Gabrielle Union Invests In Somewhere Good, A New Digital Platform

Gabrielle Union has invested in Somewhere Good, a new social media platform that aims to be an all-in-one space for Black and other people of color to connect and bond online.

The new platform is founded by Naj Austen - who's also the founder of Ethel's club, a social workspace app - and has announced a $3.75 million seed round. This round was led by True Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and celebrities such as Harrison Barnes and Gabby Union, who has promoted the platform on her social media accounts.

According to a statement by Gabrielle,

 "I invested in Somewhere Good because I deeply believe in Naj’s vision of building safe and intentional digital spaces.”

The statement continues, “It’s important to me as a Black woman and mother that we can exist comfortably online and authentically connect with one another. It’s been so inspiring to watch the Somewhere Good team bring the vision to life and I can’t wait for other people to experience it.”

Somewhere Good is a mobile app connecting people and also fostering that connection in a sole group setting, across a diversity of interests like ballet or astrology for example. Founder, Naj Austen is determined to reinvent how social media feels, especially for Black and other people of color. 

“I’m thinking about scale and trying to ensure that the most people have access to a safe and authentic community on their phones, and that means it has to be venture-backed in terms of being able to accomplish that in a way that also feels delightful,” Austin said.

There are currently no user profiles, no following, no feed, no ads, no feeds, and no friending. Instead, she's prioritizing interactions and wants to create a more effective sense of digital community.

“A lot of how we’re talking about Somewhere Good with investors is this idea of a new online world where our identities are centered,” she shared in an interview.

“The vision for Somewhere Good is you take your phone out of your pocket and, as a Black person or person of color, all of your needs are met there in that one place.

The current digital solutions prioritize a predominantly white, cisgender, heterosexual experience."

Other investors include Dream Machine, Debut Capital, and Canvas Ventures, Toyin Ajayi, Jackie Nelson, Slauson & Co., NextView Ventures, Tina Bou-Saba, Roxane Gay, Sabrina Hersei, Amber Greene, Williams, Edith Cooper, Hannibal Buress, 2PM Inc, etc.

The money will be channeled into innovation and expanding its workforce.

Its beta is scheduled to launch this fall, and already has a waiting list of over 5,000 people.