Uplevel Communications Founder Courtney Culmer has been named winner of the 2022 START Award, presented Tuesday by She Runs It and Digitalundivided as part of a program to support women of color-owned startups in the marketing, media and ad tech industries.

Culmer's business plan was chosen by a panel of judges over eight other “Demo Day” finalists following a 10-week curriculum that included participation in a one-on-one mentorship program with She Runs It and Digitalundivided.

Last month, the Census released estimates that nearly 20% of employer businesses in 2020 were minority-owned and 21.4% were owned by women. Although women are gaining more roles in marketing managerial positions (57.3% compared to men), only 14.6% of chief marketing officers are Black, Hispanic/Latino or Asian, according to the Association of National Advertisers’ 2022 Diversity Report.

“It's all about, at this point, returnship. I think is the phrase that would capture what we're trying to do with this initiative,” said She Runs It CEO Lynn Branigan. “If we want to see more women at the head of the table, they have to be sitting at the table first. And if we're losing them, we have to do our part to get them back in the field.”

Lauren Maillian, CEO of Digitalundivided, expects to see finalists’ businesses online or as a beta in the next six to 12 months, but also “that they take this experience and these learnings and they go back to the drawing board and build and develop teams.”

Read Ad Age's latest news on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Culmer received a $5,000 grant to put toward her business, which connects companies with freelancers and small agencies. Eight other finalists received $2,000. The program began with more than 110 applicants.

Here are the 10 entrepreneurs and their startups.

Courtney Culmer

Uplevel Communications, Inc.: a job marketplace that connects companies with experienced freelancers and small agencies.


 

Atim Oton

The Creative Side: an app that features marketing curated virtual tours of Harlem, New York.



 

Halima Hubbard

Bemix: a digital beauty counter with social commerce, allowing users to interact with each other and curate marketed products.

Marfry Hernandez

Fly Fry Films: a production company that promotes minority artistry and global artists.



 

Nia Larry

HBCU&Co.: connects Black creatives with related jobs and resources out of college.




 

Faune Salone

Buddy Upward, Co.: an AI-powered app that auto-suggests events and activities for individuals with the same interests.



 

Selene Guerrero

Rotunda LLC, Memecast: a news and meme platform on the Tezos blockchain.




 

Asiah Williams

Emphasize: a digital magazine that champions body and size inclusion in the fashion industry through storytelling, brand partnerships and experiential marketing.


 

Cenita Johnson

Three Owl Communications Inc.: provides content and resources to inform, empower and inspire midlife and senior women.



 

Tameka Christmas

Direct-O: connects brands to influencers, aiming to close the pay gap for influencers of color.