Cory Varona
CEO & Co-Founder OCOACory Varona is the CEO and Co-Founder of OCOA, an award-winning luxury hair care brand redefining clean beauty for textured hair. An operational powerhouse and industry expert, Cory seamlessly merges a robust corporate finance background with advanced technical knowledge, holding an MBA in Finance from Penn State and a Diploma in Natural Hair Formulation.
Under her executive leadership, OCOA achieved exponential growth and made history as the first Dominican-American founded brand to launch nationwide at Ulta Beauty. Cory’s strategic vision has secured the brand’s backing from the industry’s most prestigious accelerators, including the Ulta Beauty Muse Accelerator, L’Oréal SalonCentric Beauty Blazers, the Amika Rooted in Growth Program, and the Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Recognized as a Black Ambition Prize Finalist, she has firmly established herself as a trailblazer in the competitive beauty landscape.
Cory leads OCOA’s product innovation, pioneering a skincare-first approach to scalp health and hydration. By replacing heavy, conventional oils with high-performance ingredients native to Latin America and Africa—such as mango butter, marula oil, and sea moss—she formulates products that actually work for diverse curls. Her commitment to excellence has earned OCOA the 2026 CEW Indie Award, the 2025 Shop TODAY Hair Award, and the People en Español Star Product Award, along with features in Forbes and Good Morning America. As a first-generation entrepreneur, Cory is dedicated to breaking down beauty stigmas like “pelo malo” and proving that authentic, culturally rooted leadership belongs in boardrooms and on mainstream shelves.
