share their branded AR photos and accompanying messages on various social networks to earn rewards including discounts and coupons, instant win prizes, access to exclusive media and the ability to order products. The free GoldRun virtual camera app is available on iOS and Android.

Additionally, five finalists were named L'Oreal Women in Digital Honorees including: Sophia Kim, Founder & CEO, Tellagami, Melody McCloskey, CEO, StyleSeat, Sarah Paiji, Co-Founder & CEO, Snappette, Janelle Shaffer, Founder, My Best Friend's Hair, and Cheryl Yeo, Co-Founder, City Pockets.

"Having so many distinguished women involved with this initiative is a testament to our honorees and the community of women making strides at the intersection of beauty and technology," stated Rachel Weiss, VP, Digital Strategy and Innovation, L'Oreal USA.

Honorees will be given the opportunity to meet with venture capital firms, L'Oreal USA executives and partners who can help advise them in taking their business to higher levels. In addition, L'Oreal Women in Digital will invite them on an ongoing basis to attend all L'Oreal Women in Digital meet-ups in local markets and will provide mentorship both internally and through the L'Oreal USA Women in Digital Advisory Board.

The L'Oreal USA Women in Digital program was created to support, empower, mentor and educate women working in technology as a collective force across all industries and functions, and to address the underrepresentation of women in digital and technical fields.

For more information please visit: www.lorealwomenindigital.com

About the L'Oreal USA Internal Women in Digital Program
As part of the ongoing commitment to supporting women in digital career paths at L'Oreal USA, L'Oreal will be hosting internal meetings, events, speakers and workshops for all L'Oreal USA employees. The goal of these gatherings will be to provide internal support, inspiration and mentoring for all women at L'Oreal already working or interested in working in digital and IT functions.

About L'OREAL USA
L'Oreal USA, headquartered in New York City, is the #1 wholly-owned subsidiary of L'Oreal SA, the world's leading beauty company. In addition to corporate headquarters in New York, L'Oreal USA has Research and Innovation, Manufacturing and Distribution facilities across six other states including New Jersey, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.

L'Oreal's impressive portfolio of brands includes Lancome, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, Viktor & Rolf, Diesel, Cacharel, L'Oreal Paris, Garnier, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, L'Oreal Professionnel, Kerastase and Shu Uemura Art of Hair. The U.S. is the base for the product development, international marketing and advertising for L'Oreal's twelve American brands: Maybelline New York, Soft-Sheen.Carson, Kiehl's Since 1851, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Essie Cosmetics, Redken 5th Avenue NYC, Matrix, Mizani, Pureology, SkinCeuticals and Dermablend. For more information on our brands visit www.lorealusa.com. Follow us on Facebook at L'Oreal USA – Corporate.

SOURCE L'Oreal Women in Digital