Blavity founders Morgan DeBaun,?Aaron Samuels, Jonathan Jackson and Jeff Nelson have raised $6.5 million Series A round that will help the digital lifestyle media company expand operations into a new office that will likely be based in Atlanta and reportedly triple the size of its engineering team.
In an interview with TechCrunch, DeBaun said of the investment, ?There?s just a lot going on where it?s important now more than ever that Blavity is committed and has the resources it needs to grow as a publication.? And on the new office, she said, “a lot of innovation will come out of that office in the next six to nine months.?
News of the investment comes at a time where there are a lot of changes – some bad, some good – going on at Black publications. News recently surfaced that the last remaining Black-owned newspaper in New Jersey, the South Jersey Journal, has shut down operations. And a few weeks ago, Essence magazine’s editor-in-chief, Vanessa DeLuca; and editorial projects director Patrik Henry Bass, were both let go of their positions as the company restructures itself since becoming independent.? ?
Blavity’s round was led by GV and included input from Comcast Ventures, Plexo Capital and Baron Davis Enterprises.
Launched in 2014, Blavity is a platform that focuses on Black millenials.
