Grants, prizes and pitch competitions can help founders access capital, but the rules may include scoring criteria, publicity terms, confidentiality limits, legal waivers or financing structures that deserve close review.
CAPITAL · TODAY
TODAY'S BBD500 SPOTLIGHT · Women’s Entrepreneurship
VIEW PROFILE →Afua Osei
Co-founder of She Leads Africa, executive and entrepreneurship educator. She built partnerships and a digital platform connecting African women with business education, community and opportunity.
MORE FROM THE BBD500More people
More people
to know.
The BBD500 is Black Biz Daily's curated stage for Black founders, executives, investors, educators, authors, consultants, creators and business authorities whose work deserves to be seen. It is not a popularity ranking; it recognizes useful authority, demonstrated impact and sustained contribution.
EXPLORE THE BBD500 →01Black Business Commerce
Mandy Bowman
Founder and CEO of Official Black Wall Street. She builds technology, commerce and community tools that help consumers discover Black-owned businesses and help entrepreneurs scale.
02Career & Leadership
Kimberly Brown
Career and leadership strategist, author, keynote speaker and founder of Brown Leadership. She teaches professionals to navigate work, build influence, earn more and prepare for their next move.
03Executive Coaching
Joyel Crawford
Executive coach, leadership speaker and former HR professional with more than two decades of experience. She helps leaders navigate career growth, communication, change and organizational performance.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHINGThe questions
The questions
shaping what
comes next.
The Brief tells you what matters now. This desk follows the deeper business shifts our newsroom believes deserve sustained attention.
THE CALENDARFOR FOUNDERS · STARTUPS · ENTREPRENEURS
Where our community meets next.
Discover conferences, summits and gatherings worth knowing. Dates and details are verified against official organizer information before publication.
BLACK ENTERPRISE XCEL Summit for Men 2026
ORLANDO, FLORIDA · CONFIRMEDVIEW EVENT →NMSDC Annual Conference & Exchange 2026
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA · CONFIRMEDVIEW EVENT →AFROTECH Conference 2026
HOUSTON, TEXAS · CONFIRMEDVIEW EVENT →WHY BLACK BIZ DAILY EXISTS
Business coverage through our lens.
Black Biz Daily exists to document, explain and celebrate the companies, founders, executives, investors, authors and thinkers shaping our economic future.
We cover the business stories that matter to our community with seriousness, curiosity and consistency every day.
OUR VISION & PUBLISHER →