Black-Owned Tech Companies to Help You Scale
Retailers have a range of tools at their disposal to ensure their growth, from suppliers to plug-ins and backend solutions to partners like Sandbox Commerce that help them grow their audience and strengthen relationships and loyalty. A recent example of how partners can help elevates small and medium businesses came last month when Shopify highlighted Black-owned businesses on Shop. The amplification of these Shopify partners gave them exposure to additional customers and showed Shopify’s commitment to diversity and inclusion for its customers.
We at Sandbox Commerce believe that Black-owned businesses deserve to be lifted up on both the B2C and B2B side. Over the years, I’ve connected with dozens of amazing tech leaders (who happen to be Black) who are building products that extend the reach of small and medium businesses. As they continue to help their customers find success, we want to highlight them, similarly to how Shopify did for their partners.
Saltbox
Saltbox provides highly functional and private micro-warehousing units ranging in size from 500 to 2,000 square feet complemented by traditional coworking areas featuring private offices, conference rooms, community spaces.
This company describes its customers as the Concrete Class — importers and exporters, distributors, makers and e-commerce operators. By combining the traditional office with warehousing needs of multiple sizes, Saltbox offers entrepreneurs ease of use and reduces friction between owners and team members operating in different functions within a commerce business. Founders Tyler Scriven and Maxwell Bonnie closed their $3.2 million seed round in September 2019 and continue to grow from their homebase of Atlanta, GA.
Upsie
Upsie is confronting the $40-billion extended warranty industry by challenging marketplace conventions and empowering consumers with information, access and convenience.Upsie’s website and mobile app provide users with dependable, transparent coverage and pricing options that can be easily navigated through our user friendly interface.
Though Upsie is B2C rather than B2C like Sandbox Commerce, the company’s founder Clarence Bethea has a similar story to Sterling Smith, Sandbox Commerce CEO. In a 2017 Fast Company story, Bethea talks about the challenges of venture capital funding. Though his numbers are strong, and he is offering a product that takes advantage of the gaps in an industry that has not modernized its practices, Bethea had only raised $1.5 in angel funding at that point.
Bandwagon FanClub Inc.
Bandwagon FanClub tracks qualitative customer data for ticketed events through a proprietary blockchain database that monitors each ticket transaction. Event owners can track the economics of each ticket and stay informed of the end user who ultimately attends the event.
Founder Harold Hughes acquired IdealSeat even as in-person events were being cancelled due to the pandemic. The company’s ability to shift quickly to virtual events and strategize for the way that organizations and companies needed to use events platforms shows that Bandwagon FanClub Inc. plans to be a partner for the long-term.
Resilia
Resilia is a fast-growing venture backed, mission-driven SaaS business based in New York and New Orleans. Resilia’s mission is to harness the power of generosity, technology, and human connection to make nonprofit leadership available for everyone. Resilia’s subscription-based platform helps existing non-profit organizations (SMB’s) increase capacity and enables Enterprises (cities, private foundations and corporations) scale impact. Resilia’s Formation product helps nonprofits by “turbo taxing” the process of incorporating and applying for tax exemption.
Resilia founder and CEO, Sevetri Wilson, is a serial entrepreneur whose work has been recognized by various publications and the Mayor of New Orleans and the U.S. Senate. Wilson describes her work as building “communities, brands, technology and people.” During the economic downturn caused by the pandemic and because of the generosity of people who want to support the causes they care about, donating to nonprofit organizations can be a lifeline for individuals and groups keeping people financially and physically healthy. Wilson and Resilia are providing the structure for nonprofits to meet their missions.
Originally published at No Code Sterling.
