Black In Neuro

What Black In Neuro does

Black In Neuro is a volunteer-powered nonprofit community organization founded in 2020 to support and celebrate Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience and related fields. The organization serves members at all career stages, from undergraduate students through senior faculty, with a membership base of 1,600+ individuals across 41 countries and six continents. It addresses severe underrepresentation in neuroscience (less than 1% of neuroscience faculty is Black) by providing networking, mentorship, professional development, and visibility for Black researchers.

The organization's product surface centers on a free membership model with a public member directory, the annual Black In Neuro Week (BINW) flagship event, a seminar series featuring Black neuroscientists, professional development workshops (science communication, Python programming, grant writing), a mentorship program (500+ members across cohorts), and regional chapters (BIN Manhattan with 90+ members and BIN DMV). Additional resources include a blog, monthly newsletter, peer-reviewed publications, and an Etsy merchandise storefront. The first in-person BINW conference was hosted in Washington, DC in September 2025, and the organization is publishing a special issue with Oxford University Press in 2025. Technology infrastructure consists of Wild Apricot membership software, a website built by Stellate Communications, and standard virtual event platforms.

Black In Neuro operates as a non-profit funded through corporate and institutional sponsorships, individual donations, grants, in-kind contributions (travel awards, scholarships, datasets), and merchandise sales. It is governed by a Board of Directors including President De-Shaine Murray, PhD (Yale); Founding President Angeline J. Dukes, PhD (University of Minnesota); and Co-Founders Brielle Ferguson, PhD (Harvard Medical School), Ashley Cunningham, MSc (Icahn School of Medicine), and Clíona Murray, PhD (Yale). The organization is community-led, event-driven, and channel-partnered through its regional chapters, with no equity investment, parent company, or venture funding. All programming is free and publicly accessible, with membership providing additional directory access and members-only socials.

Name

Black In Neuro

Legal name

Black In Neuro

Website

https://blackinneuro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black In Neuro is a volunteer-powered nonprofit, founded in 2020, that supports 1,600+ Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience across 41 countries through free membership, mentorship, regional chapters, and an annual flagship conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Global Virtual Organization

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Corporate and institutional sponsorships provide critical funding for programs. Annual sponsorship packages offer visibility and engagement opportunities at events, workshops, and digital platforms. Contact: [email protected]
2. Monetary Donations: Individual contributions of any size help sustain community-driven initiatives and expand organizational reach. Donations are accepted through the website.
3. In-Kind Contributions: Support takes forms including travel awards, scholarships, free or discounted memberships, datasets or technical resources, or expert facilitation for workshops and events. Also accepts grants and creative forms of support.
4. Merchandise Sales: Online shop through Etsy selling Black In Neuro merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Black In Neuro is a global nonprofit community organization that supports Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience and related fields through a free membership program, an annual flagship celebration (Black In Neuro Week), a public member directory, virtual seminar series, professional development workshops, a structured mentorship program, and regional community chapters. All core programming is offered free of charge to members and the public, with the organization funded through sponsorships, donations, grants, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Black In Neuro is a community organization offering a suite of interconnected programs and services designed to celebrate and empower Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience-related fields. The core offerings include a Membership Directory for networking and collaboration, Black In Neuro Week (BINW) as the annual flagship event, a Seminar Series for showcasing research, Professional Development Workshops for career advancement, a Mentorship Program connecting mentors and mentees across career stages, and Chapters for building regional communities. Additional services include Resources (funding opportunities, fellowships, outreach), Blog content, Publications (annual reports and peer-reviewed papers), and a Newsletter subscription. All programs are free and open to the public, with membership providing access to exclusive events and the member directory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Directory An online directory that highlights the work, research, and interests of Black In Neuro members, serving as a resource for building collaborations, finding speakers, and connecting with local member hubs. Members register to be featured and gain access to members-only socials and networks.
• Black In Neuro Week (BINW) The annual flagship celebration bringing together a global network of Black scholars, professionals, and allies, featuring seminars, professional development workshops, mentorship programs, and outreach events. BINW23 drew approximately 1,000 attendees and 621K Twitter impressions.
• Seminar Series Virtual talks showcasing groundbreaking research across neuroscience and related fields, featuring science presentations from community members across varying career levels, backgrounds, and neuroscience disciplines.
• Professional Development Workshops Skills-based sessions designed to support career advancement and leadership, including workshops on topics such as science communication, Python programming, and navigating academic spaces.
• Mentorship Program A program connecting mentors and mentees across career stages to build lasting professional relationships, with seminars on topics including effective scientific communication, creating individual development plans, and NIH funding opportunities.
• Chapters A BIN initiative committed to building local communities and fostering networks for individuals who identify as Black In Neuro at all career levels through regional chapters that provide resources, programming, networking, and mentorship. BIN Manhattan has grown to 90+ members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,600+ members worldwide as of 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 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 flagship, core and minor.

• Oxford University PressflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Black In Neuro is curating its first-ever Special Issue of Black In Neuro Scientists to be published in Oxford Open Neuroscience. The collaboration will spotlight the brilliance, diversity, and innovation across the BIN community, celebrating and amplifying the voices of Black In Neuro members. The Call for Papers will be released after Black In Neuro Conference 2025.
• Society for NeurosciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Annual presence at SfN conferences with BIN@SfN events including networking socials, professional development workshops, and community meetups. The organization compiles and distributes booklets featuring presenting BIN members' abstracts at SfN.
• Stellate CommunicationsminorOthersStellate Communications created the Black In Neuro website, providing digital infrastructure for the organization's online presence.
• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or IntegrationWild Apricot provides membership management software powering the BIN website, event registration, newsletter subscriptions, and member directory functionality.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Black in AI: A 'Black in X' community organization with the same structural model — grassroots movement turned formal organization — focused on supporting Black researchers and practitioners in artificial intelligence. Most directly comparable peer given shared mission, free membership model, and event-driven engagement.
• Black in Bio: A 'Black in X' community organization applying the same model to support Black professionals across the biological sciences, including neuroscience-adjacent disciplines.
• Black in Physics: A 'Black in X' community organization built on the same grassroots model to support Black physicists. Directly comparable in structure, programming format, and target community.
• Black in Cancer: A 'Black in X' community organization applying the same grassroots-to-nonprofit playbook to support Black researchers in cancer. Highly comparable in mission, membership model, and event programming.
• Black in Genetics: A 'Black in X' community organization supporting Black scientists in genetics and genomics. Same organizational template, free model, and community-building approach, applied to an adjacent biomedical discipline.
• Canadian Black Scientists Network: A national network supporting Black scientists in Canada, with explicit cross-pollination with BIN (BIN's Secretary, Amirah-Iman Hicks, also serves as Academic Program Director of CBSN). Comparable mission and member base with regional geographic overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS): A larger, more established diversity-in-STEM organization with comparable mission of supporting underrepresented minorities in STEM. Operates with a paid staff, larger budget, and broader institutional partnerships — a more mature model of what BIN could scale toward.
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): A long-established national organization supporting Black engineers with similar community-building, mentorship, and conference-driven programming. Comparable in mission and population served, but operates at significantly larger scale and with a paid infrastructure.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): The principal professional society in neuroscience and a direct BIN partner (BIN@SfN events, abstract booklets). Operates at much larger scale with paid staff; comparable only as the dominant institutional anchor that BIN's flagship event orbits.

Emerging players

• Out to Innovate (formerly NOGLSTP): A national organization supporting LGBTQ+ STEM professionals with a comparable community-building, mentorship, and conference model. Different population served but parallel approach to building a minority-in-STEM community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlackInNeuro
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0Cc8aBxNxCtwOj6K1T5I3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/100077675674357
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-in-neuro
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackinneuro
• TikToktiktok.com/@blackinneuro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 Black In Neuro