20 Black Start-Ups You Should Check Out Right Now

Businesses doing their best to make your life easier.

NewMe Accelerator - Four classes of minority-led start-ups later, the NewMe Accelerator program is still churning out businesses that can make our lives easier — and better. Here we picked a few of the start-ups that you should be keeping an eye on. — Erin E. Evans Angela Benton, founder of Black Web 2.0 and several other new media ventures, started the NewMe Accelerator program in summer 2011. It is a 12-week, intensive and immersive program where participants receive mentorship from some of Silicon Valley’s elite players for their new start-ups.  (Photo: Courtesy Newme)

1 / 20

NewMe Accelerator - Four classes of minority-led start-ups later, the NewMe Accelerator program is still churning out businesses that can make our lives easier — and better. Here we picked a few of the start-ups that you should be keeping an eye on. — Erin E. Evans Angela Benton, founder of Black Web 2.0 and several other new media ventures, started the NewMe Accelerator program in summer 2011. It is a 12-week, intensive and immersive program where participants receive mentorship from some of Silicon Valley’s elite players for their new start-ups. (Photo: Courtesy Newme)

PitchTo - Wayne Sutton, of Raleigh, North Carolina, founded PitchTo after his experience at the first NewMe Accelerator bootcamp. PitchTo helps entrepreneurs give stellar pitches to investors. He is a co-founder of the NewMe Accelerator. (Photo: Courtesy of PitchTo)

2 / 20

PitchTo - Wayne Sutton, of Raleigh, North Carolina, founded PitchTo after his experience at the first NewMe Accelerator bootcamp. PitchTo helps entrepreneurs give stellar pitches to investors. He is a co-founder of the NewMe Accelerator. (Photo: Courtesy of PitchTo)

Fanmeetr - Want to talk to other sports fans in your hometown? Brandon Rivers, of Santa Clara, California, founded fanmeetr to connect local fans on game day. You can sign up for a test drive now. (Photo: Courtesy of Fanmeetr)

3 / 20

Fanmeetr - Want to talk to other sports fans in your hometown? Brandon Rivers, of Santa Clara, California, founded fanmeetr to connect local fans on game day. You can sign up for a test drive now. (Photo: Courtesy of Fanmeetr)

AgLocal - Naithan Jones, of Kansas City, Missouri, is the CEO and founder of AgLocal, a start-up that gives “power to the meat lover.” AgLocal makes it easy for anyone to buy or sell locally raised meats. Request an invite to join here. (Photo: Courtesy of AgLocal)

4 / 20

AgLocal - Naithan Jones, of Kansas City, Missouri, is the CEO and founder of AgLocal, a start-up that gives “power to the meat lover.” AgLocal makes it easy for anyone to buy or sell locally raised meats. Request an invite to join here. (Photo: Courtesy of AgLocal)

PictureMenu - Christopher Lyons, of Johns Creek, Georgia, wants to change the way people dine out. His start-up, PictureMenu, provides restaurants with an easy way to make their menus viewable on smart phones and tablets. Check it out here. (Photo: Courtesy of Picture Menu)

5 / 20

PictureMenu - Christopher Lyons, of Johns Creek, Georgia, wants to change the way people dine out. His start-up, PictureMenu, provides restaurants with an easy way to make their menus viewable on smart phones and tablets. Check it out here. (Photo: Courtesy of Picture Menu)

ADVERTISEMENT
Playd - Playd gamers can check into their favorite video games and discover new games among friends on this social gaming app. Anthony Frasier, of Montclair, New Jersey, is the founder of Playd. Get the iPhone app here. (Photo: Courtesy of Playd)

6 / 20

Playd - Playd gamers can check into their favorite video games and discover new games among friends on this social gaming app. Anthony Frasier, of Montclair, New Jersey, is the founder of Playd. Get the iPhone app here. (Photo: Courtesy of Playd)

FetchMob - A concierge service run by your local community? Enter FetchMob, where users can request delivery of products right to their doorstep. Crisson Jno-Charles, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, is a co-founder. (Photo: Courtesy of FetchMob)

7 / 20

FetchMob - A concierge service run by your local community? Enter FetchMob, where users can request delivery of products right to their doorstep. Crisson Jno-Charles, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, is a co-founder. (Photo: Courtesy of FetchMob)

AisleFinder - Tired of walking up and down the aisles of your local grocery store looking for a loaf of bread? AisleFinder is a “GPS for your supermarket,” founded by Curtiss Pope, of Milpitas, California. (Photo: Courtesy of Aisle Finder)

8 / 20

AisleFinder - Tired of walking up and down the aisles of your local grocery store looking for a loaf of bread? AisleFinder is a “GPS for your supermarket,” founded by Curtiss Pope, of Milpitas, California. (Photo: Courtesy of Aisle Finder)

Ubi Video - James Norman, of Detroit, Michigan, started Ubi Video because he was tired of his high-priced cable TV subscription. So with Ubi, users can get all their favorite online videos in one place. Try it out here. (Photo: Courtesy of Ubi Video)

9 / 20

Ubi Video - James Norman, of Detroit, Michigan, started Ubi Video because he was tired of his high-priced cable TV subscription. So with Ubi, users can get all their favorite online videos in one place. Try it out here. (Photo: Courtesy of Ubi Video)

Rippld - Feel stifled in your cubicle at work? Rippld is “where creative minds unite.” Adrian Walker, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and his start-up received a $50,000 micro-loan from Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund. (Photo: Courtesy of Rippld)

10 / 20

Rippld - Feel stifled in your cubicle at work? Rippld is “where creative minds unite.” Adrian Walker, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and his start-up received a $50,000 micro-loan from Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund. (Photo: Courtesy of Rippld)

ADVERTISEMENT
Dwllr - Looking to buy or sell a house fast and completely online? Khisaun Ferguson, of Cincinnati, Ohio, founded Dwllr, a business management system “built to help real estate professionals sell and rent more homes.” (Photo: Courtesy of Dwllr)

11 / 20

Dwllr - Looking to buy or sell a house fast and completely online? Khisaun Ferguson, of Cincinnati, Ohio, founded Dwllr, a business management system “built to help real estate professionals sell and rent more homes.” (Photo: Courtesy of Dwllr)

GoKit - Hajj Flemings, of Detroit, Michigan, started GoKit to help social media users distinguish multiple personas over multiple platforms. Want to set apart your business Twitter from your personal Facebook page? Organize your social media profiles on GoKit. (Photo: Courtesy of GoKit)

12 / 20

GoKit - Hajj Flemings, of Detroit, Michigan, started GoKit to help social media users distinguish multiple personas over multiple platforms. Want to set apart your business Twitter from your personal Facebook page? Organize your social media profiles on GoKit. (Photo: Courtesy of GoKit)

Pencil You In - Tiffani Bell, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, founded Pencil You In after she was tired of making appointments at 2:30 a.m. on her hairstylist’s salon voice mail. Her start-up allows businesses to book appointments 24/7/365. (Photo: Courtesy of Pencil You In)

13 / 20

Pencil You In - Tiffani Bell, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, founded Pencil You In after she was tired of making appointments at 2:30 a.m. on her hairstylist’s salon voice mail. Her start-up allows businesses to book appointments 24/7/365. (Photo: Courtesy of Pencil You In)

Helpr - Who wants to wait on hold for a customer service representative to give them a quick answer? Definitely not Tendekai Muchenje, of Durham, North Carolina. So he started Helpr, which connects consumers with the best resources to get their problem solved. (Photo: Courtesy of Helpr)

14 / 20

Helpr - Who wants to wait on hold for a customer service representative to give them a quick answer? Definitely not Tendekai Muchenje, of Durham, North Carolina. So he started Helpr, which connects consumers with the best resources to get their problem solved. (Photo: Courtesy of Helpr)

SoClick - Justin Dawkins’ SoClick helps social media marketers measure the reach of their content. Wondering how well your brand is doing on Twitter? SoClick will help you find out. (Photo: Courtesy of SoClick)

15 / 20

SoClick - Justin Dawkins’ SoClick helps social media marketers measure the reach of their content. Wondering how well your brand is doing on Twitter? SoClick will help you find out. (Photo: Courtesy of SoClick)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy of SoClick

ADVERTISEMENT
FotoPigeon - Frederick Hutson calls FotoPigeon the “Fedex of photo-sharing.” The service is a fast way to send photos to family and friends. The app will soon be available on Apple and Android. (Photo: Courtesy of FotoPigeon)

16 / 20

FotoPigeon - Frederick Hutson calls FotoPigeon the “Fedex of photo-sharing.” The service is a fast way to send photos to family and friends. The app will soon be available on Apple and Android. (Photo: Courtesy of FotoPigeon)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy of FotoPigeon

Derbywire - Sharron Battle, of Atlanta, Georgia, started Derbywire so creatives could sell their work online. It is available in the Apple store. (Photo: Courtesy of Derby Wire)

17 / 20

Derbywire - Sharron Battle, of Atlanta, Georgia, started Derbywire so creatives could sell their work online. It is available in the Apple store. (Photo: Courtesy of Derby Wire)

Plisten - Are you tied to a bunch of brands and want to be able to keep them all in one location? Plisten, co-founded by Randy J. Mitchell, “changes the way you interact with corporate, political and personal brands on the Web.” (Photo: Courtesy of Plisten)

18 / 20

Plisten - Are you tied to a bunch of brands and want to be able to keep them all in one location? Plisten, co-founded by Randy J. Mitchell, “changes the way you interact with corporate, political and personal brands on the Web.” (Photo: Courtesy of Plisten)

Given - McKeever E. Conwell II, Michael P. Washington and Sam Henry, of Baltimore, Maryland, all Morgan State University grads, started Given, a “crowd-gifting platform” that allows family and friends to get together to receive gifts they really want. (Photo: Courtesy of Given)

19 / 20

Given - McKeever E. Conwell II, Michael P. Washington and Sam Henry, of Baltimore, Maryland, all Morgan State University grads, started Given, a “crowd-gifting platform” that allows family and friends to get together to receive gifts they really want. (Photo: Courtesy of Given)

Citizen Made - Rachel Brooks co-founded Citizen Made, a start-up that helps brands customize products and sell them online. “You can think of it most easily as something like Nike ID, where you can design your own shoes. It’s that style technology, opened up to any product category, and affordably so,” said Brooks, of Chicago, Illinois. (Photo: Courtesy of Citizen Made)

20 / 20

Citizen Made - Rachel Brooks co-founded Citizen Made, a start-up that helps brands customize products and sell them online. “You can think of it most easily as something like Nike ID, where you can design your own shoes. It’s that style technology, opened up to any product category, and affordably so,” said Brooks, of Chicago, Illinois. (Photo: Courtesy of Citizen Made)