TikTok’s Black-owned business accelerator is back for its third year

Applications are open for TikTok’s third annual Support Black Businesses accelerator program.

Launched in 2020 in the wake of the George Floyd protests, the accelerator “is designed to elevate the voices of Black-owned businesses on TikTok through exclusive access to resources, benefits, and networking opportunities,” TikTok said in a company blog post.

“The Support Black Businesses accelerator program aims to shine a light on the creativity, innovation, and real impact that Black-owned businesses have on the TikTok community and their local community,” it added.

This round of the accelerator is open to Black-owned businesses in the U.S. that offer digital sales of a product or service and have a social media presence (on TikTok or off).

The program is sponsored by TikTok partners Shopify, Talent x Opportunity, and Black Girl Ventures, and will last four weeks.

TikTok says that over the course of those four weeks, participants will attend weekly webinars and get “exclusive access to business resources and benefits and join a community of like-minded founders and owners to connect, support, learn, and uplift one another.”

Sahr Brima, CEO of Minneapolis-based bakery Love You Cookie, said participating in Support Black Businesses’ 2021 class “had a significant impact on our business.”

“Not only did the program give us national exposure, it also gave us the tools and the resources to succeed on TikTok,” he said.

Applications are open here Aug. 8 through Aug. 24. Selected businesses will be notified of their acceptance in early September, and the program begins Sept. 12.