eBay UK is today announcing a partnership with Black Girl Fest (BGF) to create more equitable opportunities for Black women ecommerce sellers and to better understand the needs of Black entrepreneurs in the UK.

eBay UK data shows that searches for ‘Black business’ are up by 40% compared to the same period this time last year, yet Black business owners, especially Black women founders, typically find it harder to access the right support, visibility and funding required to grow their businesses. In addition to this, multi-ethnic workers are almost four times more likely than white respondents to want to start a business, with the entrepreneurial approach being the highest among Black respondents.

With the rising number of Black ecommerce founders particularly in the hair, beauty and fashion industries, eBay UK, with a customer base of over 20 million, has a crucial role to play in creating more equity for Black-owned ecommerce businesses.

The year-long partnership will see eBay UK support the BGF Founders Club with a training programme to equip its product-focused entrepreneurs with the right tools, skills and knowledge to sell effectively on eBay (the BGF x eBay Seller Academy Programme). eBay is investing in the BGF programme through training, fee reduction and vital grants, giving programme participants the opportunity to pitch for funding to support their business growth and development.

Following a successful pilot, eBay and BGF are now looking ahead to the second round of the programme, which will start this Spring. The aim is to empower up to 100 Black women-led e-commerce businesses through the training programme this year.

eBay UK General Manager, Murray Lambell said: “It is clear that eBay UK can do more to drive equity for Black business owners across the UK. We are committed to challenging the exclusion of Black communities from economic opportunity by equipping them with the tools and support needed to make a living by trading on eBay.

“Real change does not happen overnight and our partnership with BGF is an exciting step on the journey to do better and drive inclusive entrepreneurship.”

BGF, which originally launched as a festival, has evolved into a platform dedicated to providing Black women, girls and non-binary people with the right access, learning and development to create opportunities for them to succeed.

Black Girl Fest CEO Nicole Crentsil said: “eBay wants to be a part of building a more inclusive, equitable and ultimately more sustainable economy and the partnership with Black Girl Fest is focused on doing exactly that.

“We can make an impact on the unbalanced startup ecosystem by equipping Black women founders with the tools, funding and access to progress. Our network of entrepreneurs is in need of support to overcome the many barriers they face including lower access to capital, skills development and more which eBay has the ability to support. Its technical experience in growing an ecommerce business is invaluable to our network of founders selling their products.”

Recent graduate from the programme, Lola Atobele from Black Chibis that sells toys and collectables said: “This programme was way more than what I expected. I’ve always had an eBay account but didn’t manage to sell anything. To finally be able to sell my products because of the programme was very exciting. The 1-to 1 support was the best part as I was shown different tips and tricks. Now I feel like I know more than people who have been selling on eBay for years.”

Those interested in being part of the BGF x eBay Seller Academy programme can find out more and apply here.

This partnership follows the launch of eBay for Change, which supports the growth of social enterprises; ensuring eBay customers can buy desirable products from businesses that do good and create change with their profits.