This recap was featured in the 2025 Fall/Winter issue of ESSENCE.
At the heart of this year’s activation at the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture were the New Voices Village™, New Voices Entrepreneur Hub™ and SOKO MRKT Stage. These were vibrant spaces for entrepreneurs to learn, demo and connect with each other—and with consumers, retailers, funders and other key stakeholders.
The New Voices Village featured Founder Pop-Ups and a Makers’ Studio, with hands-on workshops that allowed entrepreneurs to showcase their products and engage directly with festival attendees. Founders also participated in New Voices Office Hours, offering one-on-one professional guidance from the New Voices Fund, Townsend & Lockett lawyers, Target, KIVA and NMSDC.
This year, the New Voices Village debuted its Creators Corner, where entrepreneurs received professional product photography and personal headshots. They also conducted mini focus groups, to gather real-time consumer feedback from festival-goers.
Just steps away, the New Voices Entrepreneur Hub hosted Learning Lab™ LIVE workshops led by industry experts. These covered essential topics such as funding, marketing, customer acquisition and retail strategy. The Hub also hosted exclusive networking events and curated industry meetups, designed to foster meaningful connections.
The New Voices Health Innovators Hub, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), returned this year to ESSENCE Festival in the Unbothered Wellness Sanctuary. The hub spotlighted nine healthcare and health-tech entrepreneurs, who showcased their solutions and engaged with attendees on health issues affecting underserved communities.
Located off site, the New Voices Family Reunion was a gathering of the ecosystem of New Voices Foundation and New Voices Fund companies, joined by our supporters and stakeholders. The expansive New Voices “family” had an opportunity to connect in person with peers, funders, media and other allies during this event.
Finally, on Saturday, July 5, the Foundation took the GBEF Stage to present its signature New Voices $150,000 POWER PITCH! competition. This awarded grants of $75,000, $50,000 and $25,000, along with three months of business coaching, to three companies: Vonu ($75,000); Butter’d Bodycare ($50,000); and the Suite Service $25,000).
Through each of these initiatives, the New Voices Foundation continues to advance access to learning opportunities, mentoring and coaching, networking, and non-dilutive capital for entrepreneurs at ESSENCE Festival and beyond.
A big thanks to our entire team that makes all of this possible!
—Marie Clark, Director, New Voices Foundation