Dozens of incredible women submitted applications for the Yelp for Business x Luminary Fellowship, and we’re excited to officially announce the 15 winners! Check out our announcement video, read more below about each of the fellows below, and stay tuned for their progress over the next year.
Alexis Newlin
Owner of Authentic Adventures Central California
Alexis is an outdoor adventurer who enjoys empowering others through her business, Authentic Adventures Central California, which provides excursions throughout the Central Valley. A certified therapeutic recreation therapist, Alexis personally leads hiking and climbing tours of some of the state’s most breathtaking sites, from Yosemite Valley to Sequoia National Park.
Daniela Cervantes
Founder of WanderSouls Creative
Daniela used her experience as a website designer to bring her own agency to life, and now she helps other women business owners create the website of their dreams. WanderSouls Creative’s mission is to empower women business owners through great design, starting with website templates and 1:1 coaching sessions.
Dianna Rose
CEO of Jars Of Delight
Deeply rooted in her community, Dianna strives to ensure access to healthy living in New York City’s Southeast Queens neighborhood. Over the past 15 years, Dianna has launched multiple initiatives to reconnect people to the planet—from her MWBE-certified zero-waste catering company, Jars Of Delight, to the first community farmers’ market and commercial kitchen in Southeast Queens.
Esther Lee
Founder & CEO of Asian Founded
A former TV journalist, Esther launched Asian Founded to fuel the Asian American and Pacific Islander business community through social media. In its first year, the agency has grown to a community of 80,000 people, highlighted over 200+ Asian-owned businesses through its creative content, and collaborated with big brand names like NBC Comcast.
Irma Cedeno
Founder of Diáfano
Irma founded Diáfano to support companies, schools, and individuals looking to create meaningful change through language. Her business offers online classes for 20+ languages, as well as cohort-style language classes at companies in order to help them improve their work culture and support employees with limited English proficiency.
Jhaelynn Elam
Founder & CEO of Sizije Travel
Jhaelynn’s boutique travel company, Sizije, aims to make travel attainable for historically excluded groups and provides students of color equal opportunities to travel through its Passport Project Initiative. When she isn’t traveling, Jhaelynn leads as one of the co-founders of In Sisterhood, We Brunch, an initiative designed to unite BIPOC women across industries.
Miriam Fried
Founder & Head Trainer at MF Strong
Miriam is the founder and head trainer at MF Strong, a New York City-based coalition of personal trainers. After years in the fitness industry, Miriam became disillusioned with the harm it perpetuates toward women and their bodies. Seeing a need for more inclusive workouts, she founded MF Strong to provide one-on-one training from a compassionate and human-focused approach.
Monica Justice
Founder & CEO of Moodment Dance
A lifelong performer, Monica harnessed her talents as a dancer, singer, and actress to build Moodment Dance, a company bringing the joy of dance to people of all races and sizes. Monica has always expressed herself through movement—from performing with local theater troupes to winning California beauty pageants. Her Moodment studio in Sacramento, California, helps other adults build the same confidence.
Nikia Londy
CEO & Co-Founder of Intriguing Hair
Nikia founded Intriguing Hair as a one-stop solution for women from all ethnicities seeking custom hair integrations. With over 16 years of experience in the beauty industry, Nikia specializes in hair pieces, extensions, wigs, and more to help women experiencing hair loss—or anyone simply wanting to change up their look—fall back in love with their hair.
Rochelle Dockery
Founder, CMO & Director of Marketing at Solo Creative
Rochelle is a marketing professional who builds community through marketing. She founded her own agency, Solo Creative, to help other small business owners grow through the power of digital marketing and branding. Her goal is to support busy entrepreneurs so they can focus on what matters most: growing their businesses.
Sia Alexander
Founder & Curator of Pure Lagos
Sia curates contemporary art at Pure Lagos, an artisanal boutique and African art gallery in Norfolk, Virginia. The gallery provides a healing sanctuary for local creatives, while Sia’s second company—Heal Love Now—shares her holistic health ethos through skin care products, an organic urban farm, books, and holistic healing consultations.
Simileoluwa Adebajo
CEO of Eko Kitchen
Simileoluwa is the head chef and owner of Eko Kitchen, San Francisco’s first-ever Nigerian restaurant. She is passionate about sharing Nigerian and African culture and cuisine through her catering business, which also provides meal prep plans and cooking classes to help people create an authentic Nigerian meal at home.
Tricia Hunter
Owner & Creator of The It Factor and The Curl Factor Co.
Tricia aims to unite the curly hair community through hair care and products. For 18 years, she’s provided cuts, color, and more to her clients at The It Factor salon. Based on customer feedback and her own experience as a biracial woman with curly hair, she developed The Mixer—a blend of a curl cream and gel cocktail—which allows women to hydrate and define their curls without an expensive arsenal of products.
Vene Pryor
Owner of TheAveBox
Vene is a single mom to two girls (her business partners), proud Navy Veteran, and owner of TheAveBox, a picnic and party planning company in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Through TheAveBox, she creates simple but meaningful spaces for anyone who seeks quality time with a special person in their lives.
Whitney Green Bennett
Hairstylist & Makeup Artist at Whitney Green NY
Whitney is a New York City-based, licensed cosmetologist who’s passionate about building meaningful relationships with her clients. Specializing in bridal services, Whitney has styled looks for Vogue Magazine, The Knot, and New York Fashion Week runways and attained a diverse and loyal clientele through more than a decade in the beauty industry.
Yelp for Business x Luminary Fellowship Program
Published: October 12, 2022 (back to top)
Are you a trailblazing woman in business looking to expand your network? Do you want to build, grow, or manage your woman-founded or woman-owned business? The Yelp for Business x Luminary Fellowship may be the opportunity for you.
The first-of-its kind, this year-long program will provide 15 fellows with customized, one-on-one support from both Yelp for Business and Luminary, a global platform and professional networking hub. Fellows will join Luminary’s growing community and gain direct access to the Yelp for Business team—along with exclusive training webinars, mentorship opportunities, and much more. The deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 31.
Benefits
- One full year of Luminary Membership
- Inclusion on the Luminary Collective site
- Access to 2 floors (plus a rooftop) of co-working space in NYC as well as partner spaces across the U.S.
- Quarterly 1:1 meetings with Yelp experts to help you create a custom Yelp strategy
- Quarterly webinars exclusively for fellows on topics like making the most of your Yelp Page, online reputation management, and how to respond to customer reviews
- Monthly, virtual “office hours” to network with the other fellows and Yelp’s Small Business Expert Emily Washcovick—pop in to ask questions, get advice, connect with your peers, or just catch up
- Collaboration on social media content with Yelp, Yelp for Business, and Luminary
- Opportunity to be featured on Behind the Review, a podcast from Yelp and Entrepreneur Media
The information above is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice and may not be suitable for your circumstances. Unless stated otherwise, references to third-party links, services, or products do not constitute endorsement by Yelp.