Cannes Can: Diversity Collective

Name

Cannes Can: Diversity Collective

Legal name

Cannes Can: Diversity Collective

Website

https://cannesdiversitycollective.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy / Nonprofit Programs

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Multicultural & Diversity Marketing Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Diversity advocacy nonprofit
• Ambassador scholarship programs
• Creative industry inclusion
• Festival access programs
• Industry recognition awards

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: The organization operates as a nonprofit funded through individual donations and corporate sponsorships. They accept donations via Cash App ($CCDCInkwellBeach) and seek partnership interest from companies interested in building a more inclusive creative industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC) is a nonprofit organization that provides access and opportunities for young adults of color and underrepresented communities to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Its core offering is the Ambassador & Scholars Program, which fully funds selected ambassadors' attendance at Cannes Lions (covering flights, lodging, festival tickets, and transport) through three participant tracks, and the AYA Inclusion Awards recognizing diversity-focused creative work with free entry. The organization is volunteer-run and funded by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC) is a nonprofit diversity and inclusion organization, not a technology product company. The organization operates a portfolio of programs focused on increasing representation of people of color at major creative industry events. The core offering is the Ambassador & Scholars Program, which runs three tracks (Next Gen for college/HBCU students, Trailblazers for early-to-mid career professionals, and Legacy Builders for mentors) plus Scholar tracks for Cannes Lions Academies. Supporting this is the AYA Inclusion Awards celebrating diversity in creative work, and Harvest Sessions providing application preparation. The programs provide full coverage (flights, lodging, festival tickets, transport) for selected participants to attend Cannes Lions, creating pathways for talent who might otherwise be excluded.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ambassador & Scholars Program A flagship program that provides access and opportunities for young adults of color and underrepresented communities to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Organized into three participant tracks: Next Gen (college students, HBCU emphasis), Trailblazers (early-to-mid career creatives, strategists, marketers), and Legacy Builders (established professionals as mentors), plus scholar tracks for Cannes Lions Creative Academy and Brand Marketing Academy certificate programs. Fully funded for selected ambassadors (flights, lodging, festival tickets, transport covered). Since 2018, the program has brought over 130 ambassadors to Cannes.
• AYA Inclusion Awards A creative recognition award celebrating work that promotes diversity and inclusion in the advertising, marketing, and communications industries. Awards cover areas of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, disability, neuro, age, body diversity and beyond. All entries are free in the spirit of equity and equality.
• Inkwell Beach A companion initiative to CC:DC providing a platform for diverse talent at the Cannes Lions Festival, originally created from the Girl's Lounge Cannes Lions 2017. Works alongside CC:DC to extend access and opportunities for underrepresented communities in the creative industries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ ambassadors have been brought to Cannes since 2018, resulting in careers launched, companies founded, and a global network of changemakers

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Cannes Lions International Festival of CreativitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary strategic partnership providing the annual festival platform where CC:DC brings ambassadors. This is the core event around which the entire organization and ambassador program is structured.
• Inkwell BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated initiative also created from the Girl's Lounge Cannes Lions 2017 that became the promise to Halle Berry. Works with CC:DC to provide access and opportunities for underrepresented communities.
• Cannes Lions Creative AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCC:DC provides access to Cannes Lions Creative Academy for certificate-based programs. Ambassadors can apply to Creative Academy and Brand Marketing Academy through CC:DC's Scholar track.
• 2025 Program Partners (unspecified)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors who believe in building a more inclusive creative industry. Their investment ensures ambassadors can attend Cannes without financial barriers. Specific partner names not disclosed on website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adcolor: Adcolor is a nonprofit industry organization advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the advertising, marketing, and creative industries through awards (Adcolor Awards), talent development, and conference programming — directly comparable in mission and target audience to CC:DC.
• Free The Work: Free The Work is a nonprofit platform connecting brands with underrepresented directors and creators in advertising, with a mission-aligned focus on opening access to creative industry pipelines — closely overlapping CC:DC's diversity-in-creative-industries mission.
• Inkwell Beach: Inkwell Beach is CC:DC's companion initiative providing access and opportunities for underrepresented communities at Cannes Lions — a sister organization with overlapping mission and audience, jointly amplifying reach.

Broad incumbents

• The One Club for Creativity: The One Club for Creativity is a major nonprofit serving the global advertising and design community with awards (The One Show), education, and diversity initiatives — a larger, more established player in the same mission space as CC:DC.
• She Runs It: She Runs It (formerly Advertising Women of New York) is a nonprofit focused on advancing women in advertising and marketing through mentorship, awards, and career programming — overlapping with CC:DC's representation-focused mission in the same industry.
• 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies): The 4A's is the leading trade association for U.S. advertising agencies, with diversity and inclusion programming and industry-wide initiatives — a broader incumbent working in adjacent DEI-in-advertising territory to CC:DC.
• D&AD: D&AD is a global creative-industry nonprofit running the D&AD Awards, professional development, and New Blood Academy programs targeting emerging talent — an established incumbent whose talent-development mission parallels CC:DC's ambassador program.

Emerging players

• Color Of Change: Color Of Change is a large racial-justice advocacy organization that runs campaigns targeting advertising and media representation — overlapping with CC:DC's diversity mission but operating from a media-advocacy angle rather than an industry-pipeline angle.
• GLAAD: GLAAD is a leading LGBTQ media advocacy organization that works with advertisers and agencies on inclusive representation — comparable in advocacy orientation and AYA-relevant coverage area to CC:DC's body-diversity and identity categories.
• SeeHer: SeeHer (an ANA initiative) advances the accurate portrayal of women and girls in advertising through research, education, and the SeeHer Awards — closely aligned with CC:DC's AYA Inclusion Awards structure and advertising-industry focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cannesdiversitycollective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cannes Can: Diversity Collective