Inclusive makeup brand in Philly receives equity infusion from Enterprise Center fund

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Pound Cake CEO Camille Bell recalls the frustration of shopping for cosmetics as a Black woman seeking shades that emphasized her beauty.

“I would go into a retailer and I would try on a particular shade [of lipstick], and they would either not show up on my skin at all, or if it did, the color looked completely different than the shade that was being advertised,” Bell said.

So in October 2021, after honing her skills in marketing for several years, she co-founded Pound Cake with Johnny Velazquez. The pair decided to start with a bold, red lipstick.

“We wanted to start with red because I wanted to challenge the hurtful stigma people with dark skin shouldn’t wear red lipstick,” she said. “Now we offer reds and a beautiful array of browns.”

Pound Cake was selected to receive an equity investment from a new fund created by The Enterprise Center, a local community development organization that helps small businesses.

The Enterprise Center Capital Corp. is a registered Community Development Financial Institution that recently invested $250,000 in six different fast-growing businesses, totaling $1.5 million.

Three of the start-ups are based in Philadelphia, including procurement technology tool Stimulus and WealthMore, a wealth advising app and virtual savings club.

The other start-ups are Bon AppéSweet, a date-sweetened chocolate business, TracFlo, which sells technology for the construction industry, and Wellthi, a mobile banking app.

“We know that providing direct access to capital is the most effective way to aid minority business owners and entrepreneurs when building their legacies,” said Ian Lawrence, who leads the Enterprise Center Capital Corp., in a news release.

Pound Cake has gone on to develop more cosmetics, like lip oil. The goal is to create an entire cosmetic line.

“Eventually we want a full range of products, foundation, concealer, mascara, eye shadow,” she said.

The start-up employs four people so far and expects to grow with demand, looking to raise $2.5 million from investors.

Now, Pound Cake is sold online, through social media and in Ulta and Credo beauty stores. Pound Cake will eventually be sold on Amazon.

“We know that Amazon is the number one retailer right now, surprisingly even before Sephora and Ulta, so we know that people are there and we want to meet our customers where they’re at,” she said.