PH
Raquel Graham is the creator of Roq Innovation, a company she founded in 2014 since she couldn’t find a scarf for her children to wear. Since then, she has captured the attention of the entire world by providing solutions that make life easier.
“During the polar vortex, when they were younger, maybe about six years ago, they would not wear scarves,” said Graham of her kids. “They decided that they were bulky and itchy, and if you remember the polar vortex, it was so cold that you had to have every bit of your skin covered, so I went online to see if I could find an alternative, and there was nothing.”
To fill the market gap, she founded Roq Innovation. She started with Nekz neck wraps, then moved on to Headlightz beanies, a collection of hats and headbands with removable and rechargeable LED lights inspired by her love of night running.
“All of my products come from my life, I don’t just think of products out of the blue. It’s usually I’m doing something in my every day and there’s a frustration and then I look to see if there’s a product out there and if there’s no product then I make it,” she said.
Graham came on ‘Shark Tank’ in 2020 and departed with a contract from two Shark Tank investors who put $200,000 in her company in exchange for 20% ownership. The agreement also included a one-dollar per unit royalty until they recouped $600,000, according to Black Business. According to the news outlet, the deal has paid off. Graham made $1.7 million in income in 2021 and $1.8 million in 2022.
For her creations, the Black woman entrepreneur has been on various prominent stages. She has appeared on Good Morning America to discuss her business. Oprah Winfrey has also included her on her list of “Oprah’s Favorite Things.”
Graham worked as an analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase before becoming vice president and head of marketing for Ebony magazine. While working for Ebony, she received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Later, she left the magazine to work as a marketing consultant for major corporations. Prior to Roq Innovation, she founded ROQ Marketing Group in 2009.
