August was Nationwide Black Enterprise Month, throughout which we aimed to spotlight Black-owned tech platforms. However you do not want a particular month to assist and admire Black-owned apps. Now’s the right time to take action. Our lives have change into somewhat simpler with the assistance of cell functions that assist us handle day by day duties, store, discover love or uncover the most recent occasions in any metropolis. The founders of the businesses listed under had been impressed by their very own experiences and wished to create digital instruments that assist well being, monetary literacy, good occasions, and extra.
When you can Click on on Google or every other search engine To search out minority-owned companies, we’re highlighting six apps from Black creators that can be utilized year-round.
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SoLo Funds is a peer-to-peer lending platform that enables members to lend or borrow funds between $20 and $575. The app, based by Travis Holloway and Rodney Williams, launched in 2018 and has since surpassed 900,000 customers and $160 million in transactions.
People can fund or repay loans at their discretion, and they’re verified earlier than they change into members. Customers should have energetic financial institution accounts to take part as debtors or lenders, and the platform makes use of a scoring system to assist decide a borrower’s means to repay the mortgage. Obtain for iOS or Android.
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SoloFunds
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Created by Katara McCarty, Exhale was designed as an emotional well being app with Black, Indigenous, and ladies of coloration in thoughts. Its content material goals to supply a secure and calm area for ladies coping with stress, grief, microaggressions, and different unfavourable feelings.
The app options a wonderful design with respiration workouts, meditations, guided visualizations, and recorded conversations to assist increase your spirits. Click on on a class to stream a meditation for compassion, be taught the field respiration method, and extra. Customers may also obtain push notifications for confirmations. Exhale may be downloaded on iOS and Android gadgets without cost with out interruption from adverts.
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Exhale / Screenshot by Courtney Jackson
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Want a farmers market locator? Scroll by way of Soko’s listings for hundreds of markets and particular person distributors in cities throughout the US. The app permits you to seek for farmers markets inside a 20, 50, or 100 mile radius primarily based in your present location, residence handle, or metropolis of your alternative. You may as well seek for sellers by title. Customers can store forward by inserting advance orders from distributors of their space, and establishing digital funds, together with SNAP advantages.
Soko was created by the identical growth workforce You are jamming, a social community based by Hugh Molotsi that connects locals by way of friendships, encounters and market availability. Soko may be downloaded without cost on Android and iOS gadgets.
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Soko/Screenshot by Courtney Jackson
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Foodies seeking to uncover black-owned eating places ought to obtain EatOkra, a information that includes quite a lot of cuisines together with vegetarian, Caribbean, and breakfast spots. The app, launched by Brooklyn residents Anthony and Janek Edwards, contains eating places, meals vans and meals manufacturers in communities throughout the nation.
Kind in a metropolis or use the situation function within the app to discover a place to eat in your space. EatOkra additionally allows you to click on on a meals class to take a look at menus or present suggestions so as to add native eating places and bars. You may additionally see restaurant hours and a market to buy gadgets like bottled sauces or cookies. Obtain on Android gadgets on iOS gadgets.
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EatOkra / Screenshot by Courtney Jackson
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Kiddie Kredit, launched by Evan Leaphart, teaches youngsters about credit score and sensible monetary habits. Geared toward youngsters ages 4 to 12, the app tracks chores, permitting youngsters to earn factors for duties they full like homework, mowing the garden, or cleansing their room. The scoring system makes use of a scale of 1 to 100 and works like a FICO credit score rating. Dad and mom can select to reward their kids with cash or one other incentive. Households can obtain the app without cost on iOS and Android gadgets.
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Malicious credit score
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Melanin on the Map is a journey app for folks of coloration with a world group of over 45,000 journey lovers. Based by Ashley McDonough, it serves as an info hub the place you could find offers, vacation spot schooling (and inspiration), journey suggestions, and journey alternatives for these seeking to earn some revenue.
The app can also be a social community the place customers can join with journey brokers or trip companions who wish to discover new adventures. In 2021, Melanin on the Map launched Journey Bae and Journey Bestie, designed to match customers with potential love pursuits or boyfriends. On the time of this writing, the app is on the market for Android.
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Melanin on a map
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Correction, February 24: An earlier model of this text misstated the variety of customers who personal SoLo Funds. It has 900,000 customers.
