VERONICA BEARD AND KENDRA SCOTT DONATE PROCEEDS TO HELP BLACK FOUNDERS START, GROW, AND ACCELERATE THEIR BUSINESSES

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Feb 13, 2024, 00:01 ET

Both brands have partnered with BrainTrust Founders Studio for "The Beauty of Success Books + Bubbles" book tour to expand economic advancement for entrepreneurs.

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a collaborative effort to champion entrepreneurship and foster community empowerment, Veronica Beard and Kendra Scott through their respective programs - VB Gives Back and Kendra Gives Back - have teamed up with Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, founder and CEO of BrainTrust Founders Studio, to support the launch of her first book, The Beauty of Success, Start, Grow and Accelerate Your Brand. Released on February 13, 2024, the book amplifies Bracken-Ferguson's mission to create an ecosystem of resources for entrepreneurs rooted in community, mentorship, education and capital. Proceeds from book tour events held in Veronica Beard and Kendra Scott stores will be donated to BrainTrust Founders Studio to underwrite resources for founders in the community.

Launched in October 2021, BrainTrust Founders Studio is now the largest membership-based platform for Black founders of beauty and wellness companies.

"To have both Veronica Beard and Kendra Scott supporting diverse founders through this launch is a beautiful and important example of how allyship grows the American economy," said Kendra Bracken-Ferguson. "These donations will help BrainTrust Founders Studio provide more founders access to all the studio's offerings, from weekly educational programming to Founders House pop-up stores, and our members-only community app."

Kendra Scott has designed a "Success" engraved personalized necklace that will serve as a symbol of encouragement for all founders and the Kendra Gives Back program's "continued commitment to opening their doors to help strengthen the next generation of courageous, creative, female leaders who will change the world and beyond." The necklace will be available for purchase at the Alpharetta and Austin book tour stops. 20% of proceeds will further support BrainTrust Founders Studio.

According to McKinsey & Company: Building Supportive Eco-Systems for Black-Owned US Businesses*, "Black entrepreneurs also lack access to the networks and relationships that could help them make optimal business decisions. Research on New York–based start-ups shows that founders who are mentored by top-performing entrepreneurs are three times more likely than their co-located peers without mentors to become top performers themselves."

"The BrainTrust Founders Studios commitment to creating equity for entrepreneurs is inspiring, and we are so thrilled to support its amazing work." - Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, Co-Founders, Veronica Beard

Join "The Beauty of Success Books + Bubbles Tour" through December by visiting: https://kendrabracken-ferguson.com/beauty-of-success#tour. Additional partners include Cantu Beauty, Parfait, Black Beauty Collective, Thirteen Lune, Blushington, Buy From A Black Woman, Harvard Advancement for Black Alumni, Chillhouse, Adelphi, Spelman, Purdue University Black Cultural Center, and El Hempe.

Upcoming "The Beauty of Success Books + Bubbles" Tour Dates:

February 13, 2024 5pm - 7:30pm
Veronica Beard, 988 Madison Ave (at 77th), New York, NY

February 14, 2024 1pm - 3pm
Blushington, 315 West 57th Street, New York, NY

February 15, 2024 8:3am - 10:15am
Chillhouse, 75 Varick Street, New York, NY

February 15, 2024 12pm - 2pm
Harvard Advancement for Black Alumni, 215 Chrystie Street, New York, NY

February 17, 2024
Black Beauty Collective, 5305 South Hyde Park Boulevard, Chicago, IL

February 20, 2024
Thirteen Lune, 120 North Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

February 25, 2024 10am - 12pm
Kendra Scott, 3150 Avalon Blvd, Alpharetta, GA 30009

March 11, 2024
Kendra Scott, 1701 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

For more information, visit https://kendrabracken-ferguson.com/preorder-beauty-of-success#tour

About BrainTrust Founders Studio
BrainTrust Founders Studio (BTFS) is the largest membership-based platform dedicated to Black founders of beauty and wellness companies. Through community, mentorship, education and capital, BrainTrust Founders Studio is creating an ecosystem toward winning. Founded by 3x founder Kendra Bracken-Ferguson in 2021, BrainTrust Founders Studio has admitted 200+ members (91% identifying as women) who in one year sold 4,000 products from skincare to gut health across 23,000 retail doors. Our "leave no founder behind" ethos supports beauty and wellness founders at all stages – from start to growth to acceleration–by providing access and introductions to key partners, retail relationships, service providers and programming. To download our latest Economic Advancement Report and for more information to support our members or join, please visit https://braintrustfoundersstudio.com.

About Veronica Beard
Veronica Beard was founded by sisters-in-law Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard in 2010. What began as a rack of dickey jackets has expanded into a full lifestyle collection for the women who make it happen. Their motto: Look good, feel good, do good. Learn more about our #VBGivesBack initiative here.

About Kendra Scott Foundation
Kendra Scott LLC was founded in 2002 by Kendra Scott, who serves as Founder, Executive Chairwoman and Chief Creative Officer of her namesake lifestyle brand. Known for its design and material innovation, use of color, and signature shapes, Kendra Scott offers Fashion, Demi-Fine and Fine Jewelry, watches, engagement rings, fragrance, home accessories, and a men's collection, Scott Bros. by Kendra Scott. The company remains true to its founding philosophy of "Family, Fashion, and Philanthropy," and has donated over $60M to philanthropic organizations since 2010. Kendra Scott's customer-centric omni-channel approach includes a network of 130+ namesake experiential stores and pop-up locations, wholesale partners, including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Dillard's, and 850+ specialty boutiques. With over 2,600 employees, the Austin-based company was honored as one of Newsweek's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022 and 2023. Learn more at KendraScott.com.