NBBD acquires black media app

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A Dayton-area company is making strategic acquisitions. The National Black Business Directory is the new owner of the BLVCK app (pronounced ‘black’), a popular news hub for black people.

BLVCK brings more than a dozen black media outlets including BET, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine and Blavity all in one place for readers. The app had more than 10,000 downloads and reached as high as #27 on the App Store’s News category rankings two days after its launch.

New features coming to BLVCK in 2019 include a redesign facelift, new in-app features and an Android app to complement the current iPhone version. Nate Dillard, founder and CEO of NBBD, said BLVCK will tie in with NBBD’s focus on cultivating black-owned businesses while also developing new features for the app.

“We have a redevelopment plan in place to turn the app into the new business, political, and philanthropic news hub for the black community,” said Dillard.

Eric Townsend – the self-taught engineer, husband, and father of two who single-handedly built the app – is glad to see the app is in capable hands. “It’s hard to let it go, but I can’t wait to see what’s in the future for BLVCK under new leadership,” said Townsend.

The acquisition has also been featured in the Dayton Business Journal and Dayton Tech Guide. The BLVCK app is available for download on the Apple App Store.