Meet Five Founders Joining Talent x Opportunity’s 2022 Cohort

Talent x Opportunity has announced the launch of its third cohort. The initiative, designed to support artistic geniuses with the tools they need to scale and grow, welcomed a new set of founders for this year’s program. 

The TxO program, founded by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (known as “a16z”), works to help accelerate the growth and impact of upcoming tech companies. They select elite entrepreneurs and prepare them with the ideal tools to build and expand their companies. 

Here are five founders joining the TxO community in Fall 2022. 

Asha Christian (Coily) 

Coily, founded by Asha Christian, is a community-driven marketplace that uses AI to personalize and enhance the Black hair shopping experience. Asha Christian, born and raised in Atlanta, learned to code early. Then, after noticing a gap in the Black haircare space, she launched her brand. As a result, the platform has helped transform the hair care industry and provides women with a convenient and all-encompassing retail experience. 

Ashton Keys (Athlytic) 

Athlytic, founded by Ashton Keys, is a fully integrated marketplace that connects student-athletes with potential monetization opportunities. The platform, which focuses on modernizing the athletic world, has created a one-stop shop for athletic influencers to monetize their name, image, and likeness over their athletic career lifecycle. Ashton, born and raised in Detroit, has always had a deep love for sports and, after having a unique opportunity to work with student-athletes, decided to launch his brand. 

Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye (SKNMUSE) 

SKNMUSE, founded by Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye, is a premium beauty brand championing inclusivity and sustainability in luxury. According to the company, the platform works to provide experiences that provide a long-lasting, culturally authentic, high-end experience. In addition, SKNMUSE uses clean-beauty practices from West-African women to bring customers nourishing products that protect, heal, and maintain their skin. 

Kimberly Jolasun and Sam Beal (Villie) 

Villie, co-founded by Kimberly Jolasun and Sam Beal, is an online community designed to help support mums when they’re having a baby. Their innovative product suite encourages parents to share their personal experiences, milestones, and questions to help build a community around their baby. During her first pregnancy, Kim came up with the idea for Villie and decided to partner up with Sam, a software developer whose passionate about family and technology. 

Myles Powell (8Myles) 

8Myles, founded by Myles Powell, is a better-for-you comfort foods brand that creates recipes with clean ingredients and flavor. According to the website, Myles Powell started the brand after appearing on Food Network’s America’s Best Cook, and the show inspired him to make his dreams a reality.