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In April 2021, Keke Palmer landed a deal with Amazon after her Instagram sketch videos went viral, as previously shared by AfroTech. Now, the actress has teamed up with the e-commerce giant for a new partnership that shines the spotlight on other Black women bosses like herself. According to Essence, Palmer and Amazon partnered to support Black women business owners in honor of Women’s History Month. Within the collaboration, the duo worked to put together a selection of Black-owned brands to highlight, as well as speak to two of the founders for Amazon’s conversation series. After becoming an entrepreneur and launching her record label, Big Boss Entertainment, in 2018 — her own personal experience has led her to help women who look like her kickstart their ideas, too. “It’s time to put the spotlight back on Black businesses to remind people that we gotta support each other. Also, to understand that when you are buying Black, you’re sometimes buying into a newer business,” Palmer...
In the same way that a platform’s “why” plays a part in its trajectory, its name also plays a key role in laying the foundation for what it aims to contribute to its members. In this case, FLOURYSH was named with pure intention by entrepreneurs Steve Canal and Enitan Bereola as the online marketplace works to help independent Black-owned brands expand toward success. Consumers are naturally drawn to the heart of what businesses stand for, and the stories behind the brands hosted on the eCommerce platform are amplified through a unique partnership with both Black business owners and storytellers. Driven by community, the overall mission of FLOURYSH is to connect people with their target audience, ultimately putting more eyes on their work. “A lot of brands exist in silos and you can literally get disbursed 20 Black brands by scouring the internet or scouring Instagram. And once you’ve learned them, you’ll realize they come with these whole communities. It’s like you’re late to the...
Chris Paul means business when it comes to supporting companies that help in strengthening the Black community — just take a look at his investment portfolio. In August 2021, the NBA star invested in the plant-based protein shake and smoothie company Koia to create access to healthier eating for the underserved, as previously reported by AfroTech. In the same month, Paul participated in a $3 million seed round for Misha’s Kind Foods, a Black-owned vegan cheese brand. Now, he has added another Black-owned brand to his investments. Paul has joined La Fête Wine Company as an equity partner, according to a press release. Being a businessman that’s all about inclusivity, he and the brand’s missions perfectly align. “Not only is Chris an incredible athlete and businessman, but he’s also a wine enthusiast who is vocal and passionate about representation & inclusivity in the wine industry,” said Donae Burston, Founder & CEO of La Fête Wine Company. “He is a natural fit for our team, and we...
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are the institutions responsible for breeding the next generation of Black business owners and entrepreneurs. As the leaders of many industries, Black founders have the power to change them for the better — starting with their diversity problem. As a product of Florida A&M University (FAMU), founder Darrin Eakins had a vision to create a brand (a whiskey brand to be exact) inspired by a significant part of his college experience called DuBlase. Today, that brand represents a revolutionary act for Black founders breaking into the spirits industry and actually owning their spirits. Now, Eakins hopes to position his own brand as a catalyst for change to champion more Black ownership in an industry that lacks true diversity and equity.
E-commerce is the future of retail experiences around the world, and it’s a common trend that many businesses and platforms are starting to pick up on. The last year-plus in the pandemic has taught consumers a valuable lesson when it comes to online shopping and has birthed an era of mass conversion for businesses pivoting to the digital landscape. To celebrate Black-owned businesses, it’s only right that AfroTech spotlights the handful of apps and platforms that exist to show how technology can be a helpful tool in the e-commerce space. There are hundreds and thousands of Black-owned businesses waiting to be discovered online, so it’s up to these platforms to streamline connections between brands and their potential customers. If you’re not sure where to go to find new Black-owned businesses, check out these digital marketplaces that are making the discovery process a lot easier.
Iconic 90s fashion brand Cross Colours has made its way to Nordstrom NYC to launch a one-of-a-kind immersive shopping experience for one of the world’s greatest brands. According to a press release, the brand has announced a two-week exhibition pop-up shop at the major retailer’s New York-based flagship shop as part of Nordstrom’s revolving Center Stage platform — known for featuring some of the most prominent brands from around the world. “Nordstrom is giving the brand one of the greatest platforms in the history of Cross Colours,” co-founder Carl Jones said in a statement. “This launch will be the first time we have the opportunity to showcase our full collection in one place – the fleece, the denim – and in the way that we would like to present it to our customers. We have an opportunity to create a true Cross Colours experience for our customers. For us, that’s everything.” The temporary installation displays both the past and present stages of the brand along with its core...
Nordstrom is joining the 15 Percent Pledge train with its own unique commitment to better support Black-owned businesses. According to Good Morning America, Nordstrom is the first major retailer to form a 10-year commitment in agreeance with the 15 Percent Pledge’s mission — the nonprofit which strives to holds large corporations accountable when it comes to supporting Black-owned brands. As part of its new pledge, Nordstrom has also announced plans to increase its purchases and partnerships with Black-owned or founded retailers by the end of 2030. “Long-term societal change cannot happen overnight and we’re in this for the long haul,” is what president and chief brand officer Peter Nordstrom said in a statement. “Nordstrom has established new goals and benchmarks to help it become a more diverse, inclusive and anti-racist organization,” 15 Percent Pledge adds, “and has made strides towards these goals through notable product launches and curations.” View this post on Instagram ...
Instacart is using its latest initiative to amplify emerging Black-owned brands online. A press release reports that the digital grocery platform has announced a new $1 million advertising initiative that will showcase Black-owned consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands within the Instacart marketplace. This will mark Instacart’s first-ever program designed specifically to benefit Black-owned brands on its platform through its robust advertising resources. Through this initiative, Instacart Ads will give its Black-owned brands the opportunity to reach a bigger audience amongst its digital aisles by way of prominent ad placements on the millions of items available through the platform’s 600 plus national, regional, local retailers and brand names. “As our service grows, we believe Instacart has a unique opportunity to further amplify Black-owned and Black-led brand partners in the digital aisles,” Seth Dallaire, Chief Revenue Officer at Instacart, said in a statement. “We want Instacart...
Redefining luxury within the Black community goes beyond improving price points for the average consumer. It’s about ensuring quality, accessibility and overall catering to our interests as a community. When entrepreneur Kwame Molden co-founded his designer watch company, Springbreak (SPGBK) Watches — alongside his co-founder Maurice Davis — he envisioned a brand that would merge education with cultural tastes and ultimately redefine the watch industry for Black consumers. Prior to creating their company, Molden noticed the relationship between Black consumers, foreign designers, and their products. While we often covet after these brands, they do little to give back to the community they take so much money from. “The problem we’re trying to solve in our community is that expensive and foreign companies, watch companies, in particular, are perceived as high value, but their products are unattainable for the average person,” he tells AfroTech. “We as a community grow up looking for...
Infinite Looks, Inc. — the parent company of athleisure haircare brand Sunday II Sunday — has just announced a $4.2 million Series A funding round to help its dedicated haircare brand champion the active textured hair community. According to a press release shared with AfroTech, the funding round was led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. with participation from other investors such as Ignite Venture Studio and Symrise Inc. Infinite Looks, Inc. is now looking to use the new funds to fuel its continued development of innovative products underneath the Sunday II Sunday brand. “This funding round and the impressive demand we’ve seen from consumers so far reaffirms what we already knew; there is a massive gap in the hair care industry to provide pre- and post-exercise care for textured hair,” said Infinite Looks founder and CEO, Keenan Beasley in a statement. “ We’re proud to deliver and expand the products in our line with solutions for women who refuse to be held back by...
Former NBA star turned entrepreneur Al Harrington is on a mission to make the cannabis industry a Black-owned enterprise — starting with his brand Viola. Forbes reports that Harrington’s cannabis line is expanding its products to Canada after sharing that Avicanna — a cannabinoid-focused biopharmaceutical company — will be licensing the brand and using it to help develop specific formulations for sale across the country’s medical and consumer retail channels. The company’s “commitment to research and development of cannabis in the medical and pharmaceutical industries makes them the perfect biotech partner to bring Viola’s brand to our Northern neighbors,” he said. “We’re excited to announce our partnership with Avicanna to expand into the Canadian market,” Harrington told Forbes. “Becoming the first Black-owned multinational brand is a significant milestone for Viola, and we look forward to expanding our product offering and Viola’s mission into a new market.” For the use of its...
The beauty industry is not exempt when it comes to diversity. Due to consumers’ demand for more inclusivity stores are offering more brands to provide a more accurate reflection of their shoppers. Retail company Nordstrom has announced the unveiling of its “An Inclusive Beauty” category for both in-store and online after the request for more Black-owned and founded brands. “We heard from our customers that they are looking for Black founded brands as well as beauty products created for everyone’s needs no matter their skin or hair type, tone, complexion, or texture, said Autumne West, Nordstrom’s national beauty director, in an interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE . “We worked to broaden our assortment based on this customer feedback.” Their new category has been able to propel numerous Black-owned businesses which include Afro-Dominican entrepreneur Lulu Cordero with Bomba Curls. “They appreciated the fact that Bomba Curls is a brand on a mission to broaden the spectrum of beauty and...