MEET THIS YEAR’S INCREDIBLE PANEL
Influential business owners. Judges. Humans.
They’ll be seeing your applications (so make them sparky!) and the potential in your vision. Read their stories here.
Foday Dumbuya
UK Judge
Founder, creative director and designer of menswear brand Labrum London. Originally from Sierra Leone, Foday reflects his journey from working-class upbringing to positions at DKNY and Nike through Labrum. The company started from his living room with an aim to make practical, utilitarian clothing based on simplicity, fit and great design.
Patrick Boateng
US Judge
Founder and CEO of Ceylon by Anim Labs, a skincare brand for men of color. A former US diplomat, he transformed his personal skin struggles into a scientifically backed solution for men like him. Patrick draws inspiration from his experiences exploring the intersection of culture, health and technology.
Sharmadean Reid
UK Judge
Founder and CEO of Beautystack and The Stack World. Originally a fashion communications graduate at Central Saint Martins, Sharmadean moved on to become a brand consultant and fashion stylist for Nike, Asos and Arena HOMME+. Her career spans everything from authorship and the founding of a magazine to salon ownership and beauty industry advocacy.
Kwame Taylor-Hayford
US Judge
Co-founder of Kin, a creative consultancy and agency in Brooklyn. Before launching Kin, Kwame was managing director of brand at Chobani, and had previously held roles at Sid Lee, Anomaly and Saatchi & Saatchi. He’s also the co-founder of Saturday Morning, a non-profit that aims to raise awareness of racial bias and injustice.
Pinky Cole
US Judge
Founder of Slutty Vegan, the ever-popular plant-based restaurant brand with locations across Atlanta. A former TV producer, she is also a community leader and started The Pinky Cole Foundation, which promotes black economic progress with educational programs to help young adults to become entrepreneurs.
Freddie Harrel
UK Judge
Founder of RadSwan, a premium synthetic wig brand. She’s also a blogger, lifestyle influencer – she was named Cosmopolitan’s Influencer of the Year in 2018 – and storyteller. Before launching RadSwan, Freddy hosted confidence workshops through SHE Unleashed and spent time as a digital strategist working with ASOS, Vestiaire Collective and Topshop.
Check back in June 2022 for information about the next round of Fresh Fund applications