CHESTER Racecourse is set to host a special event on Saturday to celebrate more than 30 black business founders.
More than 30 black founders will launch their brands at Chester Racecourse on Saturday, August 1, at what is believed to be the first gala of its kind in the North West.
Hosted by Black Founders Studio (BFS), a Chester social enterprise, the day will unveil a new generation of black-owned brands in beauty, food and lifestyle to the public, press, investors and retail buyers, with a live showcase where guests can meet the founders and shop their products.
Jemima Antwi, BSF founder, said the event ‘caps a remarkable year’ for the studio, which has supported more than 50 founders, most of them black women, in under 12 months and without any external funding.
"This is more than an event,” she said.
“It is a statement of what is possible when black founders are given the platform they deserve.
"Chester is home for me.
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“I studied here at the University of Chester, and it is where my own journey as an entrepreneur began, so to hold this here, for these founders, means everything.
“They have built remarkable brands with almost nothing behind them, and on Saturday we are giving them the celebration, the visibility and the launchpad that too many were told was not possible for them.
"The choice of Chester is deliberate.
“Events celebrating black enterprise have long been concentrated in London, and BFS set out to put the Northwest on the map as a home for black entrepreneurship.
“For many of the founders, the day marks the moment years of ambition become a real business.
“Black female-led businesses face some of the steepest barriers to funding in the UK, and most of the BFS founders have built from their own savings rather than outside investment.
“More than 30 Black founders to launch their brands at the Northwest's first graduation gala Landmark celebration comes to Chester on Saturday.”
Jemima added that a high-profile Guest of Honour will be announced ahead of the day.
The gala will welcome an audience of 150 to 175 guests, including the founders and their families, civic leaders, investors, buyers and press.
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