Snap Inc. is introducing its latest efforts to push diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to the forefront with the launch of 523, its first content accelerator program, according to information provided to AfroTech.

The goal of 523 is to champion small, minority-owned content companies and creatives. The program counteracts those whose support and resources don’t match the massive influence they bring to the Snapchat community.

“The voices of underrepresented groups have long helped shape mainstream culture, yet these creative minds often don’t see the equitable benefits from their impact,” Starr Nathan, 523 Program Manager at Snap Inc., said in a statement. “If you want to make a real change, you have to embed equity in the business. That’s why we are designing tailored workshops, providing funding and helping participants build sustainable businesses.”

The fuel behind Snap Inc.’s mission to help build minority-owned content companies and creators is Snapchat’s Discover. The platform aims to continue featuring inclusive premium shows, but with even more BIPOC and LGBTQ+ talent to highlight underrepresented groups and cater to the company’s diverse storytellers and audience.

“PinkNews was a relatively small business when we began the process of joining Snapchat Discover in 2017, leading up to our launch on Discover in 2018,” Benjamin Cohen, Chief Executive of PinkNews, shared. “We doubled our content team in order to be able to produce the volumes of vertical content needed, and this put a significant strain on the business. But being part of Snapchat Discover allowed our business to grow significantly and even more importantly, has given many tens of millions of young people access to LGBT+ inclusive stories from the diverse communities that we seek to represent.”

Content Accelerator Program

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