Andrew McDonald, Giovanni Iriarte-Young, and Tema Woods recently collaborated to launch an app to increase the visibility of Black-owned businesses across the U.S.
The Ebba (Essential Black Business App) created by the 3 young black entrepreneurs currently lists over 8000 businesses handpicked by a team of University of Washington students.
Spotlighting Black Entrepreneurship
The businesses are separated into categories: food, cosmetics, fitness, travel, hospitality, etc.
The app is set to put Black-owned businesses in the same spotlight as other businesses featured on well-known platforms like Yelp and the Official Black Wall Street “Our main competitors would be Google and Yelp, as well as Seamless, powered by GrubHub. They serve a huge audience but they’re not really focused on the Black community to the same degree as we are, because we come from the Black community.”
The firm makes money from commission fees that are calculated according to how much money businesses make using the site.
When searching through enterprises and analyzing companies, understanding the industry context is crucial.
The Big Vision
A crucial question was raised by Iriarte-Young, “How Black does the business need to be? How do we make it more equitable depending on the industry of the Black-owned company?”
“The best position is for companies to gain exposure and grow so that the Black community has more representation business-wise across all industries.
The Ebba recently released an enhanced version of their app that allows customers to buy things while learning about the local area and history.
The software will eventually incorporate augmented reality, enter the supply chain sector, create a kid-friendly version to promote financial literacy and enter the food and delivery industries.
