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DIGITAL COMMERCE / RETAIL STARTUPS
We defined the "Digital Commerce" list based on companies whose primary distribution channel for products or services is through an online channel.
Digital commerce includes mobile, e-commerce, social commerce, as well as on-demand delivery and subscription-based business models.
Digital commerce STARTUPS & FOUNDERS
*Note: Founder information and company descriptions are pulled from LinkedIn and/or company websites and reflects the language of each entity. Funding information is sourced from Crunchbase, Venture for Africa, and/or other reputable news outlets. All information provide is 100% curated by THE PATH. Lists will be continuously updated, with new companies and founders added throughout the month.
MAYVENN HAIR
Founded: 2012
Diishan Imira, Cofounder & CEO
Taylor Wang, Cofounder & COO (not pictured)
City: San Francisco
Mayvenn is a e-commerce platform allowing stylist to sell their hair extensions directly to consumers.
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WE ARE ONYX
Founded: 2012
Chaia Raibon, Cofounder & Director of Community
Delali Kpodzo, Co-Founder & Head of Product
City: Los Angeles
Raised: undisclosed
We Are Onyx Beauty Box is a women's beauty subscription box that offers products for complete beauty regimen. Curated with on-trend brands, hard-to-find beauty must-haves, and fave Black-owned brands.
PANTYPROP
Founded: 2015
Crystal Etienne, Founder & CEO
City: New York
Raised: N/A
PantyProp is proprietary hygiene wearables with properly angled & built-in technology for incontinence and feminine care.
BURGUNDY FOX
Founded: 2017
Alexis N. Jenkins, Cofounder, Head of Digital Commerce
City: New York, NY
Raised: N/A
E-commerce brand empowering women to celebrate themselves by curating intimate apparel based for all sizes.
AFRIZAR MARKETPLACE
Founded: 2017
Olay Ceesay Jabbi, founder
City: Santa Monica, CA
Raised: N/A
Afrizar is an e-commerce Marketplace, which allows different sellers of Authentic African & Caribbean products (African grocery, African Fashion, African Music & Art, Caribbean products) all over the world to list their products in one platform. Afrizar allows buyers all over the world to find the African products and brands they adore.
LEADER SHIP BOX
Founded: 2017
City: Austin, TX
Raised: N/A
Leader Ship Box is a quarterly subscription box service that combines professional development and fashion into one. Their boxes contain a new stylish handbag, a book authored by a Lady Leader, a professional development guide, and other amazing items centered around lifestyle and professional success.
CURLBOX
Founded: 2015
City: Atlanta, GA
Raised: undisclosed
CURLBOX is the first subscription service for naturally kinky curly hair.
CURLMIX
Founded: 2015
Kimberly Lewis, Cofounder & CEO
City: Chicago
Raised: undisclosed
CurlMix started as a Do It Yourself subscription box. The company would send customers materials to make their own hair products. In March 2018, CurlMix shifted it's model, moving from subscription based natural hair mixes to a haircare line that remains dedicated to kinky curly hair.
FEMLY BOX
Founded: 2013
City: Washington D.C.
Raised: N/A
The Femly Box is a monthly natural feminine subscription box that features 100% cotton tampons, pads, body care freebies, organic snacks and more.
ZUVAA
Founded: 2014
City: New York, NY
Raised: N/A
Zuvaa is an online community and marketplace showcasing the beauty and vibrancy of the African continent. Zuvaa provides customers with affordable African inspired clothing and accessories to brighten up any outfit.
ALLY SHOES
Founded: 2017
Sara Jaramillo, Cofounder/Head Designer
Samantha Dong, Cofounder & CEO
Dr. Roxann Clarke, Cofounder & Chief Science Officer
City: New York, NY
Raised: N/A
Ally is a fashion startup led by women, for women. The brand makes elegant heels, women can walk in all day long.
KUWALA
Founded: 2013
Veronica Nnensa, Cofounder
Freeda Mulenga, Cofounder
City: Toronto, CA
Raised: N/A
Kuwala is an online boutique curating stylish clothing and accessories from socially responsible fashion brands inspired by Africa. They partner with fashion designers and women’s co-operatives to promote their beautiful handmade pieces globally.
F&W STYLE
Founded: 2009
Alexandria Alli, Founder & CEO
City: Atlanta, GA
Raised: N/A
F&W Style is a luxury handbag brand for the fashionable woman. Through their Purse for Philanthropy Program, 20% of all online sales are donated to select charities.
MESS IN A BOTTLE
Founded: 2016
City: Baltimore, MD
Raised: N/A
Mess in a Bottle is a versatile t-shirt company that uses popular, funny, lewd sayings to get a message across without saying anything at all.
WALKER & COMPANY BRANDS
Founded: 2013
Tristan Walker, Founder & CEO
City: San Francisco, CA
Raised: $33.3M (Series B)
Walker & Company Brands is home to Form Beauty and Bevel. The company's vision is to build the world’s most consumer-centric health & beauty products company.
NUDEST
Founded: 2015
City: New York, NY
Raised: N/A
Nudest is more than just an e-commerce platform. The company algorithmically matches customers' skin tone to fashion and beauty items that best complement their complexion using computer vision and machine learning.
SAPELLE
Founded: 2012
Daphne Kasambala, Founder & CEO
City: London, UK
Raised: N/A
Sapelle is an online ethical store offering a wide range of original fashion and accessories in beautiful African tribal prints.
ROPEO
Founded: 2017
YC W18
Santiago Gomez Gonzalez, Cofounder
Luis Eduardo Huertas, Cofounder
Alejandro Casas Caro, Cofounder & CEO
City: Bogota, Columbia
Raised: N/A
Ropeo is an e-commerce company that offers apparel and fashion to the Latin American market. The company offers a solution, the Try-Before-You-Buy on demand clothes delivery with all mayor brands.
WE BUY BLACK
Founded: 2016
Shareef Abdul-Malik, Founder & CEO
City: Atlanta, GA
Raised: N/A
We Buy Black brings products created by Black-owned businesses into one easily accessible online marketplace.
Bôhten Inc
Founded: 2012
City: Toronto, CA
Raised: N/A
Bohten is a eco-luxury eyewear line with a focus on sustainability. Handcrafted, every frame is made from reclaimed materials sourced from Ghana. The brand has been featured in British GQ, Vogue Italia, Elle, Mashable, and the list goes on.
MY PRIDE APPAREL
My Pride Apparel was founded with one goal in mind, to make clothing and apparel for today's socially conscious black woman. Their
products are meant to make statements and allow women to speak without having to say a word.
MENTED
Founded: 2016
City: New York, NY
Mented Cosmetics is a premium beauty line that believes every woman should be able to find herself in the world of beauty. Offering nude lipstick and nail polish shades made specially for Black and Brown beauties, Mented Cosmetics believes that when it comes to beauty, no one deserves to be an afterthought.
TEASQUARES
Founded: 2016
Jordan Buckner, Cofounder & CEO
Adi Malik, Cofounder & CFO (not pictured)
Isaac Lozano, Cofounder (not pictured)
City: Chicago, IL
Raised: N/A
TeaSquares are a tea-infused energy snack made with small-batch organic tea, pepitas, and puffed millet along with other energy rich ingredients.
WHEREU
Founded: 2016
Dr. Dionne Mahaffey, founder
City: Atlanta, GA
Raised: N/A
WhereU is a local business search app with a real-time leaderboard of black-owned businesses across categories, ranked by peer-to-peer referral counts. WhereU helps people start their search for the most
trusted African-American and Latino professionals and businesses.
EBY
Founded: 2017
City: New York, NY
Raised: N/A
EBY is a subscription-based company driving profits with purpose. EBY, the perfect everyday seamless panty, boasts lightweight fabric that gives a second-skin feel and look while our patented flocking technology prevents sliding and riding. Instead they work as one with you so you can run, shape and shift the world.
BLK & BOLD Specialty Beverages
Founded: 2017
Pernell Cezar, co-founder & CEO
City: Des Moines, Iowa
Raised: N/A
BLK & BOLD is a subscription based service for organic, premium sourced coffees and teas. All products are fresh roasted, in-house with 5% of profits used to support domestic initiatives for disadvantaged youth.
