Black entrepreneurs are getting a new platform to help them connect with, empower and support one another.
Huddle is a new brainchild of Black-owned and led digital banking platform Guava. It will serve as a connection-based community hub for Black creators and founders with the aim of supporting their collaboration to foster the growth and scaling of their personal brands and businesses.
“Small business owners have faced unprecedented challenges over the last three years, from business closures, to supply chain issues, to inflation,” said Kelly Ifill, Founder and CEO of Guava in a news release. “Black business owners have faced the same challenges while also fighting an uphill battle against unconscious bias, structural challenges, and institutionalized racism. We built Huddle so these entrepreneurs can connect, collaborate, and learn from each other, while also celebrating and supporting our collective achievements.”
Huddle will operate on a membership model, which feature member discount, access to live events, curated content from industry experts and access to funding vehicles.
Participants can sign up for more information about the platform using this link.
As previously reported by ESSENCE, Guava has been doing the work to help narrow the racial wealth gap through tangible efforts Black entrepreneurs can feel.
In 2021, Guava provided commercial accounts to Black small-business owners, and financial products that center these entrepreneurs and the challenges they face to help support Black business owners disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Founded in 2021, Guava announced a funding round of $2.4 million in July 2022 to continue building and scaling the platform.