This story was originally published by Technical.ly, a news partner of PublicSource. You can sign up for their newsletters at technical.ly/subscribe.
There are apps for meditation and apps to order food. But what if there was an app that rewarded you for lending financial support to the 2.3% of US employer firms that are Black-owned?
Hailing from the world of finance and business, in 2020, Pittsburgh’s Art Robinson noticed a distinct lack of rewards programs for customers shopping at Black-owned or underserved companies. During this early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic when some folks were baking banana bread or singing sea shanties, Robinson founded BLK DYMND Rewards, an app designed to give its users access to hundreds of rewards when they make purchases at Black-owned businesses across the country.
Robinson recalled that credit card companies such as Capital One offer gift cards and/or points in return for their loyalty. Therefore, he told Technical.ly, he felt it couldn’t hurt to give people an added incentive to buy from businesses that are statistically less likely to receive venture capital and support.
