UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce

What UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce does

The UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce (USNYBCC) is a nonprofit chamber of commerce founded in 2018 and headquartered at 150 State Street, 4th Floor, Albany, New York 12207. It operates as a regional affiliate of U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. and serves Black-owned and minority-owned businesses across eight Upstate New York cities: Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Kingston, Newburgh, Hudson, and Poughkeepsie. The organization is led by Co-Founder and President/CEO Anthony M. Gaddy, with a staff headcount of 1-10 employees.

USNYBCC delivers its mission through a "Five Pillars of Service" framework: Advocacy, Access to Capital, Contracting, Entrepreneur Training, and Chamber Development. Products and services include monthly e-newsletters, a member directory and events calendar, networking mixers and seminars, business councils (Women's Business Council, Young Professionals Group, Business Referrals Group), professional development (branding, business planning, public speaking), a member-only job board, and distribution of the ByBlack certification program. Strategic partnerships include the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (parent affiliate), the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program (flagship federal channel), and displayed financial supporters SEFCU and Berkshire Bank.

The business model is subscription-based via four tiered annual memberships priced from $350 (small business, partnership, non-profit, LLC, individual with 1-49 employees) to $2,500 (corporations with 150+ employees). Technology footprint is minimal: no mobile app, no API, no proprietary software platform beyond a basic WordPress membership portal, and no documented data flywheel. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; there are no funding rounds, investors, or external capital indicated in the available data. Growth is driven by community-led outreach via social channels (Facebook, Instagram), in-person events across the eight-city footprint, and SBA navigator programming rather than technology scale.

Name

UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce

Legal name

UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://usnybcc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit regional chamber, affiliate of U.S. Black Chambers Inc., that serves Black-owned and minority-owned SMBs across eight Upstate New York cities via tiered memberships, advocacy, networking, certification, and SBA Community Navigator services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees at four tiered levels based on business size, ranging from $350 for small business owners/individuals to $2,500 for corporations with 150+ employees. Membership provides access to communications, networking opportunities, business councils, marketing promotion, and professional development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce provides a tiered annual membership program ($350–$2,500) for Black-owned and minority-owned businesses across Upstate New York. Members receive chamber communications (monthly e-newsletter, e-news blast, member directory, events calendar), networking opportunities (mixers, committees, seminars, workshops), targeted business councils, branding and marketing services, professional development training, and access to advocacy programs built on the Five Pillars of Service (Advocacy, Access to Capital, Contracting, Entrepreneur Training, Chamber Development).

Product overview

The UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based organization offering a tiered membership program with four pricing levels ($350-$2,500 annually based on business size). The core offerings include chamber communications (e-newsletter, directory, events calendar), networking opportunities (mixers, committees, workshops), business councils (Women's Business Council, Young Professionals Group), marketing services, and professional development training. The organization also facilitates Black-owned business certification through the ByBlack program and operates a member-only job board. The Five Pillars of Service framework guides advocacy, access to capital, contracting, entrepreneur training, and chamber development initiatives. This is not a technology product company—it is a chamber of commerce providing business support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• USNYBCC Membership Programs Tiered membership program with four annual levels based on business size: Level 1 ($350 for small business owners/individuals with 1–49 employees), Level 2 ($650 for LLCs/corporations with 1–99 employees), Level 3 ($1,000 for corporations with 100–149 employees), and Level 4 ($2,500 for corporations with 150+ employees). Targeted at Black-owned and minority-owned businesses in Upstate New York.
• Chamber Communications Monthly e-newsletter, e-news blast, member directory, and events calendar providing members with ongoing chamber updates, member visibility, and event information.
• Networking & Professional Development Networking mixers, business committees and seminars, entrepreneurial workshops, speakers' bureau, branding training, business planning, and public speaking training for members.
• Business Councils & Committees Targeted member groups including the Women's Business Council, Young Professionals Group, and Business Referrals Group providing demographic-specific networking and peer support.
• Chamber Marketing & Promotion Website branding and advertising, employment listings, real estate listings, and sponsorship opportunities enabling members to promote their businesses through USNYBCC channels.
• ByBlack Certification Black-owned business certification program offered in partnership with byblack.us that members can complete in under 30 minutes, providing a credential that sets a new standard for Black business verification.
• Member Directory Exclusive member-only directory listing certified Black-owned businesses within the chamber network, providing visibility and referral opportunities.
• Job Board Member-accessible platform for finding jobs and posting employment opportunities, supporting remote, freelance, full-time, part-time, and other job types.
• Five Pillars of Service Programs Integrated advocacy, access to capital, contracting opportunities, entrepreneur training, and chamber development programs supporting Black-owned businesses throughout Upstate New York.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud affiliate of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. National organization providing technical assistance, leadership training, best practices sharing, industry data, and support for establishment of new Black chambers. The partnership enables access to national resources while the local chapter advocates for Black businesses in Upstate New York.
• SBA Community Navigator Pilot ProgramflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Navigator Pilot Program partnership connects underserved small businesses with SBA resources to help them recover. The chamber serves as a community navigator meeting businesses where they are to provide assistance.
• byblack.us Certification ProgramcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBlack-owned business certification program partner. Provides certification that sets a new standard for what it means to be Black in business. The chamber promotes this certification to members as a value-added benefit.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Albany County Regional Chamber of Commerce: Local general-purpose chamber headquartered in the same Albany market, offering tiered membership, networking events, and advocacy. Comparable in business model and regional scope, though serving a broader demographic than USNYBCC's minority-business focus.
• National Black Chamber of Commerce: National Black business advocacy chamber operating with a parallel mission of economic development for Black-owned businesses, providing policy advocacy, networking, and supplier diversity programming — directly comparable in mission and member base.
• U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. National parent affiliate organization with the identical Five Pillars mission of advocacy, capital access, contracting, entrepreneur training, and chamber development for Black-owned businesses. USNYBCC operates as a direct local affiliate, sharing programmatic and brand assets.
• Women's Business Enterprise National Council: Certification and advocacy organization for women-owned businesses with a comparable tiered-membership, certification-driven model. Operates a parallel 'WBENC Certification' analogous to USNYBCC's ByBlack offering.
• National Minority Supplier Development Council: National organization expanding minority business participation in corporate supply chains, with certification programs and corporate matching that closely mirror the chamber's contracting pillar and ByBlack certification functionality.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Large national civil rights and economic empowerment organization with overlapping African American economic advancement programming, including entrepreneurship centers and small business support, but operating at significantly broader scale.

Others

• SCORE: SBA resource partner delivering business mentoring, workshops, and entrepreneur training — directly aligned with USNYBCC's entrepreneur training pillar and SBA Community Navigator programming. Ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Regional players

• Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce: Regional New York chamber operating a similar tiered-membership and networking model in a different geography (NYC borough vs. Upstate NY), serving small and minority-owned businesses but without the explicit Black-business demographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/usny.bcc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upstate-new-york-black-chamber-of-commerce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce