Amicole is a technology company.
Amicole has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Amicole has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Amicole has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Amicole's investors include Brand Foundry Ventures, Greycroft, Chris Hulls, Fanny Surjana, Nik Sharma, Russ Heddleston, Sarah Drinkwater.
Ami Colé was a Black-owned clean beauty brand specializing in makeup and skincare products formulated for melanin-rich skin. Founded in 2019 and inspired by Senegal but based in Harlem, New York (with earlier references to Edgewater, New Jersey), it offered items like skin tints, lip oils, mascaras, and treatments designed to enhance and nurture complexions often underserved by mainstream clean beauty.[1][2][3] The brand targeted women of color, solving the problem of limited, effective, shade-inclusive options in a market dominated by formulas that ignored melanin-rich needs, achieving early viral success with sold-out launches and celebrity endorsements from figures like Kelly Rowland and Oprah.[4][5] It raised $3.15M in seed funding, expanded to 600 Sephora stores by 2022, won over 80 awards, but ceased operations in July 2025 amid scaling challenges and insufficient capital.[1][4][5]
Ami Colé was founded in 2019 by Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, who drew from her upbringing in her mother’s Harlem braiding salon and years of beauty industry experience to address gaps in clean beauty for women of color.[3][4][5] N’Diaye-Mbaye self-funded early lab time, surveyed hundreds of women on their routines and frustrations, and pitched to over 150 investors before securing $1M as one of 30 Black women founders to do so post-2020 George Floyd reckoning.[4][5] Pivotal early traction included selling out its first product run within months, launching a viral lip oil that became a staple, and building a community through transparent Instagram engagement and cultural insight, proving demand for inclusive formulas.[4]
While not a tech company, Ami Colé rode the clean beauty trend amplified by e-commerce, social media virality, and post-2020 JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) push in consumer products, highlighting market forces favoring inclusive brands amid rising demand for melanin-focused skincare.[4][5] Its timing capitalized on fluctuating online influence and retail expansion like Sephora, but exposed systemic barriers: Black founders received just 0.4% of 2024 startup funding (down two-thirds from 2021), mostly in tech/health, leaving beauty brands undercapitalized against celebrity-backed giants like Rhode (acquired for $1B).[5] Ami Colé influenced the ecosystem by validating "non-niche" demand for melanated skin products, pressuring incumbents toward inclusion, but its closure underscores retail's high costs, growth pressures, and capital gaps for diverse founders.[4][5]
Ami Colé's shutdown reveals the fragility of inclusive beauty ventures without sustained capital, as Sephora-scale demands outpaced its $3.15M raise amid investor pullback from non-tech spaces.[1][4][5] Looking ahead, its legacy may fuel stronger exit strategies for similar brands, like acquisitions, while trends in AI-driven personalization and supply chain tech could lower barriers for future melanin-centric players. N’Diaye-Mbaye's model of transparent, community-rooted innovation positions her for new ventures, potentially reshaping clean beauty's commitment to those it long overlooked—proving excellence thrives when truly seen.[4][5]
Amicole has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in May 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2022 | $1.0M Seed | Brand Foundry Ventures, Greycroft, Chris Hulls, Fanny Surjana, Nik Sharma, Russ Heddleston, Sarah Drinkwater |