July 7, 2026 – Lo Williams-Thomas, founder of Zenistry Labs, won the inaugural 2026 New Voices NOLA POWER PITCH! powered by Startup Noir NOLA on June 5 at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, taking home a $25,000 prize to accelerate the company’s growth. The competition, held on the We Love Us Marketplace Stage at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, marked a new partnership between the New Voices Foundation and Startup Noir NOLA, a GNO, Inc. initiative built to expand access to tools, capital, and networks for Black founders in the Greater New Orleans region.
“This moment is about so much more than winning a competition,” said Lo Williams-Thomas, Founder & CEO of Zenistry Labs. “As the founder of Louisiana’s first Black woman-owned cosmetic research, testing, and manufacturing company, this recognition affirms that science, innovation, and manufacturing deserve a larger place in the beauty conversation. Behind this moment are years of late nights, setbacks, uncertainty, and an unwavering belief that this vision was worth building.”