BlackFULLness

What BlackFULLness does

BlackFULLness, operated by Special Sauce, Inc., is a culturally-rooted wellness platform targeting Black individuals and communities in the United States. The company's core product is a mobile mindfulness application available on iOS and Android that delivers meditation, breathwork, sound healing, prayer, gratitude exercises, and growth content grounded in the guiding principles of Mindfulness, Nguzo Saba, and Ma'at. Content was developed in the Psychology Department at Spelman College (an HBCU) and validated through Randomized Control Trials funded by a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health grant, with results published in peer-reviewed publications.

Name

BlackFULLness

Legal name

Special Sauce, Inc.

Website

https://blackfullness.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BlackFULLness, operated by Special Sauce, Inc., provides a culturally-rooted mindfulness mobile app for Black communities, featuring meditation, prayer, and gratitude content developed at Spelman College and validated by NIH-funded clinical trials, alongside physical wellness merchandise and organizational wellness programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culturally-rooted mindfulness and wellness mobile application

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Meditation Apps, Digital Courses & Online Communities (HSADAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mindfulness-Based Coaching & Training (MBSR/MBCT-style) (HSADAJAB), Corporate/Workplace Mindfulness & Stress-Reduction Programs (HSADAJAG)

Keywords

• Culturally rooted mindfulness
• Stress reduction app
• Guided meditation platform
• Gratitude journaling program
• Organizational wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. App Premium Subscription: Recurring subscription for BlackFULLness App Premium, providing access to the full meditation, breathwork, prayer, gratitude, and growth content library. Billed monthly at $11.99 or annually at $79.99. Auto-renewing via Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
2. Physical Wellness Products: Sale of physical merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hoodies), wellness products (essential oils, body butter), affirmation cards, and gratitude journals through the BlackFULLness e-commerce storefront (Shopify).
3. Organizational Wellness Programs: B2B offerings including workshops, circles, retreats, coaching, live/virtual sessions (Decolonizing Mindfulness sessions, The BlackFULLness Lounge, GrateFULLness program) sold to corporate ERGs, schools, community groups, healthcare organizations, and churches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BlackFULLness operates a culturally-rooted mindfulness mobile app (iOS and Android) that delivers meditations, breathwork, sound healings, prayer, gratitude, and growth practices tailored specifically for Black individuals and communities. The company also sells physical wellness merchandise—including a 90-day guided gratitude journal, essential oil roll-ons, affirmation cards, apparel, and body butter—through its Shopify storefront, and delivers organizational wellness programs (workshops, retreats, coaching, and live/virtual sessions) to corporate ERGs, schools, healthcare organizations, and community groups.

Product overview

BlackFULLness operates as a unified wellness platform centered on its core mobile mindfulness app, supplemented by a curated portfolio of physical products and wellness services. The flagship BlackFULLness Mobile App delivers culturally-rooted meditations, breathwork, sound healings, prayer, gratitude, and growth practices through a subscription model ($11.99/month or $79.99/year). Physical products include the award-winning GrateFULLness Gratitude Journal (a 90-day guided journal with research-validated techniques), Affirmation Cards, and a merchandise line (T-shirts, hoodies, Goddess Butter, Essential Oil). The company also offers organizational services through The BlackFULLness Lounge (in-person/virtual wellness space) and Decolonizing Mindfulness sessions for corporate and community partners. The platform is science-backed with $1.5M in NIH research grants and is developed in partnership with Spelman College.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GrateFULLness: Guided gratitude journal program fostering purpose, connection, and mindset shift through a 90-day transformative journey celebrating the Black experience.
• Decolonizing Mindfulness
• The BlackFULLness Lounge

Products and services

• BlackFULLness Mobile App A culturally-rooted mindfulness app for Black people offering meditations, breathwork, sound healings, prayer, gratitude, and growth practices built on the principles of mindfulness, Nguzo Saba, and Ma'at. Content developed at Spelman College and validated through NIH-funded Randomized Control Trials.
• GrateFULLness Gratitude Journal A 90-day culturally-relevant guided gratitude journal featuring research-validated mindfulness techniques, writing exercises, affirmations, guided meditations, and mindful movement exercises authored by the app's founders.
• The BlackFULLness Lounge In-person and virtual holistic wellness space offering practical mindfulness techniques that cultivate healing and belonging for community and organizational audiences.
• Decolonizing Mindfulness Sessions In-person or virtual sessions offering real-time mindfulness practices that are engaging and effective, delivered to organizational partners including schools, ERGs, and community groups.
• BlackFULLness App Premium Subscription Premium subscription tier unlocking the full BlackFULLness mobile app content library including meditation, breathwork, prayer, gratitude, and growth content, billed at $11.99/month or $79.99/year via Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Quantifiable outcome

• NIH-funded Randomized Control Trials demonstrated increased access to health skills that reduce stress and improve well-being among Black users
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Spelman College Psychology DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpelman College, an HBCU, was the institutional home for the development of BlackFULLness app content. The Psychology Department conducted the NIH-funded Randomized Control Trials evaluating the app's efficacy. Dr. Natalie Watson-Singleton serves as an advisor, serving as Chief Wellness Officer and Associate Professor in the Spelman Department of Psychology.
• UCSF Cancer CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in ongoing research efforts at UCSF Cancer Center as part of the company's research-driven validation strategy. The partnership contributes to the evidence base for culturally-rooted wellness interventions in healthcare settings.
• Florida State University (FSU) Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in ongoing research efforts at FSU Medical School as part of the company's research validation strategy.
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in ongoing research efforts supported by PCORI, contributing to patient-centered outcomes research focused on culturally relevant wellness interventions.
• Drexel UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in ongoing research efforts at Drexel University as part of the company's multi-institutional research validation strategy.
• Roots Community HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoots Community Health, led by Dr. Noha Aboelata, is a key community partner. BlackFULLness maintains a consistent presence at Roots' monthly All Staff Meetings, offering mindfulness tools and stress reduction support. Many Roots staff use the app to start internal meetings. Roots serves as both a research partner and a customer case study.
• Black Teacher Project (BTP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack Teacher Project partnered with BlackFULLness to deliver Decolonizing, Demystifying and Designing Mindfulness sessions supporting the Black Teacher Wellness Program. BTP teachers received practical mindfulness practices for the classroom plus affirmation cards and GrateFULLness Gratitude Journals. Dr. Micia Mosely, BTP's Founder & Director, is a vocal customer advocate.
• Kingmakers of Oakland (KOO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKingmakers of Oakland partnered with BlackFULLness on multiple projects including creating safe spaces for Black male teachers in SF Unified School District, mindfulness sessions for leadership and staff, and a regular presence at KOO's annual Symposiums and events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Breethe: Subscription mindfulness and therapy app offering guided meditations, coaching, and therapy. Overlaps with BlackFULLness on consumer subscription model and on wellness content for diverse, stress-burdened audiences.
• 10% Happier: Mindfulness and meditation app led by Dan Harris with strong podcast and content presence. Competes for the same consumer subscription wallet and for mainstream attention to mindfulness practice.
• Aura Health: Personalized AI-driven mindfulness, meditation, and coaching app. Competes with BlackFULLness on mobile subscription delivery and increasingly on AI personalization, which BlackFULLness is pursuing with App 2.0.
• The Shine App: Daily mental wellness app targeting diverse millennial and Gen Z audiences with a focus on inclusion and culturally-rooted content. Overlaps with BlackFULLness on mission-driven positioning but operates in a broader BIPOC and women of color frame rather than Black-specific.
• May (Meditation app): Meditation and mental wellness app with curated daily content and coach-led programs. Overlaps with BlackFULLness on culturally-warm, daily-mindfulness positioning and consumer subscription model.

Broad incumbents

• Calm: Largest mainstream meditation and mindfulness app with massive content library and brand recognition. Overlaps with BlackFULLness on core mindfulness delivery but serves a generalized audience; represents the dominant incumbent BlackFULLness must differentiate against.
• Insight Timer: Open marketplace meditation app with thousands of teachers and a large free tier. Competes with BlackFULLness for consumer attention in the meditation category and offers culturally-diverse teacher content that could overlap with the company's user base.
• Headspace: Major incumbent in the mindfulness and mental wellness space, including Headspace Health for employers. Competes for both consumer subscription dollars and B2B workplace wellness contracts that overlap with BlackFULLness's ERG-targeted corporate offering.

Others

• Calm Health: B2B clinical mental health arm of Calm targeting healthcare payors and providers. Relevant as a potential enterprise channel partner or competitor for BlackFULLness's healthcare-organization partnerships with Roots Community Health and similar providers.

Direct peers

• Liberate Meditation: Meditation app purpose-built for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. Closest direct competitor to BlackFULLness, competing on the same cultural-specificity, BIPOC-audience positioning, and subscription mobile-app business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BlackFULLness
• Facebookfacebook.com/blackfullness
• Instagraminstagram.com/theblackfullness
• TikToktiktok.com/@blackfullness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackfullness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 BlackFULLness