Richelieu Dennis, owner of Sundial Brands and Essence wants to implement his vision that once lived in Madam CJ Walker's home strong according to The Shade Room.
"He recently bought #VillaLewaro, built in 1918 for Madam C.J. Walker in Irvington, New York, and has plans to turn the mansion into an incubator for female entrepreneurs of color, according to @lohud. Dennis and Walker are both self-made millionaires who made their fortunes in natural hair-care products catering primarily to Black women."
He revealed his plan last for the 34 room, 20,000 square foot mansion and he wants it to be a think tank for women. he wants the place to be used for on-site retreats.
“When people think of women’s empowerment and economic inclusion, they should think of Irvington,” said Dennis, who moved to the U.S. from the West African nation of Liberia to attend Babson College on a scholarship. “The idea is we would create a think tank where we would have some of the some of the best minds in the country thinking about entrepreneurs and the challenges of entrepreneurship for women and women of color.”
Dennis will restore the estate to its former glory then use it to hold retreats for graduates of a program developed by members of the think tank.
Dennis said the “graduates” would comprise about 10-12 women from across the globe every six months who had gone through a “distance learning” course.
Do you think this will change the entrepreneur game ? What are your thoughts ?