Office Depot To Help Underserved Female Entrepreneurs Build Their Dream Businesses

Brit + Co recently launched a new format to Selfmade, its flagship startup school for women, evolving the program from a 10-week course to a new always-on, year-round membership model. With the new format, Selfmade provides more robust and ongoing resources, designed to accommodate future entrepreneurs with their individual and unique business needs and challenges, no matter where they are in their entrepreneurial journey.

As Selfmade’s premier and founding sponsor, Office Depot will continue to lend support and fund 300 Silver scholarships through the remainder of the year, to enable underserved female entrepreneurs the opportunity to participate in the course for free. These scholarships provide access to top-tier resources to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs tackle everything from choosing an idea to growing a business and more, year-round. Beyond the scholarships, Office Depot is committed to helping small business owners with a special curation of exclusive and limited-time offers for products and services designed to help them accomplish more.

“As more and more women build new businesses every day, leaning on personal experiences to develop products and services that better their lives and the lives of those around them, we want to help provide them with the tools and resources they need to trailblaze,” said Wesley Brinkhurst, Vice President of Marketing for Office Depot. “We’re thrilled to continue our collaboration with Brit + Co to offer hundreds of women the opportunity to participate in the new and improved Selfmade business course and gain access to the interactive programming that the course provides to help them launch and grow their dream businesses.”

Selfmade is spearheaded by Brit + Co founder, Brit Morin, and brings dozens of notable female founders, experts and investors into the experience. Past notable instructors include Beatrice Dixon (Co-Founder, The Honey Pot), Sally Krawcheck (Co-Founder and CEO, Ellevest), and Melody McCloskey (Founder and CEO, StyleSeat).

“After two years of helping over 3,000 women evolve from the traditional 9-to-5 to an environment that meets their needs and challenges their minds, Selfmade is ready to evolve as well,” said Morin. “Our community of women want and need more resources. The new Selfmade platform and expansion allows us to better serve and show up for them. We’re no longer a platform to inspire and jumpstart the new wave of entrepreneurs; we’re the foundation for female founders at every step.”

“Being awarded the Selfmade Office Depot scholarship has greatly impacted my business by allowing me to first get a new office chair and allowing me to invest in my business,” said Robin Oloyede, recent Selfmade graduate, Office Depot scholarship recipient and founder of Colorfull Plates. “I launched two products during Selfmade that I wouldn’t have done without having to go through the program and being challenged to push my business forward.”

Features and benefits of Selfmade and the 12-month Silver scholarship include:

• Weekly live workshops with coaches
• 1:1 mentoring and group chats with like-minded entrepreneurs
• On-demand courses allowing aspiring entrepreneurs to learn at their own pace
• Customizable templates for P&Ls, pitch decks, marketing assets, and more
• Access to world-class experts in tech, finance, marketing, sales, and investing
• Seasonal pitch competitions with thousands of dollars in grants and cash prizes
• Community breakout sessions and meetups

Selfmade scholarship registration is currently open for 2022. Scholarship applicants interested in applying for a scholarship, must submit their application by Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. To nominate yourself or someone you know for a Selfmade scholarship, visit officedepot.com/scholarship.

About Office Depot

Office Depot, LLC, an operating company of The ODP Corporation, is a leading specialty retailer providing innovative products and services delivered through a fully integrated omnichannel platform of Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores and an award-winning online presence, OfficeDepot.com, to support the productivity and organization of its small business, home office and education clients. Office Depot is committed to enabling its clients’ success, strengthening local communities and providing equal opportunities for all. For more information, visit officedepot.com, download the Office Depot app on your iPhone or Android and follow @officedepot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

ODP and ODP Business Solutions are trademarks of ODP Business Solutions, LLC. Office Depot is a trademark of The Office Club, Inc. OfficeMax is a trademark of OMX, Inc. Veyer is a trademark of Veyer, LLC. Varis is a trademark of Varis, LLC. Grand&Toy is a trademark of Grand & Toy, LLC in Canada. ©2022 Office Depot, LLC. All rights reserved. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

About Selfmade

Created by the team at Brit + Co, Selfmade’s mission is to create 1M+ emboldened female founders by 2030. The program is led by Brit Morin and supported by the top female entrepreneurs and investors in the country. Community and collaboration are at the heart of a successful business. We know from experience that women in entrepreneurship thrive when they have the right support system, including experts, mentors, and biz besties to support them. Uniquely designed to engineer practical know-how and serendipity at every touchpoint, Selfmade is a platform like no other. Members receive a community with an amazing connective tissue, personalized curriculum, and coaching on topics that propel a business forward: mindset, vision, strategy, user research, branding, marketing, business planning, legal, point of sale, GTM strategy, community building, and fundraising. For more information, visit tryselfmade.com.

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