SHOPPE BLACK
SHOPPE BLACK is a Philadelphia-based digital media publication founded in 2015 that produces editorial coverage of Black-owned businesses, capital, and culture, distributed via a WordPress website and a free weekly newsletter reaching 125,000+ subscribers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What SHOPPE BLACK does
SHOPPE BLACK is a private digital media publication founded in 2015 and based in Philadelphia, operating the website shoppeblack.us. The company's core function is editorial coverage of Black-owned businesses, capital and investing, and Black culture across multiple verticals including fintech, real estate, fashion, food and beverage, sports, entertainment, technology, law, and health and wellness. It produces long-form articles, curated lists and guides, and founder profiles, distributed both through its category-organized website and via a weekly email newsletter reaching 125,000+ subscribers. Content operations are led editorially by Tony O. Lawson, who appears throughout the publication as the primary author and editor.
The platform is built on a WordPress-based content management system with no proprietary software product or SaaS offering. Its underlying technology surface is conventional web publishing: a content archive of more than 1,600 pages spanning 2017 through 2026, organized into topical categories, with SEO-driven organic reach and email distribution. The platform has no mobile apps, no public API or SDK, no certifications, and no disclosed integrations beyond standard web and email tooling.
SHOPPE BLACK monetizes primarily through advertising and sponsored content targeted at its audience of founders, investors, and decision-makers. The newsletter subscription is free to readers, and pricing for advertising or sponsorship packages is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no management team information beyond editorial leadership. Geographic reach spans the United States as the core market, with additional editorial coverage of the African continent, the Caribbean diaspora, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
SHOPPE BLACK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SHOPPE BLACK
- Legal name
- SHOPPE BLACK
- Website
- https://shoppeblack.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SHOPPE BLACK is a Philadelphia-based digital media publication founded in 2015 that produces editorial coverage of Black-owned businesses, capital, and culture, distributed via a WordPress website and a free weekly newsletter reaching 125,000+ subscribers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where SHOPPE BLACK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
SHOPPE BLACK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Advertising and Sponsorship: The platform monetizes through advertising and sponsorship. The site features a newsletter with 125K+ subscribers and attracts audiences of founders, investors, and decision-makers. The 'Advertise with us' page suggests they offer sponsored content and advertising packages to reach their audience.
- Newsletter Subscription: Newsletter subscription providing weekly updates to subscribers. The site collects email addresses through their subscription form and delivers curated content on Black business, capital, and ownership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Free newsletter subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
SHOPPE BLACK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SHOPPE BLACK operates a digital media publication that produces and distributes free editorial content covering Black-owned businesses, capital and investing, culture, and related verticals, organized through a WordPress website and delivered to a weekly email newsletter audience of more than 125,000 subscribers. The platform monetizes its audience through advertising and sponsorship packages that allow brands to reach its readers, who include founders, investors, and decision-makers in the Black business ecosystem.
Product overview
Shoppe Black is a media and publishing platform covering Black-owned businesses, capital, and culture. The platform publishes editorial content including news articles, curated lists and guides, founder profiles, and industry analysis across topics including business, capital and investing, real estate, technology, fashion, food and beverage, health, and culture. The company offers a newsletter subscription service reaching over 125,000 readers. It does not offer a software product, SaaS platform, or technology product—the offering is exclusively editorial content and media coverage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SHOPPE BLACK Weekly Newsletter Free weekly email newsletter delivering curated editorial coverage of Black-owned businesses, capital, investing, and ownership to 125,000+ subscribers including founders, investors, and decision-makers.
- SHOPPE BLACK Editorial Website and Curated Content WordPress-based editorial website publishing news articles, founder profiles, curated lists, guides, and industry analysis covering Black-owned businesses, capital, and culture across multiple verticals, with content organized by topic category.
- Sponsored Content and Advertising Packages Paid advertising and sponsored content offerings that allow brands and organizations to reach SHOPPE BLACK's audience of 125,000+ newsletter subscribers and the website readership of founders, investors, and decision-makers in the Black business ecosystem.
Quantifiable outcome
- Newsletter reaches over 125,000 readers weekly
Companies that use SHOPPE BLACK
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SHOPPE BLACK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SHOPPE BLACK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SHOPPE BLACK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Root: The Root is a Black-focused news and culture publication covering politics, business, and cultural stories. It overlaps with SHOPPE BLACK's audience of Black professionals and decision-makers and competes for advertising dollars in the Black media category.
- OkayAfrica: OkayAfrica is a digital media company covering African and diaspora culture, music, business, and lifestyle. Comparable on SHOPPE BLACK's international Africa and Caribbean coverage and shared audience of culturally engaged Black professionals and consumers.
- The Grio: The Grio is a Black-focused digital news platform covering politics, business, and culture. It is a comparable digital-native media outlet monetizing through advertising and sponsored content, serving overlapping Black professional audiences.
- Blavity: Blavity operates a portfolio of Black-focused digital media brands (Blavity, Shadow & Act, 21Ninety, Travel Noire, AfroTech) covering news, culture, and business. Directly comparable as a multi-vertical Black media platform; Blavity has scaled further with venture backing and serves overlapping audiences of Black founders, professionals, and consumers.
- Black Enterprise: Black Enterprise is a long-standing media publication covering Black entrepreneurship, investing, and wealth-building. It is the most direct analogue to SHOPPE BLACK's capital, business, and entrepreneurship verticals, with a similar founder/investor-focused audience and historical brand authority.
- MadameNoire: MadameNoire is a digital media platform serving Black women with content across lifestyle, business, and career verticals. Comparable business model (digital editorial + newsletter) and overlapping audience of Black professionals and entrepreneurs.
- AfroTech: AfroTech (now part of Blavity) is a digital media platform focused on Black founders, engineers, and investors in technology. Highly comparable on SHOPPE BLACK's Tech & Innovation and Capital & Investing verticals with overlapping audience of Black tech professionals and entrepreneurs.
- Shadow & Act: Shadow & Act is a Blavity-owned digital publication covering Black entertainment, business, and culture globally, including African and Caribbean markets. Overlaps on SHOPPE BLACK's international scope and culture/business mixed coverage for Black audiences.
Broad incumbents
- Essence Communications: Essence is an established Black women's media brand spanning print, digital, and events with strong advertising partnerships. Broader incumbent in Black media with significantly larger scale; overlaps on culture, business, and lifestyle coverage for Black audiences.
Regional players
- HBCU Buzz: HBCU Buzz is a digital media platform focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the broader Black collegiate and young professional audience. Comparable editorial/digital-news business model targeting adjacent segments of the Black community.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SHOPPE BLACK social profiles
Digital presenceSHOPPE BLACK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SHOPPE BLACK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SHOPPE BLACK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SHOPPE BLACK M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SHOPPE BLACK
What does SHOPPE BLACK do?
SHOPPE BLACK operates a digital media publication that produces and distributes free editorial content covering Black-owned businesses, capital and investing, culture, and related verticals, organized through a WordPress website and delivered to a weekly email newsletter audience of more than 125,000 subscribers. The platform monetizes its audience through advertising and sponsorship packages that allow brands to reach its readers, who include founders, investors, and decision-makers in the Black business ecosystem.
Is SHOPPE BLACK a public or private company?
SHOPPE BLACK is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SHOPPE BLACK founded?
SHOPPE BLACK was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SHOPPE BLACK based?
SHOPPE BLACK is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does SHOPPE BLACK make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising and Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are newsletter Subscription.
Who are SHOPPE BLACK's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Root, OkayAfrica, The Grio, Blavity, Black Enterprise, MadameNoire, AfroTech and Shadow & Act. Essence Communications is listed as a broad incumbent. HBCU Buzz is listed as a regional player.
Does SHOPPE BLACK have an API?
No public API is recorded for SHOPPE BLACK.