Snap Launches Accelerator To Support Black Creators
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
Social media giant Snap is launching an accelerator program to support emerging Black creators.
The Santa Monica-based company announced Thursday that it will pay 25 selected applicants $10,000 per month for one year. The creators will get to beta-test new features and receive mentorship to help them succeed on the Snapchat platform.
“Black creators face unique systemic barriers across the creator industry—from disparities in compensation and attribution, to toxic experiences and more,” the company said in a blog post. “We believe one of the ways we can help remove some of those barriers is to provide mentorship and financial resources to emerging Black creators in the early stages of their professional career.”
Other major social media and content platforms have also launched programs to support creators from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Earlier this year, YouTube picked 135 creators to support financially and through workshops and networking opportunities, while Meta has a Black Gaming Creator Program that backs gamers using Facebook. Such programs are beneficial to the tech giants themselves, too, as they try to lure popular creators to their platforms.
Snap’s new accelerator is part of its 523 initiative, which aims to support underrepresented companies and creators. The social media company also runs a startup accelerator called Yellow, which hosted a demo day on Wednesday for tech founders to pitch their businesses to investors. (Disclosure: Snap is an investor in dot.LA.)
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Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
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