Second annual grants program nearly doubled
applicant pool across dozens of industries; winners receive US
$10,000 grants and US $5,000 in Alibaba.com logistics resources to
support growth of entrepreneur economy
Company also announces "Bonus Round" to select
grand prize winner
NEW
YORK, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alibaba.com,
one of the world's largest B2B e-commerce marketplaces and a
business unit of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA), announced today the 50
recipients of its second annual Manifest Grants Program. The
winners, representing a broad range of industries, regions and
cultures across the United States,
will each receive US $10,000 along
with a host of resources from Alibaba.com and Manifest Grants
Program partners to help them continue to innovate and build their
businesses in this competitive market.
This year's program attracted nearly double the number of
applicants compare with last year, with 23,000 American small
business owners presenting their new product ideas and go-to-market
strategies for consideration. Of those applying, 70% were women
entrepreneurs, and approximately 90% identified as Black,
Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC). The top reasons for
application included building their brand (35%), hiring new staff
(13%), and raising capital (10%).
Those selected showed unique approaches to improving the
competitive edge of their products, developing new product
concepts, showing a commitment to sustainability and emphasizing
diversity. Among the final 50 winners, 8% have achieved gross
revenue of over one million dollars
last year, 28% over $10k; Up to 90%
of these entrepreneurs' mentioned sustainability in their
entrepreneurial journey; 38% have patents or patent-pending
innovation.
"We are honored that thousands of talented, small business
owners shared their stories with us, and we are truly inspired by
the drive for innovation, efficiency, resilience, and
sustainability of the final 50 winners," said Stephen Kuo, President of Alibaba.com
North America. "We look forward to
supporting them in their journeys to manifest new product ideas and
ultimately continue to grow their businesses. We see SMBs as
the backbone and the future of an economy. Alibaba.com can support
them with direct access to winning products, experienced
manufacturers as well as digital sourcing tools to drive down
sourcing costs and stay competitive."
Following the close of the application period in late October,
applications were evaluated by Alibaba.com's panel of expert judges
from across the e-commerce ecosystem. Each judge, listed below,
brought their unique perspective to the application review
process.
- Stephen Kuo, President,
North America, Alibaba.com
- Elizabeth Gore, President, Hello
Alice
- Becky Center, Chief Executive Officer, Indiegogo
- Robert Clarkson, Chief Revenue
Officer, Payoneer
- Kian Golzari, Product Sourcing
Expert
- Daymond John (Executive Program
Mentor), Founder, FUBU
Created in partnership with Hello Alice, the Alibaba.com
Manifest Grants Program reinforces the company's commitment to
supporting American SMBs as they continue to face
increasing challenges in an uncertain economic environment.
For the 2022 Manifest Grants Program, Alibaba.com has pledged to
distribute US $750,000 to 50 American
small businesses, each of which will receive US $10,000 in cash and US $5,000 towards logistics support when sourcing on
Alibaba.com. The company also teamed up with Daymond John's Black Entrepreneurs
Day, Indiegogo, Payoneer (NASDAQ:PAYO),
and AMZScout to expand its offering for applicants and
recipients. The full list of winners is below:
- A Warner Idea LLC (Hazel Crest,
IL)
- Access Trax (La Mesa, CA)
- ART DELECTABLES ORGANIC LUXURY DESSERT CO., LLC (Los Angeles, CA)
- AWA (Redwood City, CA)
- Babin Enterprises, LLC (Merrimack,
NH)
- Bare Reverie (Miramar,
FL)
- Belle Fleur (New York, NY)
- Benson Watch Company, LLC (Benson by Marcel) (Clinton, MD)
- Brilliantly (Cranston,
RI)
- CABELLE LLC (Bronx, NY)
- California Heat - Heated Clothing (Street, MD)
- Campo Designs (Edmonds,
WA)
- Clevtech (Houston, TX)
- ColorFlow Skating (San Francisco,
CA)
- Con Todo Press (Los Angeles, CA)
- Crafty Cloth Inc (Baldwin,
NY)
- Cubtale (Marina Del Rey,
CA)
- Cultured Diapers (Warren,
MI)
- Dez housewares (St. Augustine,
FL)
- DupeDuo (Grayson, GA)
- Enrico Cuini (Beverly Hills,
CA)
- FIT 2 CHEER, LLC w/PoundPoms (Round
Rock, TX)
- Flat Out of Heels (Miami Beach,
FL)
- Gem Surprise Box (Christini Collection LLC) (Fallbrook, CA)
- GOVERRE (San Marcos, CA)
- Kahlmi (Stamford, CA)
- KÄMA (Reno, NV)
- LLULO (Missouri City, TX)
- LOKA.HAUS (Austin, TX)
- Lukafit Activewear (New York,
NY)
- MamaP (New York, NY)
- Mighty Tidy (Austin, TX)
- MUVEZ (Jersey City, NJ)
- Nerdbugs (Madison, WI)
- OLITA (San Rafael, CA)
- PinkThink (Sliver Spring, MD)
- PiperWai LLC (Brooklyn,
NY)
- PRIXEL (Philmont, NY)
- ReVert Technologies, Inc. (New York,
NY)
- Ron Williams Fitness, LLC (Midvale,
UT)
- ShampooTime (Dallas, TX)
- SoaPen Inc (Brooklyn, NY)
- Sugar Bliss LLC (Chicago,
IL)
- The Cool Cast Company (Marietta,
GA)
- The Deluxe Pup (Scottsdale,
AZ)
- The SaniDuster LLC (Inglewood,
CA)
- Uncle Ray's Peanut Brittle (Kingwood,
TX)
- UnModern Industries (Santa Fe
Springs, CA)
- WAGGIN (Astoria, NY)
- WordMart Inc (Arlington Heights,
IL)
Bonus Round provides additional
opportunity for grants recipients
New to the Manifest Grants Program this year is the "Bonus
Round," during which a select number of recipients will develop
their new products with Alibaba.com suppliers for the opportunity
to win additional support. Selected recipients will have the chance
to develop and pitch their products over the course of 30 days to a
panel of judges made up of industry leaders, influencers and
ecommerce coaches.
The panel will select one grand prize winner who will receive
another $10,000 grant, a one-on-one
coaching session with Manifest Grants Program Executive Mentor
Daymond John and an exclusive showcase at Alibaba.com's next global
event.
Click here for more information, or to set up a press interview,
please contact alibaba@finnpartners.com.
About Alibaba.com
The first business unit of Alibaba Group, Alibaba.com, is the
leading B2B e-commerce platform for global B2B trading. We provide
one-stop B2B trading solutions that cover the entire
value chain of cross-border trade, including sourcing,
payments, logistics, and fulfillment. With more than 200,000
suppliers of different types, including manufacturers and exporters
worldwide, Alibaba.com hosts over 200 million products to more than
40 million active global business buyers in over 40 categories.
In today's complex and ever-changing business environment,
Alibaba.com strives to empower global small to mid-sized
enterprises to achieve digital transformation and seize global
business opportunities.
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SOURCE Alibaba.com