For Ciara Imani May and Her Startup, Rebundle, Opportunity Abounds
Shortly after finishing a master’s degree in social entrepreneurship from USC, Ciara Imani May had a realization: the pain and discomfort she and millions of other women experienced while wearing plastic-based, and chemically-treated, synthetic braiding hair wasn’t necessary. In doing research on the manufacturing process, she also learned about the severity of the environmental impact petroleum products like this caused.
Her solution? Starting Rebundle, which offers braiding hair from non-toxic, biodegradable plants that are free from harmful chemicals, and most importantly, safe and painless for the customer.
Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars
Once she had her startup idea, Ciara quickly began benefiting from USC campus-based entrepreneurial resources, but the pandemic and resulting LaunchPad Fellowship in the Summer of 2020 proved pivotal. “I didn’t come from a family of business owners, so the networks and resources made available to me through the Fellowship were key,” she said. This 8-week virtual mentoring program included support and opportunities made available to her (and 49 other student entrepreneurs) by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Techstars, and Future Founders.
Those selected received $5,000 in non-dilutive grant funding, coaching sessions with LaunchPad Campus Directors, mentoring from Blackstone Campus Ambassadors and Techstars entrepreneurs during a Fellowship ‘Mentor Week’, as well as the opportunity to learn directly from seasoned entrepreneurs. Speakers included Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown, Co-founder and Vice President of Product for CareMessage Cecilia Corral, Techstars co-founder David Brown, and SparkCharge founder (and LaunchPad Alum) Josh Aviv during the LaunchPad Summer Speaker Series.
Her results — in 56 short days? Wildly impressive. By the end of July, Ciara had connected with a high-school classmate and technical team member, Jessica Sanders, beta tested an early product prototype with four stylists, and began a relationship with a manufacturing partner. Ciara remarked, “Access to these programs really refined my skills and legitimized me as the entrepreneur that I’ve always wanted to be.”
But her success hardly stopped there.
Venture for America
Before Ciara even completed the LaunchPad Fellowship, she was selected for the Venture for America (VFA) Accelerator this past fall. Created to give Fellows the time, space, and support they need to turn their side projects into full-time ventures, the VFA Fellowship is a four-month program that concludes with a Demo Day and the chance to win $10,000 in prize money.
Since the accelerator immediately followed the LaunchPad Fellowship, Rebundle’s momentum only intensified and provided Ciara with a greater network to get their products to market.
Much of her time in the VFA Fellowship has been focused on market validation and gathering user feedback. According to Ciara, one recent Zoom conference call with some early Rebundle testers, “was probably one of the most valuable customer discovery conversations I’ve had!
Including our customer’s voices in this work is key to our success, and we are so grateful for their support!”
By the time December arrives, all her hard work the past six months will truly pay off. At that time Ciara will begin accepting pre-sales for the delivery of her new product scheduled for January 2021. Rebundle already offers a mail-in program for used plastic synthetic hair for recycling. “Environmental conservation and sustainability have always been important ideas to me,” said Ciara. “But since braid extensions are primarily worn by Black women, and we’re generally not included in the conversation on sustainability, that kind of intersectionality hasn’t really been extended to this consumer product yet.”
Recent Recognition and Relocation
Finally, and most recently, Ciara was selected for another opportunity in late October 2020 that will take her from Charlotte, NC to Saint Louis, MO for a year or more. Ciara and Rebundle were one of 19 “high-potential startups” selected for a 2020 Arch Grant, a $50,000 equity-free grant that will enable her to gain a stronger presence in the Midwest.
Becoming an Arch Grants recipient validated the work we had done to prove there was a need in the market and that our team was best fit to solve this problem. We’re excited to contribute to the St. Louis ecosystem and provide jobs within the green economy.
Maintaining the Connection
Going back to her Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars roots, Ciara is now excited to leverage the Startup Grind membership, available to all LaunchPad Fellowship alumni. Through this exclusive opportunity, student and former student entrepreneurs receive access to Startup Grind events (including happy hours, hackathons, round tables, and more), additional mentorship opportunities, curated content for young, early-stage founders and student entrepreneurs, and the chance to collaborate with fellow Startup Grind members from all over the world.
“In every step of this process, I have been supported by some entrepreneurship organizations. Whether it’s grants, networking, pitching, mentorships — pretty much everything I’ve done has been enabled by someone invested in my success, and it’s given me a lot more exposure than I would have had without these programs. I’m sure Startup Grind will be no different!”.
Where to follow Ciara & Rebundle
In early November, the Rebundle team wrapped up their first marketing campaign photoshoot in the Los Angeles area that they’ll be using to rebrand their website and to begin pre-sales! To be notified of when presales are available, subscribe to their newsletter here. Similarly, if you’re a hairstylist and interested in trying Rebundle’s plant-based braiding hair, visit the Braider page on their website.
This post is part of a series of interviews and resources from Blackstone Launchpad & Techstars. Want more great reads? Head over to our Student Corner column to keep up with new releases!
