Our Story
Born from necessity,
built with purpose
Every movement has an origin. Ours began in 2020, at the intersection of grief and determination — a community demanding more than solidarity, demanding economic action.
The Spark: A Community in Crisis
In the wake of 2020's reckoning, founder Dr. Amara Williams saw "support Black businesses" trending online — but no infrastructure to back it up. She launched BBM as a simple Google Doc of 50 Black-owned businesses in Atlanta. Within 48 hours, it had 20,000 views.
FoundedBuilding the Platform
With seed funding from a coalition of Black investors and community grants, we launched our full digital platform. Within six months, 800 businesses had listed their profiles and our community had driven over $400,000 in verified revenue to them.
Platform LaunchExpanding Nationally
We expanded from Atlanta to 12 major U.S. cities, launching city-level community leads and partnering with local Black chambers of commerce, HBCUs, and business associations to deepen our roots in each market.
National ExpansionThe BBM Fund: Capital for Builders
We launched the BBM Micro-Grant Fund, distributing $280,000 in grants to 112 early-stage Black entrepreneurs. We also introduced our mentorship matching program, pairing emerging founders with established business leaders.
Funding LaunchGrowing & Expanding
Today, Black Business Matters continues to grow across the Chicagoland area, connecting Black-owned businesses with community members who are committed to spending with purpose — and we are just getting started.
Milestone Reached