Former Black Twitter Employees Raise $2.75M For Social Media App Spill
From a mere idea to becoming the chosen social media platform for many, Spill is on the road to becoming one of the most inclusive social platforms.
Earlier this week, founders Alphonzo Terrell and DeVaris Brown announced the close of their $2.75M pre-seed funding round for the social platform Spill.
The pre-seed funding round
Even though Black founders tend to go unnoticed when seeking venture capital funding for their business, Terrell and Brown were able to sell their business model to investors in just 10 minutes.
The funding round, which was co-led by MaCVentureCap and Kapor Center, also saw Sunset Ventures participate in the funding round.
“We are excited that Spill aims to address major challenges created by existing social media platforms and utilize technology to build more diverse, equitable, and inclusive online communities,” said Allison Scott, SEO of the Kapor Center, in a statement.
The additional investment will go towards developing the app, including hiring a new engineering and community management team.
Not only is this funding round a massive step for Black founders Terrell and Brown, but it also marks a new era for Black Twitter users looking to vacate the bird app.
What exactly is Spill?
If you have yet to learn about Spill, it’s time you get to know.
The app – widely recognized as Twitter’s biggest rival – was founded by ex-Twitter employees Alphonzo Terrell and DeVaris Brown and aimed to provide a safe space for avid social media users.
After Elon Musk’s acquisition, the pair, let go by Twitter, decided to transfer their skills into building a social media platform that prioritized its users instead.
“Coming straight out of it, I was just like, ‘Oh, it’s time. It’s time to build, whether we get support or not,” said Terrell, former global head of Social & Editorial at Twitter, in an interview.
Terrell – who has decades of director-level experience before his role at Twitter – is one of the few people in the tech space who knows what social media users need and want.
Read: Meet The Former Black Twitter Workers Behind New Social Platform Spill
“We’re really leaning into meme culture, making it easier to put text on images or gifs – little touches and tweaks like that have been really exciting,” Terrell added.
Last year, the pair opened up about their plans to make Spill a platform that compensated creators for viral “spills.” The app also wants to encourage online and in-person events so more people can meet their online friends in person.
Spill – set to launch in Q1 – already has over 55,000 handle reservations.
