Black Wall Street
Black Wall Street is a Durham, NC-based non-profit operating the annual Homecoming event that connects underrepresented founders and builders with investors and ecosystem partners through curated programming and a pitch competition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Black Wall Street does
Revenue is generated through event sponsorships from companies and organizations seeking visibility and access to the underrepresented founder community. The organization has 39 employees, does not publicly disclose pricing or sponsorship rates, and operates a contact-based inquiry model. In 2020, the co-founders announced an indefinite pause on the Homecoming event series to "recharge, reflect, and refocus," while stating continued commitment to the mission; the organization remains technically operating but with reduced event activity.
Black Wall Street firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Black Wall Street
- Legal name
- Black Wall Street
- Website
- https://bwshomecoming.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Black Wall Street is a Durham, NC-based non-profit operating the annual Homecoming event that connects underrepresented founders and builders with investors and ecosystem partners through curated programming and a pitch competition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Black Wall Street industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entrepreneurship Events
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Pride & Identity Events (Pride, Cultural Identity Days) (MPAGAEAL)
Keywords
Black Wall Street business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Event Sponsorships: The organization accepts sponsors for its annual Black Wall Street: Homecoming event. Companies can sponsor to gain visibility and access to the underrepresented founder and builder community.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Black Wall Street product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Black Wall Street: Homecoming operates an annual in-person conference designed to support underrepresented founders and builders by connecting them with investors, ecosystem partners, and corporate supporters. The event includes agenda-driven programming and a pitch competition component, "Pitch, Please," where founders present to potential investors. Interest forms on the website allow individuals to register to attend, corporate sponsors to inquire about sponsorship, and volunteers to assist with organizing.
Product overview
Black Wall Street: Homecoming is a single annual conference event (not a software platform or multi-module product suite) focused on supporting underrepresented founders and builders. The core offering is the annual Homecoming event itself, which incorporates a pitch competition component called 'Pitch, Please.' The event serves as a networking and funding platform for founders to realize their dreams, get funded, create jobs, and expand their professional networks. The organization is currently on hiatus (as of 2020) to recharge, reflect, and refocus.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Black Wall Street: Homecoming Annual Conference An annual in-person conference and networking event series for underrepresented founders and builders, featuring agenda-driven programming, ecosystem partner engagement, and connections to investors and supporters. Attendees, sponsors, and volunteers register interest through bwshomecoming.com.
- Pitch, Please A pitch competition component featured at the annual Black Wall Street: Homecoming event, in which founders present their ventures to potential investors and ecosystem partners to secure funding and visibility.
Quantifiable outcome
- Founders have secured funding through the event
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Black Wall Street
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Black Wall Street technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Black Wall Street partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Black Wall Street competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- BLCK VC: BLCK VC is a non-profit building a community of Black venture investors, with events and programming adjacent to BWS's ecosystem focus. Not a direct event competitor but operates in the same Black venture ecosystem.
- Google for Startups (Black Founders Fund): Google for Startups runs the Black Founders Fund and supporting events for Black-led startups globally. Adjacent ecosystem participant with materially larger resources, addressing the same founder-base that BWS serves.
Broad incumbents
- ESSENCE (Essence Festival of Culture): ESSENCE operates the Essence Festival, the largest annual Black culture and community event with programming for entrepreneurs. Shares the BWS emphasis on convening the African American community around economic empowerment, but at much greater scale and broader scope.
- Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the dominant startup accelerator and increasingly serves diverse founders through dedicated outreach and partners. Operates at vastly greater scale than BWS but competes for the same underrepresented founder pipeline.
- General Assembly (event programming arm): General Assembly is a broader education-and-events incumbent serving professionals and founders across categories. Comparable in event-driven go-to-market, but focused on tech skills rather than a mission-driven underrepresented-founder audience.
- Black Enterprise: Black Enterprise is an established Black business media brand running flagship events (including the Women of Power Summit) for Black entrepreneurs and executives. Comparable audience and mission, but operates as a broader media/incumbent rather than a single niche event.
- Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator network with explicit diversity-focused programs and sponsorships for underrepresented founders. A broad incumbent competing for the same founder-support sponsorship dollars as BWS.
Direct peers
- NewMe Accelerator: NewMe is an accelerator and community built specifically for underrepresented founders, offering pitch exposure, mentorship, and investor access. It overlaps directly with BWS's pitch competition and founder-network use cases.
- Blavity (AfroTech Conference): Blavity runs AfroTech, the largest annual tech and entrepreneurship conference for Black professionals and founders. It is the closest direct peer — a media/event company convening founders, investors, and ecosystem partners to drive funding and visibility for Black builders, mirroring BWS Homecoming's core thesis.
Emerging players
- SCORE: SCORE is a non-profit network of volunteer mentors supporting small business owners, including underrepresented founders. Similar non-profit, mission-driven stance, but focuses on ongoing mentorship rather than event convening.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Black Wall Street social profiles
Digital presenceBlack Wall Street financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Black Wall Street leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Black Wall Street funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Black Wall Street 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 Black Wall Street
What does Black Wall Street do?
Black Wall Street: Homecoming operates an annual in-person conference designed to support underrepresented founders and builders by connecting them with investors, ecosystem partners, and corporate supporters. The event includes agenda-driven programming and a pitch competition component, "Pitch, Please," where founders present to potential investors. Interest forms on the website allow individuals to register to attend, corporate sponsors to inquire about sponsorship, and volunteers to assist with organizing.
Is Black Wall Street a public or private company?
Black Wall Street is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Black Wall Street founded?
Black Wall Street was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does Black Wall Street make money?
One revenue line is on record: event Sponsorships.
Who are Black Wall Street's main competitors?
Others on record are BLCK VC and Google for Startups (Black Founders Fund). Broad incumbents are ESSENCE (Essence Festival of Culture), Y Combinator, General Assembly (event programming arm), Black Enterprise and Techstars. Direct peers are NewMe Accelerator and Blavity (AfroTech Conference). SCORE is listed as an emerging player.
Does Black Wall Street have an API?
No public API is recorded for Black Wall Street.
What industry is Black Wall Street in?
Black Wall Street's product category is Entrepreneurship Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAE, Academic & Education Conference Organizers, with a secondary code of MPAGAEAL, Community Pride & Identity Events (Pride, Cultural Identity Days). Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 8600.