Events

Beyond the Launch: Scaling Brands for the Long Term with Julissa Prado, Founder & CEO of Rizos Curls

​What does it really take to scale a beauty or personal care brand without losing trust, culture, or the community that made it successful in the first place? ​Join us for a live session with Julissa Prado, Founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, for a candid conversation designed for early-stage consumer founders, especially those building in beauty and personal care.

Date

Thursday, February 12, 2026, 4:00 PM EST

RSVP HERE - REQUIRED TO ATTEND

​What does it really take to scale a beauty or personal care brand without losing trust, culture, or the community that made it successful in the first place? 

​Join us for a live session with Julissa Prado, Founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, for a candid conversation designed for early-stage consumer founders, especially those building in beauty and personal care.

​Rizos Curls is often referenced as a standout example of values-led, community-driven growth. Built from Julissa’s own lived experience and a deep understanding of an underserved customer, the brand scaled by prioritizing education, trust, and representation long before those became industry buzzwords.

​In this conversation, we’ll explore:

  • ​What founders should focus on when evolving from scrappy startup to scaled brand

  • ​When to bootstrap vs when to fundraise

  • ​How to build a beauty brand with your community, not just market to it

  • ​The realities of scaling through the “messy middle” without overextending or diluting your values

  • ​Navigating DTC and retail growth while staying close to your customer

  • ​Lessons from building in a crowded category

​This session is especially relevant for founders thinking about long-term brand building. This is for those founders who are balancing growth, capital decisions, retail expansion, and staying true to the customer who got them here.

ABOUT THE GUEST

​Julissa Prado is the Founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, a curly haircare brand known for its loyal community, inclusive approach, and strong omnichannel presence. What began as a solution to Julissa’s own unmet haircare needs grew into a nationally recognized beauty brand rooted in education, authenticity, and representation.

​As a founder, Julissa has remained deeply hands-on across brand vision, product development, community engagement, and leadership, guiding Rizos Curls through growth while maintaining the values that define the brand. Her journey is frequently cited as a blueprint for building beauty brands that last by leading with trust, not hype.

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