Mars Wrigley’s Dove Chocolate is giving female entrepreneurs a sweet boost.
As part of an ongoing effort to support women-led ventures across the U.S., the Mars Inc. brand is offering the opportunity to win one of three $10,000 grants, as well as assistance with business promotion.
Launched in 2021 as a way to uplift, celebrate and empower women business owners, Dove decided to bring its InstaGrants program back for a second year after seeing how successful the debut was, said Michelle Deignan, senior director at Hackettstown-based Mars Wrigley.
For the chance to win one of three $10,000 grants, entrants should share a 30-second business pitch via Instagram with the hashtag #DOVEInstaGrantsEntry and tag @DoveChocolate or upload their video on DoveChocolateInstaGrants.com.. – MARS WRIGLEY
“We wanted to inspire moments of everyday happiness again by relaunching DOVE InstaGrants and offer even more women a chance to live out their business and entrepreneurial dreams,” Deignan explained. “According to researchers from Columbia Business School and London Business School, 63% of women entrepreneurs are less likely to receive funding than men, regardless of their background and ideas, so there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure women are given the financial confidence they need to excel.”
Through Dec. 19, women can pitch a new business idea or established small business concept for a chance to win a grant and additional support to come in 2023.
Entrants should share a 30-second business pitch via Instagram with the hashtag #DOVEInstaGrantsEntry and tag @DoveChocolate or upload their video on DoveChocolateInstaGrants.com.
Last year’s winners included Somerset County native Shreya Nuli of Mobile Memory, a cost-effective screening tool that utilizes AI/ML to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s from vocal biomarkers; Lehia Apana from Polipoli Farms, a Hawaiian-run farm using indigenous and modern growing practices in regenerative agroforests; and Brittany Rhodes of Detroit, Mich.-based Black Girl Mathgic, a subscription box designed to increase math confidence and decrease math anxiety in girls.