Eunice N. Cofie struggled to accept herself after being bullied as a child. During her youth, Cofie was ridiculed because of her dark skin tone and often made to feel less than beautiful. Cofie eventually began to love herself and wanted to find a way to use her scientific background to help others. Cofie created the cosmetic product Nuekie and recently pitched her start-up at The Miller Lite Tap the Future pitch competition.
Held at the Colony Theater in Miami, the competition featured companies MyPix, Ella Bing and Weeding Champ. But at the end of a tight competition, the judges decided to award Cofie with the $20,000 grand prize and a chance to win $200,000 for her company.
“I went through a lot dealing with my identity as an African-American woman,” Cofie said. “My dad introduced me to science and it helped me to appreciate myself. I wanted to take that and create products to help other people of color to heal from ailments and have pride in themselves. My advice for young Black girls is to look in the mirror and love yourself. Also, it’s important to go for your dreams. Confidence is built when you step out and achieve your dreams.”
The Miller Lite Tap the Future competition will make its next stop in Atlanta on July 28.
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