Diddy launches marketplace to find, buy from Black entrepreneurs

Sean “Diddy” Combs this week launched an e-commerce platform called Empower Global (EG), a virtual marketplace where consumers can discover Black entrepreneurs and buy their products.

Through EG, Black businesses can reach a wider audience, and consumers will have access to dozens of Black brands in beauty, fashion, art, and lifestyle, according to Wednesday’s news release. The platform launched with more than 70 Black-owned businesses and expects to add new ones each month, with a goal of featuring more than 200 brands on the Empower Global site by year’s end.

Shoppers can currently browse over 1,000 items from Silver & Riley, Actively Black, Scotch Porter, Coco & Breezy, Kultured Misfits, Gwen Beloti Jewelry, Buttah Skin, Marie Hunter Beauty, Pound Cake, B.M. Franklin & Co., Beauty Stat Cosmetics, Cecilia’s House, Cise, Cool Creative Clothing, June 79, Rebecca Allen and many more, according to the news release. 

“My mission has always been to empower Black entrepreneurs and create more opportunities for them to access the resources, tools and support needed to build successful businesses,” Combs, chairman of Combs Global, said in the news release.

“Empower Global will uplift Black entrepreneurs, keep dollars circulating in our community, and make buying Black a lifestyle,” he added. 

Tarik Brooks, president of Combs Global, said the company is “thrilled to launch this initiative.” He said the platform “showcases the incredible products and talents of Black-owned businesses” and “provides a gateway for consumers to support and uplift our community.”

Brooks said Empower Global aims to “foster sustainable growth and create lasting opportunities that will leave a positive and enduring impact on the Black economy.”

In an effort to make supporting Black-owned businesses even easier, UPS and Empower Global partnered to offer special shipping rates. For a limited time, select sellers will feature discounted products and free UPS shipping, through the Days of Deals initiative, according to the news release. 

Combs announced in 2021 that he was establishing Empower Global. The project came to fruition in collaboration with Black-owned TechSparq, an e-commerce design and development company, and Black-owned tech company ChatDesk, according to the news release. 

Brooks called EG “a transformative platform that embodies Sean Combs’ unwavering commitment to Black entrepreneurship.”