
Chauncey
A loan of $4,500 helps a fragrance business bring its first collection to life through design and storytelling.

Chauncey's story
After 13 years in education, I was already obsessed with storytelling—but I didn’t know scent would become my medium. Arm's Reach Fragrance House LLC didn’t start at Harvard, but my time there made me rethink who gets to tell stories, how we tell them, and why so many are left out. Living in Mexico and Ghana deepened that reflection—showing me how scent connects us across memory, culture, and distance. And still, I kept noticing how absent Black stories were from the world of luxury fragrance. The name Arm’s Reach came from something people back home used to say: “You went to Harvard? And you’re right here, within arm’s reach?” What started as a joke became something much deeper—about access, connection, and building something that feels real. At Arm’s Reach, we’re not interested in telling you what you should smell like. We’re giving you the tools to tell your own story, your own way.