US retail giant Sephora has launched Sephora Accelerate, which is set to give female entrepreneurs a lift and provide them with a mentoring programme in order to help them kick-start a successful career.

As part of Sephora’s social impact agenda, the programme is creating a platform for female-led start-ups and will put 10 companies through a boot camp at its San Francisco-based offices, they will then present at a Demo Day on 10 August. Applications closed at the end of December, with the winning applicants set to be announced by March.

The company is putting an emphasis on start-ups that have a socially minded element to the business, such as sourcing sustainable ingredients or donating a portion of its revenue to charity.

As part of the programme the businesses will receive a $2,500, an all-expenses paid trip to the program’s events, and the opportunity to network and build relationships with Sephora’s team and industry experts.