Inside the Vamp Power Brunch Empowering Black Women to Build, Lead, and Win
The reality for Black female founders in the UK is far from easy. 0.02% of venture capital in the UK went to Black female founders between 2009 and 2019. Over a third (37%) of Black female business owners reported making no profit in 2019 compared to 16% of White male business owners.
The statistics are alarming, but Black female business owners continue to show up despite existing in a space that was not created for them. It’s for this reason that the VAMP launched the Vamp Power Brunch.
VAMP was founded in 2017 by Rumbi Mupindu, Ruby Aryik, and Christina Okorocha after seeing a huge gap in the market for authentic Black female voices in the entertainment and Influencer industries. They also support studios and labels in reaching a diverse audience authentically through PR methods.
Their brunch, which took place during UK Black Business Week, featured engaging conversations with influential speakers, a showcase of Black women founders, and the founders’ pitch session. We spoke to VAMP about the power brunch, the struggles that Black female businesses are facing, and what they need right now.
About the Power Brunch
“When we started VAMP, there weren’t many spaces for Black women to connect with like-minded peers across various industries, so we created one for ourselves. We wanted to see Lawyers, Publicists, Doctors, Bankers all in one space – with their common theme being their tenacity and strength.” Okorocha said.
Their first brunch featured a pre-launch book reading from Yomi and Liz, from their bestselling book Slay in Your Lane. “The brunch was created to be a space to learn, connect, and showcase Black women’s talents then it grew from there.”
What struggles are Black owned businesses facing?
Even though the current anti-DEI is more prominent in the US, it also affects Black British businesses. “Support from brands isn’t what it used to be, and it’s a challenging climate for ‘all things Black’ – it already feels like Black History Month is quieter this year,” Aryiku said.
“While we’ve secured sponsorship from some fantastic brands such as Huda Beauty, Palmers, Fenty, Tatcha, Benefit Cosmetics, we need more financial support to make the brunch truly impactful and sustainable.”
What Black women led businesses need right now
Funding is still an issue for Black-female businesses. By 2021, no Black female founders had received late-stage funding, although some did receive grants through initiatives like Google’s Black founders’ fund.
“There are incredible businesses created by Black women solving real problems,” Mupindu adds.
“For example, our Power Pitch finalist Rianna Tackie founded Heavens Touch, a holistic wellness business supporting body rehabilitation and wellbeing education. Too often, these businesses are overlooked because their founders may not know how to promote themselves or don’t have the right connections to reach investors.”
Mupindu believes funding is crucial, but there’s also a need for programs that help women become investor-ready, providing pitch support, mentorship, and exposure. “That’s why we created our #PowerPitch series, and launched it during the UK Black Business Week, to give Black women entrepreneurs the tools, guidance, and opportunities they need to succeed.”
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