See at Soko
Discover native farmers markets
Soko
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See at EatOkra
Nationwide listing of Black-owned bars and eating places
EatOkra
View particulars
August was Nationwide Black Enterprise Month, throughout which we aimed to spotlight Black-owned tech platforms. However you do not want a selected month to help and recognize Black-owned apps. And proper now could be as good a time as any to do exactly that. Our lives are made somewhat simpler with assistance from cellular apps that assist us handle day-to-day duties, store, discover love or uncover the newest occasions in any metropolis. The founders of the businesses beneath gleaned inspiration from their very own experiences and wished to create digital instruments that help wellness, monetary literacy, good occasions and extra.
Whilst you can faucet Google or one other search engine to seek 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 mortgage or borrow cash from $20 to $575. Based by Travis Holoway and Rodney Williams, the app launched in 2018 and has since surpassed 900,000 customers and $160 million in transactions.
People can finance or repay loans at their discretion, and are verified earlier than changing into members. Customers should have lively 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 capacity to pay again a mortgage. Obtain for iOS or Android.
SoloFunds
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SoloFunds
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Created by Katara McCarty, Exhale was designed as an emotional wellness app with Black, Indigenous and girls of colour in thoughts. Its content material is supposed to supply a relaxing, protected area for girls dealing with stress, grief, microaggressions and different destructive emotions.
The app options a lovely structure with respiration workout routines, meditations, guided visualizations and recorded talks to assist increase your spirits. Click on on a class to stream a meditation for compassion, study a field respiration method and extra. Customers may obtain push notifications for affirmations. Exhale will be downloaded on iOS and Android gadgets free of charge with out advert interruptions.
Exhale/Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson
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Exhale/Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson
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Want a farmers market locator? Scroll by means of Soko’s listings of 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 based mostly in your present location, house tackle or metropolis of your selection. You can even seek for distributors by title. Customers can store forward of time by inserting preorders from distributors of their space, and arrange digital funds, together with SNAP advantages.
Soko was created by the identical developer crew behind Ujama, a social media community based by Hugh Molotsi that connects locals by means of friendships, meetups and affords a market. Soko is free to obtain on Android and iOS gadgets.
Soko/Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson
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Soko/Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson
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Foodies seeking to uncover Black-owned eating places ought to obtain EatOkra, a listing that options quite a lot of cuisines together with vegan, Caribbean and breakfast spots. Launched by Brooklynites Anthony and Janique Edwards, the app contains eating places, meals vehicles and meals manufacturers in communities across the nation.
Sort in a metropolis or use the app’s location characteristic to seek out the place to eat in your space. EatOkra additionally permits you to click on on a meals class to take a look at the listings or make suggestions so as to add native eateries and bars. You may additionally see a restaurant’s hours of operation and a market to purchase objects like bottled sauces or cookies. Obtain on Android on iOS gadgets.
EatOkra/Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson
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EatOkra/Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson
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Launched by Evan Leaphart, the Kiddie Kredit app teaches youngsters about credit score and sensible monetary habits. The app is geared toward 4 to 12-year-olds and tracks chores, permitting children to earn factors for duties they full akin to homework, mowing the garden or cleansing their rooms. The purpose system makes use of a scale of 1-100 and capabilities like a FICO credit score rating. Dad and mom can choose to reward their children with cash or one other incentive. Households can obtain the app free of charge on iOS and Android gadgets.
Kiddie Kredit
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Kiddie Kredit
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Melanin on the Map is a journey app geared towards individuals of colour that boasts a world group of greater than 45,000 journey lovers. Based by Ashley McDonough, it serves as an data hub the place yow will discover offers, vacation spot training (and inspiration), journey ideas and journey alternatives for these searching for to earn some earnings.
The app can be a social community the place customers can join with journey brokers or trip buddies who wish to discover new adventures. In 2021, Melanin on the Map launched its Journey Bae and Journey Bestie characteristic, which is designed to match customers with potential love pursuits or pals. On the time of this writing, the app is out there for Android.
Melanin on the Map
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Melanin on the Map
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Correction, Feb. 24: A earlier model of this text misstated what number of customers SoLo Funds has. It has 900,000 customers.