Discover Blapp, the innovative platform for locating Black-owned businesses near you.

This month, during Black History Month, many people within the Black community and their allies are feeling the urge to do more to support a wide range of industries. In response to this growing need, comedian Jon Laster, who is based in New York, has created a new app called Blapp. This app is designed to make it easier to find Black-owned businesses and services all across the United States.

Laster recently spoke to a team at CBS Chicago about his inspiration for creating Blapp. He explained, "Everyone wants to help, but I need your help to make it easy for you." He went on to share that a friend of his named Margot introduced him to someone in Silicon Valley, who works at Google. This person suggested a different approach to solving the problem of finding and supporting Black-owned ventures.

Blapp caters to all types of businesses, including bookstores, clubs, real estate agents, and doctors. It's been described as a "Black shopping app" and is designed to help consumers be more conscious about where they are spending their money. The app also aims to support the growth of minority businesses by encouraging consumers to spend their money within their own communities.

This initiative comes at a time when Black consumer spending is on the rise. According to McKinsey, the collective economic power of Black people is projected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2030, almost double its estimated value of $910 billion in 2019. However, despite this growth, Black patrons and entrepreneurs still face challenges such as "consumer deserts" and limited access to capital funding. These obstacles hinder their ability to fully participate in the cycle of consumerism. Blapp hopes to be a solution by making it easier to find and promote Black-owned businesses, contributing to the ongoing effort to strengthen the Black dollar.

Currently, Blapp features over 60,000 diverse businesses, and Laster plans to expand even further by reaching out to all Black entrepreneurs and promoting their companies to a wider audience. This app is just one example of how technology and innovation can create meaningful change and empower underrepresented communities. In a world where money talks, Blapp is giving a voice to Black-owned businesses and helping them thrive.

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