NEW YORK— L'Oréal USA has teamed up with Grand Central Tech, a tech accelerator that supports startups and entrepreneurial ambition.
"We invest in entrepreneurs both in and outside of the company and believe that with diversity of people comes diversity of ideas," said Rachel Weiss, L'Oréal USA's VP, digital innovation and entrepreneurship. "This partnership aligns perfectly with L'Oreal's vision for innovation and our dedication to supporting entrepreneurs and start-ups in the tech community and inspiring them to become leaders in this space. Grand Central Tech is doing great work to reach those who have the potential to build the future of digital, by providing those companies with the tools and connections to thrive and grow with the New York tech community."
L'Oréal USA will collaborate with Grand Central Tech to help select the 2015-16 class of startups. As part of the partnership, all female-founded companies that are accepted into the program will be automatically considered for L'Oréal USA's annual Women in Digital NEXT Generation Awards, which provides female entrepreneurs with the opportunity to launch and scale their new technology within the L'Oréal portfolio.
As a member of the founding class of partner organizations, L'Oréal USA will be joined by Google, Intuit, Microsoft, IBM, JP Morgan Chase and PepsiCo Americas Beverages to create a stronger network between New York companies and startups by offering mutual access to mentorship, professional development, product integrations, talent, growth and networking opportunities.