Meet the FIRs of the Target Forward Founders Cohort

Written by Target Accelerators
on Jul 14, 2021

Over the next eight weeks, our 2021 Target Forward Founders Cohort will be lead and taught by the following founders and individuals:

Calvin Quallis, CEO & Founder of Quallis Brands Inc

From humble beginnings in his kitchen, Founder & CEO of Quallis Brands Inc., Calvin Quallis, transformed his problem-solving curiosity into the men’s grooming and wellness empire, Scotch Porter. With the desire to provide his barbershop customers with a solution to their hair and skin problems, Calvin began researching natural products, ingredients and their effectiveness to develop the first line of handmade products with botanical infusions. With the belief that men should not have to break the bank to look and feel like a boss, Calvin has continued to develop products that disrupt the multicultural grooming space, utilizing his collections to promote the importance of health and wellness amongst men globally.

Denise Woodward, CEO & Founder of Partake

Denise is the Founder and CEO of Partake, a line of nationally distributed allergy-friendly snacks inspired by her daughter’s experience with food allergies. Launched in 2017, Partake’s first product — 10 flavor varieties of delicious, nutritious, allergy-friendly cookies — can now be found in more than 6,000 retailers including Target, Kroger, Sprouts, and Whole Foods Market. In December 2io020, the company closed a Series A round of funding led by investors including Rihanna, CircleUp Growth Partners, FF2032 and Marcy Venture Partners. Of the $7.5 Million Denise has raised, more than 50% has come from Black investors. In January 2021, Partake released a 5-in-1 Baking Mix followed by a Brownie Mix in February—both are available on partakefoods.com. Prior to launching Partake, Denise spent a decade in consumer packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies and is the first Black woman to raise more than $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup.

Jamika Martin, Founder of Rosen Skincare

Jamika Martin founded ROSEN as an undergrad in college after dealing with acne prone skin for most of her life. Upon realizing the mass acne space hadn’t updated with the modern consumer and research, she set out to create the next generation of mass acne care. In her free time, Jamika enjoys connecting with other creatives, exploring new restaurants and enjoying live music.

Looking for more tips and tools? Sign up here for our monthly newsletter for more access and insights to resources and stories to help accelerate your business.

Post topic(s): Target Forward Founders Early-stage