Business Wire | Dec 14, 2021 09:00AM EST

Alibaba.com Announces 50 Small Businesses Receiving US$10,000 Grants to Catalyze Entrepreneur Economy

Dec. 14, 2021

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2021--Alibaba.com, one of the world's largest B2B ecommerce marketplaces and a business unit of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA, HKEX:9988), today announced the 50 entrepreneurs each receiving $10,000 grants from the first-ever Alibaba.com Grants Program. A total of $500,000 in grant support will fuel new participants in the Entrepreneur Economy. Recipients were selected from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants who submitted their product idea or go-to-market strategy for consideration by Alibaba.com's panel of expert judges.

The Alibaba.com Grants Program, created in partnership with Hello Alice, the largest community of underrepresented entrepreneurs in the U.S., aims to support today's Entrepreneur Economy by providing much-needed capital and resources to New Digital Entrepreneurs who are starting businesses online. 44% of these New Digital Entrepreneurs say they needed $5,000 or less in the first six months of launching their business and program applicants underscored this need in their applications, citing raising capital as their top business challenge of 2021. In addition to the opportunity for grants, the thousands of applicants all have access to the Alibaba.com Digitization Sprint for Retailers, gaining valuable insight into ecommerce basics like sourcing, digital advertising and supply chain management.

"Today's New Digital Entrepreneurs are erasing the boundaries of what's possible and changing the way we think, work and live," said John Caplan, President of North America and Europe of Alibaba.com and judging panel member. "At Alibaba.com, it's our mission to make it easy for businesses to do business anywhere, which is why it's an honor to support this group of incredibly inspiring entrepreneurs with start-up capital to catalyze their businesses and grow on their own terms. We can't wait to see what these entrepreneurs accomplish."

The group of 50 grant recipients includes entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and walks of life.

"Starting a business is challenging no matter the circumstances," said Elizabeth Gore, President and Co-founder of Hello Alice. "But we know certain socioeconomic factors can make the entrepreneurial journey even more difficult. That's why we're proud to share that almost 80% of the Alibaba.com Grants Program recipients are people of color and about 78% are women entrepreneurs. Importantly, almost 90% of recipients shared that the vast majority of their teams hail from historically underrepresented groups, including persons with disabilities, military veterans and LGBTQ+."

The 50 Alibaba.com Grants Program recipients include entrepreneurs with business plans to help create a more healthy, sustainable, beautiful, knowledgeable or equitable world.

"I represent a sector of socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs who are ditching disparities in the 9-to-5 workforce and pursuing entrepreneurship to create a better quality of life for themselves and their families," said Tenita Strand, owner of Alabama-based Status Co, a leather accessories studio. "My trajectory also inspires others how to start a business on a shoestring budget and access resources to grow a reputable, stable company."

"Being a part of the Entrepreneur Economy means that a person such as myself, who would have not been given this opportunity years ago, now has the ability to make a difference in this society and in this world," said Sierra Williams, owner of SHE Support Heal Empower, a solopreneur focused on postpartum products for women of color. "It means that while there is an opportunity for me to grow, there is also the opportunity to lift others up with me so that more people can make an impact for our future and present generations."

Following the close of the application period in late October, applications were evaluated by Alibaba.com's expert judging panel from across the ecommerce ecosystem. Each judge brings a diversity of perspectives to the application review process and included:

* John Caplan, President of North America and Europe of Alibaba.com * Elizabeth Gore, President and Co-founder of Hello Alice * TJ Hyland, Director of Global Partnerships at Elevate Brands * Ines Belakhdar, Founder and CEO of conscious fashion retailer Bynes NY * Tatiana James, entrepreneur and ecommerce expert

Applications were reviewed based on the entrepreneur's demonstration of the market opportunity, the business model/product innovation, and their plans for using the funds to grow their business.

Here are the 50 entrepreneur recipients of the Alibaba.com Grants Program:

Business Entrepreneur State

Adura Jacqueline Amadi TX

Baddie Labs Cosmetics Keneshia Berkley IL

Bao Box LLC Si-Chi Hefel WA

Be Happy Handcrafted Bianka Hollind WA

Brilliant You Denim Terry L Davis NC

Cecile Blancarte Corporation dba Blancarte Cecile Blancarte CA

CISE Justine Loyo CA

Cloth Cuties Jamie Frank TX

Copper and Brass Paper Goods Ariel Young GA

Copper Door Coffee Roasters Hannah Ulbrich CO

Curly Contessa Kristin Farmer AL

Curtis & Company Apparel Angelica Curtis CA

Element Mom Sarah Li CA

Eva Jane Beauty, LLC Eva Jane Bunkley GA

Fairy Circle Garden Jeremy Jackson TX

FEND Corp. Sujene Kong NY

First Sip Brew Box Dennis Guy PA

Gelateria Uli LLC Uli Nasibova CA

Global Sense Elizabeth Strickland TX

Hi Mat Company Lynzi Clark UT

Inside Out Bars, LLC DBA Inside Out Goodness Seth Sundberg CA

Joiful Bee LLC Joi Wade FL

Kaka'ako Kasuals Kiakahi Wong HI

kanti Keamone Frederick NY

LipRevolt, LLC Courtney Stewart GA

Miss Swiss LLC Ashley Piszek PA

Nick Ricardo Collection Nick Yeast CA

OmniVis Inc. Katherine Clayton CA

ParentCo Jasmine Johnson IN

Parents Are Human LLC Joseph Lam CA

Paris Fit LLC Noel Davis PA

Pawstries Treasure Crocker MI

Pink Scissors Stationery LLC dba Nailstry Aurelia Edwards FL

Play Out Apparel Abby Sugar NY

Rooted Fare Ashley Xie CA

Rugged Black Athleisure Activewear Matt Addison CO

Scarlett Collection Morgan Kelley GA

SHE Support Heal Empower Sierra Williams NJ

SortJoy Alexa Cohn, Stefani Herr CA

SprinJene Pia Gschossmann NY

Status Co. LLC Tenita Strand AL

STEM POWERED KITS Zakiya Brown GA

The Crease Beast LLC Matt Jones CA

The Lofty Collector Solutions LLC. Ricardo Castro CA

The Milk Mission LLC, Gina VanCant OH

The Refill Shoppe Michelle Stevens CA

The Solar Guru Ali Turner NE

Unique Threads Sheriff Muse-Ariyoh GA

Vecina Couture Ada Rojas IL

Wicks + Scents(r) Shauna Cooper SC

For more information on the Alibaba.com Grants Program and recipients, visit Alibabaus.co/grants_program.

About Alibaba.com

The first business unit of Alibaba Group, Alibaba.com is a leading platform for global B2B e-commerce that aims to make it easy to do business anywhere. Launched in 1999, Alibaba.com is engaged in services covering all aspects of commerce, including providing businesses with tools that help reach a global audience for their products and helping buyers discover products, find suppliers, and place orders online fast and efficiently. It serves millions of buyers and suppliers from over 200 countries and regions around the world.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group's mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211214005187/en/

CONTACT: Media

CONTACT: Brion Tingler +1 917 528 1992 brion.tingler@alibaba-inc.com

CONTACT: Alibaba.com Agency M Booth alibaba@mbooth.com