An entrepreneur based in Houston is aiming to connect people of color with his own social media app, according to BlackNews.
MelaninPeople recently launched and connects Black people worldwide to cultivate professional relationships and socio-economic awareness. Not only that, but people, entrepreneurs and organizations can also promote their brands on the platform. Anyone can use the platform, including non-Black people.
CEO and founder Adeyinka Adegoke said he envisioned an online community for BIPOC, where they can support each other's goals "without restrictions." Before he started the app, he was struggling to find such a virtual space.
"It was very difficult and challenging to find one. I did not find any despite looking for them on other social media platforms," he said. "It is very a stressful activity to search everywhere on the internet for something that should be found easily in minutes."
That's when he decided to create his own platform for such a thing.
“I wanted to hire a professional plumber for a big project that ran into thousands of dollars and really desired to support a Black-owned business just because I am aware that there most black businesses do not have the same leverage as their counterparts," according to Adegoke.
When you create an account on MelaninPeople, you customize your preferences for connections based on your "socio-economic goal." The interface is similar to other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and users can communicate through short-form videos, pictures, private messages, podcasts and more. The app also allows people to share links to music, videos and news to other social media platforms.
There's also a digital marketplace on the app where users can buy or sell products and services. You can also create original content and have it monetized through a token-based system. Adegoke said this will probably rollout in the second or third quarter of 2021.
If you're interested in checking out MelaninPeople, you can download the app from the Apple Store, Google Play store or directly from MelaninPeople.com.
Photo: Getty Images