While pregnant with her son, Kitiya Mischo King was on the hunt for nail lacquers that not only looked great but were free of harm. After struggling to track one down, she took matters into her own hands and created her own polish.

PHOTO: Cosmetic Sanctuary

What sets Mischo polish apart from its competitors according to their website, is that it contains: "no Formaldehyde, no Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), no Toluene, no Formaldehyde Resin, no Camphor, no Ethyl Tosylamide, no Xylene, no Triphenyl Phosphate, no tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and no parabens." Being a licensed cosmetologist and having a degree in chemistry, this aligned perfectly with King’s skillset. The now award-winning brand is looking to create a non-toxic nail care system called "Repair, Polish, Protect, Remove, Repeat." However, King knows they will need some help financially to get this project up and running.

A recent American Express report showed the number of women-owned business has grown tremendously from 2007 to 2018. The percent of women who own businesses has hit 58% and the number of black women-owned businesses grew by 124%! But even with the impressive growth of black women in the business world, they only tend to receive 0.2% venture capital investments.

King chose to host her #WeLoveMischo campaign for Mischo’s new line through iFundWomen, a crowdfunding platform made by women for women. iFundWomen’s mission is to increase access to capital for female entrepreneurs. They hope that, in doing so, it will encourage more women to look into start businesses and helping their current businesses flourish. They also reinvest 20% of their profits to become active campaigns on their platform.

"Many hurdles have challenged me to think differently — more creatively — about the route and methods necessary to achieve my goals and uphold my vision," King stated.

To learn more about King’s campaign, which ends on Septmeber 30th, click here.

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Kitiya mischo king