Morgan DeBaun Biography
Morgan DeBaun is an American Entrepreneur and media expert. She is the co-founder of Blavity, an organization that pulls African Americans together with an aim of boosting the black economy. Morgan has worked with many companies and has partnered with others that have made her successful. The young entrepreneur has also been featured in Essence, Forbes, and CNBC.
Morgan DeBaun Age and Background
Morgan was born on 8th February 1980 in St. Louis Missouri. In 2022, she celebrated her 32nd birthday. DeBaun’s upbringing was instrumental in making her what she is today. She was born into a black family living in the suburbs where most people were white.
His parents exposed her to black people who had succeeded in their fields. Seeing the success of other black people, duplicating this success became her priority. She also knew stable relationships and marriage are also essential for success. In her endeavor to find a suitable mate, she got into a relationship with Joshua Shaw, a founder, and director of Modern Innovation Production.
Morgan DeBaun Education and Career
DeBaun started at Magnet School and later at Washington University in St. Louis where she pursued a degree in Political Science and Entrepreneurship. The idea for her company was born while she was at University.
Black students would gather during free hours and talk for hours about their personal issues in the country. The gatherings were like gravity that pulled black students together. Observing this led her to combine the name Black and Gravity to form the name Blavity, which became the name of her company.
She graduated in 2012 and started working the following year. She joined Intuit as a Business Development and Product Manager. Morgan was keeping her job and worked for her company during the night hours.
In 2014, she quit her job and started working for her company full-time. She officially founded the company alongside her partners Aaron Samuels and Jeff Nelson. They created a website and started featuring content that related to issues faced by the African American Community.
Within a few years, the influence of the company exploded. More than 100 million people were visiting the site each year. More than 100 companies were also willing to work with them. In 2018, she was invited by the Black Economic Alliance and the CES to join as an Advisory Board Member.
The success of Blavity can be attributed to its core values. Unlike many media companies, Blavity focuses on content that creates value for the people instead of following celebrities. Most of its content is user-generated and advertisements and promotions on its site must align with its core values. This strategy has enabled Blavity to earn the trust of its users.
Like most businesses, driving revenue to run Blavity was challenging. In an interview with Summit, Debaun stated that she got her first $500 check from an Instagram ad. Next, she created a second source of income by working with Indie Brands that were willing to advertise with Blavity.
Her third and probably the biggest source of revenue came after running a women’s conference event. From there, she incorporated display advertising. Now, as a big company, she drives most of her money from investors who share the same values as Blavity. With 55 employees, Blavity is reaching more than 200 million users and sending emails to over 400,000 people.
She has also introduced other brands with content relating to Black Americans and Africans. Afro Tech distributes news on technology, business, and jobs, Travel Noire does news on Culture and Destination, 21 Ninety does news on Lifestyle, Shadow Act has news on Black Hollywood, and Blavity shares Culture and News. Blavity has translated from just a website to a movement for empowering African Americans.
She founded Blavity.org a nonprofit organization that aims at advancing the economy of black people. Morgan also created a podcast called Worsmart for advising people on business.
Morgan DeBaun Success
She has become an influential figure among women and African Americans. She was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, the list of 100 most influential African Americans by The Root 100 in 2016, America’s Top 50 women in Tech by Forbes in 2018, and Rising Entrepreneur in 2020 by Dot. LA.
Blavity is also considered a rising media company. Its uniqueness has made it a highly trusted media. It comprises 5 Brands, all promoting Africans and Black Americans.
DeBaun rasied $12 million for Blavity. Which has been increasing as her companies grow. Currently, she could be worth approximately $ 30 million. This makes her one of the richest young African American women in the country. Other women on her level are Quiana Watson the real estate guru, Ronne Brown the branding expert, and April Divah Style, the hair plug.
