Reaching 20M Millennials

DeBaun studied political science after realizing that teachers faced limits in changing the education system. After college, she moved from St. Louis to Silicon Valley and worked as a product manager at Intuit. Side projects taught her that a useful idea, like a personal finance calculator, still needs a clear reason to stand out.

Blavity’s goal was to create products and experiences that celebrate Black people, whom DeBaun felt mainstream technology and media often underserved. After the events in Ferguson, she saw how hard it was to find timely local information and decided to focus on digital, mobile-first Black media. The company began with a newsletter curating videos, but readers preferred written stories; blog traffic grew far beyond video traffic, so Blavity changed direction.

DeBaun said the team focused on what its audience needed, including visibility and resources for emerging creators. Blavity promoted artists, provided equipment and training, and sometimes offered money; she cited Quinta Brunson as a creator who received a GoPro early in her career. The company later built its own website and content management system, and DeBaun said community members contributed about half of its content.

DeBaun described initially pitching investors who had backed similar media companies, then realizing Blavity needed a clearer story and stronger results. The team bootstrapped for a year with a small, mostly unpaid group before its first funding helped cover costs and pay existing contributors. Blavity used audience growth to guide experiments, expanding into brands including 21Ninety for Black women, the AfroTech and EmpowerHer conferences, and Shadow and Act for Black Hollywood.

DeBaun envisioned Blavity as a recognizable source of positive experiences centered on Black people, with room to expand into areas such as music and entertainment. She advised founders to keep their larger ambitions alive even when they simplify a pitch for investors. For Black women founders in particular, she said not to wait for permission or validation before pursuing their goals.