Sephora’s first Accelerate program has concluded after its eight chosen start-ups completed their four-month mentorship and attended the final Demo day.

The program, masterminded by Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy Connie Conrad, was designed to boost female entrepreneurship. Eight start-ups were chosen for the four-month program and assigned a mentor picked from the LVMH-owned retailer’s senior employees.

The program kicked off in April with an X Factor-style one-week bootcamp hosted in a San Francisco mansion, followed by regular online workshops and mentoring sessions with key Sephora personnel. Each company was also given a US$2,500 grant.

Following the program, the start-ups will be able to apply for low-interest loans from Sephora to help build their companies.