Just BE
Just BE is a 10-year-old Oakland-based nonprofit (fiscally sponsored by Tides Center) operating a membership community for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color micro-entrepreneurs, delivering tiered subscriptions, somatic coaching, in-person gatherings, and a vendor marketplace, with a five-year roadmap to acquire cooperative Oakland property by 2030.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Just BE does
Just BE is a privately held nonprofit organization operating as a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Center (a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation), headquartered in Oakland, California. Founded in 2016 by eight Black women entrepreneurs following the murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, the organization serves Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) micro-entrepreneurs across the Bay Area, with a stated post-2023 ambition to operate as a national membership-based Black Women's Entrepreneurship association. The organization operates a hybrid online-offline community model combining a 24/7 Mighty Networks digital hub with in-person gatherings in Oakland and Richmond, CA.
Just BE's product portfolio spans tiered membership subscriptions (Community Care $48/month, Collaborator $78/month, Shared Prosperity $108/month), a higher-tier Co-Stewardship Membership at $75-$93/month offering governance voting rights and a stake in the planned cooperative property, $750 somatic coaching packages, free quarterly coworking days (COBIZY Women), monthly Kindred Connection gatherings, a Radical Rest wellness series, and the annual For the Culture Market vendor platform. The organization delivers programming through a curated ecosystem of partners including Restore Oakland, COBIZ, Soul Flow Oakland, Understory, and Standing in Our Power.
Just BE generates revenue through recurring membership subscriptions, professional services (somatic coaching, paid events), transaction fees from the vendor market, and donations/grants. A five-year Kataly Foundation grant (2021) and a 120-day $200,000 fundraising campaign launched in 2025 ("Prosperity of Belonging") anchor the philanthropic funding base. The organization has a five-year roadmap culminating in the planned acquisition of a cooperatively owned mixed-use maker and housing space in Oakland by 2030, supported by a planned $10M capital campaign in 2029.
Just BE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Just BE
- Legal name
- Just BE (A Project of Tides Center)
- Website
- https://justbecommunity.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Just BE is a 10-year-old Oakland-based nonprofit (fiscally sponsored by Tides Center) operating a membership community for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color micro-entrepreneurs, delivering tiered subscriptions, somatic coaching, in-person gatherings, and a vendor marketplace, with a five-year roadmap to acquire cooperative Oakland property by 2030.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Just BE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Just BE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Co-Stewardship Membership: Monthly subscription membership model offering co-ownership in the Just BE community. Founding rate of $75/month for first 30 members, standard rate of $93/month. Includes 24/7 Mighty Networks access, monthly Problem-Solving Circles, somatic healing resources, priority program access, voting rights on program themes, and stake in cooperative property vision.
- Community Membership Tiers: Sliding scale membership with three tiers: Community Care ($48/month or $528/year), Collaborator ($78/month or $858/year), and Shared Prosperity ($108/month or $1,188/year). Includes free monthly Kindred Connection gatherings, 15% off programs, Mighty Networks access, and first access to ecosystem opportunities.
- Somatic Coaching Services: 10 one-on-one somatic coaching sessions priced at $750 with payment plans available. Counts as professional development and tax write-off. 15% discount for members.
- Event-Based Programs: Free programs including COBIZY Women coworking days and monthly Kindred Connection gatherings. Premium events like Play Days and Meditation Circles have ticket pricing ($23 per session).
- For the Culture Market: Annual holiday market vendor platform generating revenue and capital for BIWOC makers. Members receive priority access and discounted vendor rates.
- Donations and Grants: Nonprofit funding from foundations including Kataly Foundation five-year grant. Current 120-day campaign to raise $200,000 for operating costs through 2027.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Founding Co-Steward Membership - $75/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Community Care Tier - $48/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Collaborator Tier - $78/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Shared Prosperity Tier - $108/month |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Somatic Coaching - 10 Sessions |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | COBIZY Women - Free |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Meditation Circle Sessions - $23 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Just BE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Just BE is a membership community and fiscally sponsored nonprofit that runs tiered subscription memberships (Co-Stewardship and Standard tiers) for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) micro-entrepreneurs, paired with somatic one-on-one coaching, monthly in-person community gatherings, a vendor holiday market, and a multi-year plan to acquire cooperatively owned property in Oakland.
Product overview
Just BE is a BIWOC-led membership-based social enterprise offering a coordinated portfolio of community, healing, and economic programs. The core offering includes tiered membership programs (Co-Stewardship and Standard Membership tiers) providing 24/7 community hub access, monthly support circles, and somatic healing resources. Program portfolio spans in-person gatherings (Kindred Connections, COBIZY Women, Radical Rest Series), one-on-one Somatic Coaching, the For the Culture Market vendor marketplace, and policy organizing through RPOC. The organization is building toward a cooperatively owned housing and maker space by 2030.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Co-Stewardship Membership Monthly subscription offering 24/7 Mighty Networks community hub access, monthly Problem-Solving and Skill Sharing Circles, somatic healing resources and session replays, priority access and discounts on all Just BE programs, voting rights on annual program themes, and an early stake in the cooperative property vision. Founded at $75/month for the first 30 spots; standard rate $93/month.
- Standard Membership (Community Care, Collaborator, Shared Prosperity tiers)
Quantifiable outcome
- $250,000+ in capital generated for BIWOC entrepreneurs
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Just BE
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Just BE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Just BE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Restore OaklandcoreCommunity hub for restorative economics and healing justice. RPOC (REAL People's Organizing Collective) is a project of Restore Oakland. Just BE is a member of RPOC, collaborates on political education, and uses their space for programs.
- COBIZcoreBlack-founded nonprofit coworking and business incubator in Richmond, CA. Hosts quarterly COBIZY Women free coworking and lunch days for BIWOC entrepreneurs. Also used for Kindred Connections and other local programming.
- Soul Flow OaklandcoreBlack-led, woman-led yoga and healing organization. Partners with Just BE on quarterly Radical Rest wellness series featuring yoga, dance, and acupuncture sessions.
- UnderstorycoreWorker-owned restaurant and community space founded 2020. Hosts monthly Kindred Connection gatherings. Founded by Lily Fahsi-Haskell, Jenabi Pareja, Nino Serrano, and Florencio Esquivel.
- Standing in Our Power (SiOP)coreJust BE serves as a member of the SiOP Core Team. Partners to provide restorative healing retreats for self-employed leaders. SiOP focuses on transformational leadership for women of color and gender non-conforming people.
- Renaissance Entrepreneurship CentersecondaryDeveloping partnership to provide Sista Circles - emotional support and peer mentorship spaces for Black women entrepreneurs in Richmond. Part of Sistas SOAR incubator program.
- Akili WellsecondaryWellness service provider facilitating monthly meditation circles. Owned by Josie Santiago, somatic practitioner and wellness coach.
- CoCo Noir Wine Shop & BarsecondaryMonthly venue host for Kindred Connection gatherings. Owned by Alicia Kidd, long-time Just BE community member.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Just BE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners): Long-standing membership association for women business owners. Broad incumbent because of membership-driven structure but with a much broader (non-BIWOC-specific) target audience and traditional advocacy focus.
- Tory Burch Foundation: Foundation supporting women entrepreneurs through programs and capital access. Broad incumbent because of overlapping women-entrepreneur programming but with substantially more resources and a broader (not BIWOC-specific) audience.
- Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC): National certification and development organization for women-owned businesses. Broad incumbent because it serves a related women-business-owner demographic with certification and corporate access rather than healing/community support.
Direct peers
- SoGal Foundation: Global community of diverse women entrepreneurs and investors. Direct peer because both serve women-of-color founders through curated events, education, and community-building with a focus on closing funding gaps.
- Black Girl Ventures: A membership and funding community for Black and Brown women entrepreneurs. Direct peer because both organizations deliver cohort-based community support, programming, and capital access to the same BIWOC-founder audience.
- Standing in Our Power (SiOP): Restorative leadership and healing retreats for WOC and gender-non-conforming leaders. Direct peer because it overlaps with Just BE's Radical Rest series and shares the co-stewardship-core-team relationship and healing-centered mission.
- Hello Alice: Digital platform and community for small business owners including grants and education. Direct peer because it serves the small-business support category with a community-led GTM model, though at significantly larger scale and broader demographic.
- IFundWomen: Crowdfunding and coaching platform purpose-built for women entrepreneurs. Direct peer because it combines community, coaching, and capital access — overlapping meaningfully with Just BE's membership-plus-events-plus-coaching mix.
- Pipeline Angels: Network of women of color and gender-non-conforming angel investors backing entrepreneurs. Direct peer because of the shared WOC entrepreneur focus and the integration of community education with capital deployment.
Others
- Restore Oakland: Restorative economics and healing justice community hub and RPOC home. Included as a strategic partner/ecosystem participant that anchors policy organizing work Just BE engages with, not a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Just BE social profiles
Digital presenceJust BE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Just BE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Just BE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Just BE 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 Just BE
What does Just BE do?
Just BE is a membership community and fiscally sponsored nonprofit that runs tiered subscription memberships (Co-Stewardship and Standard tiers) for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) micro-entrepreneurs, paired with somatic one-on-one coaching, monthly in-person community gatherings, a vendor holiday market, and a multi-year plan to acquire cooperatively owned property in Oakland.
Is Just BE a public or private company?
Just BE is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Just BE founded?
Just BE was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Just BE based?
Just BE is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Just BE make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Co-Stewardship Membership is the primary driver. The others are community Membership Tiers, somatic Coaching Services, event-Based Programs, for the Culture Market and donations and Grants.
Who are Just BE's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), Tory Burch Foundation and Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Direct peers are SoGal Foundation, Black Girl Ventures, Standing in Our Power (SiOP), Hello Alice, IFundWomen and Pipeline Angels. Restore Oakland is listed as an others.
Does Just BE have an API?
No public API is recorded for Just BE.