Aurora James is expanding SheaMoisture’s Dartmouth Fellowship program through a new partnership announced in October 2025. The collaboration will bring 20 Black women entrepreneurs to Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business this December. Half of the participants will come through open applications, while James and her Fifteen Percent Pledge team will handpick the other half.
The fellowship covers the full cost of the week-long intensive business education program. This partnership represents a meaningful investment in Black women entrepreneurs during a time when many corporate diversity commitments are fading. The program addresses the critical need for business networks and education that can transform entrepreneurial success.
SheaMoisture’s Decade-Long Commitment to Women Entrepreneurs
The Dartmouth Fellowship has been operating quietly for a decade with impressive results. Over 100 women have completed the program, seeing their revenue growth average 14.3%. Additionally, participants have experienced profit margin increases of approximately 6%.
The fellowship sends women entrepreneurs to Dartmouth’s prestigious Tuck School of Business for intensive training. Participants gain access to business education and networks that can fundamentally change their company trajectories. SheaMoisture covers all program costs, removing financial barriers to this valuable opportunity.
Aurora James and the Fifteen Percent Pledge Mission
James launched the Fifteen Percent Pledge in 2020, calling on major retailers to commit action. She asked companies to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands. Four years later, she continues pushing for sustained corporate investment in Black founders.
“I started the Pledge with a call to action for companies to make long term, sustained investments in Black founders,” James explains. She emphasizes that writing one check or launching one collaboration won’t move the needle toward equity. Her partnership with SheaMoisture reflects a company that understands diversity as part of its DNA.
Navigating Corporate Backtracking and Doubling Down
Many companies are currently backing away from their 2020 diversity commitments. James acknowledges this disappointing reality but finds hope in certain partnerships. The companies that were serious about equity are now doubling down on their investments.
“It’s hard not to feel like we’re backtracking right now,” she admits candidly. However, the strongest Fifteen Percent Pledge partners understand that equity represents a smart business proposition. These partners remain committed because they were always in it for the right reasons.
Building Networks Where Traditional Access Doesn’t Exist
James understands that business education matters, but networks matter even more. The fellowship creates opportunities for women to connect with 19 others facing similar obstacles. These relationships become invaluable as entrepreneurs scale their businesses against systemic barriers.
The partnership is especially critical now, with over 300,000 Black women removed from the workforce recently. Many of these exits weren’t by choice, making entrepreneurship and business support more crucial than ever. James is creating access where it doesn’t naturally exist in traditional business circles.
Breaking Into the Old Boy’s Club
James is currently taking golf lessons—not because she loves the sport but because deals happen on golf courses. She recognizes that networking remains an old boy’s club where Black women rarely receive invitations. Her solution? Show up anyway with clubs in hand.
“As Black women, we are so rarely invited into the rooms where the most meaningful relationships, deals, and opportunities take shape,” James says. She references golf outings that no one invites Black women to join. Her approach embodies her philosophy: if you can’t get the invitation, bring your own seat to the table.
Addressing the Friends and Family Funding Gap
James built her luxury accessories brand Brother Vellies before launching the Fifteen Percent Pledge. She knows the obstacles Black founders face intimately, particularly regarding initial funding rounds. White founders often tap into “friends and family” capital that many Black entrepreneurs simply don’t have access to.
“Black founders so often don’t have access to raising the initial ‘friends and family’ capital round that many white founders raise,” she explains. This reality led her to start a podcast called “Friends & Family” to address this gap. The Dartmouth Fellowship represents another way to build support systems where traditional ones don’t exist.
Success Measured Through Community Impact
James defines success beyond photo opportunities and press releases announcing partnerships. She focuses on tangible outcomes for fellowship participants and their communities. The goal is for founders to walk away with tools and lessons for sustainable business scaling.
“If these women head home from this experience and create a ripple effect of wealth, innovation, and opportunity in their communities, that’s how we know the work is working,” she states. This vision extends beyond individual business success to broader community transformation. The fellowship aims to create lasting economic change through entrepreneur empowerment.
Advice for Aspiring Fellowship Applicants
James offers counterintuitive advice to women considering applying for the fellowship: stop asking for so much advice. She believes that constant advice-seeking can lead to others projecting their limitations onto you. Women of color especially tend to second-guess themselves excessively.
“If you have a great idea, don’t let someone else talk you out of it. Shoot your shot,” she encourages. Her message emphasizes trusting your own instincts and vision. This December’s cohort will receive business strategy training, operational tools, and post-program support through platforms like Luminary.
Applications Open Until October 10
Women entrepreneurs interested in the fellowship have until October 10 to submit applications. The selection process will identify 10 participants through open applications. James and the Fifteen Percent Pledge team will personally select the remaining 10 participants.
The week-long intensive at Dartmouth provides more than just business education. Participants gain access to rooms they weren’t previously invited to and proof that some companies remain serious about supporting Black women entrepreneurs. This investment works not because it looks good but because it produces real results.
