Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova and her confectionery brand Sugarpovo have partnered with the National Association of Women Business Owners to launch the Sharapova Women's Entrepreneur Program, kicking off spring 2018.

The programme seeks to find six businesswomen across the US to take part in a year long mentorship, and Sharapova commented 'I only wish when I was starting out with my own company, Sugarpova, that I had a group of mentors and the team I have now to help guide and support me. I recognise that supporting women-owned businesses by sharing expertise and valuable business resources can have a dramatic impact of growth of a business and can be a real catalyst for advancing the success of a business'.