Black Business Accelerator
Grow your business with dedicated resources
Create a Professional selling account and certify your business as Black-owned to unlock a suite of resources to help you find success in our store.
"My advice to Black entrepreneurs who are looking at Amazon would be to definitely take that leap of faith. You can be like us and go from regional to national. It's definitely possible."
Tracey Richardson
Co-Founder
Available resources
Financial assistance
Credits and cash investment opportunities to help jump-start business growth and customer acquisition.
$500 credit to assist with start-up and operational costs for newly-registered Amazon Professional sellers.
Sponsored Enhanced Digital Certifications for Black-owned business through SupplierGATEWAY.
Business education & coaching
Account management and education resources to help you get started and find success in our store.
Up to one year of account management for personalized insights and recommendations, operational support, and issue assistance.
Access free education resources to help you sell in Amazon’s store.
Marketing & advertising support
Free services and credits designed to help brand owners showcase their unique products and increase discoverability.
FREE imaging services for up to 50 products to help showcase your products.
Up to $3,000 in advertising credits to increase exposure for your brand.
Empowering Black-owned businesses
Since enrolling in Black Business Accelerator, my account manager has been a coach, cheerleader, and strategist. It honestly doesn’t get any better than that.Karen BlackwellFounder and CEO, Sage & Alms: socially conscious cloths and chocolates
Black Business Accelerator has been valuable in identifying opportunities to increase revenue and save money. We’ve been able to hire another employee.Rodney MarshallPresident & CEO, Aldevra: commercial food service and medical equipment
Our partners
We’re proud to partner with organizations who will lead community engagement for Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator and help provide participants with mentorship, business development, training and educational resources to empower their success. Our partners will also continue to advise us as we enhance the Black Business Accelerator based on their deep experience in supporting Black businesses, and help us as we create similar programs for other underrepresented populations of business owners in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to the frequently asked questions about Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator
Overall program
Is it free to unlock Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator resources?
Yes, access to our Black Business Accelerator resources is free for certified Black-owned U.S. businesses with a Professional Seller account selling in Amazon’s store.
Who can access the Black Business Accelerator's resources?
All sellers in the U.S. who a) have an Amazon Professional Sellers account, b) have a physical product(s) ready to promote and sell, and c) have uploaded a valid minority-owned business registration or certification to their account in Seller Central from the U.S. System for Award Management, U.S. Small Business Administration, National Minority Supplier Development Council, or SupplierGATEWAY, demonstrating the business is Black-owned based on the criteria of the certifying body, can access Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator resources.
What is an Amazon Professional Seller account?
An Amazon Professional Seller account is required to access Black Business Accelerator resources. For a flat monthly fee of $39.99 per month, the Professional plan allows you to advertise your products, access advanced selling tools like APIs and reports, qualify for top placement on product detail pages, and more. Learn more about Amazon selling plans.
Does Amazon pay for the $39.99 monthly fee for BBA participants?
Amazon does not cover the monthly cost of a Professional plan. However, the $500 credit for recently-launched Professional sellers, can be applied toward this monthly fee.
What is a brand owner?
Brand owners manufacture their own products—or source goods to sell under a private label—to offer shoppers unique selection. Resellers, on the other hand, find popular products that already exist and offer them in Amazon's stores. Lots of sellers do both. If you plan to sell your own brand in Amazon’s store, we have lots of resources and tools to help.
How do you define a Black-owned business?
We follow the definitions provided by the applicable certifying agency, including the U.S. System for Award Management, U.S. Small Business Administration, National Minority Supplier Development Council, and SupplierGATEWAY. Generally, this means that the business must be at least 51% Black-owned, managed, and controlled.
What if I don’t have a minority-owned business certification that demonstrates my business is Black-owned?
You can register your business as minority-owned on the U.S. System for Award Management or apply for certification through the U.S. Small Business Administration, National Minority Supplier Development Council, or SupplierGATEWAY, and demonstrate your business is Black-owned. Amazon is not a certifying body. Sellers are expected to determine their own eligibility requirements for a certification and how to obtain the appropriate supporting documentation depending on the certification.
Where are Amazon's Black Business Accelerator resources available?
Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator is currently available in the U.S. for U.S.-based sellers.
How can I reach business customers through the program?
You can reach millions of business customers in addition to consumers on Amazon Business, Amazon’s B2B online store. Once you become an Amazon Professional seller, you can join the Amazon Business Seller program at no additional cost. All Black-owned business sellers will be able to benefit from our customer-facing discoverability features, Diversity Certifications Policy experience, and other program benefits.
My product is not ready to promote and sell. When can I access the Black Business Accelerator's resources?
There is no deadline for accessing our Black Business Accelerator resources and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Once you have your product developed and ready to promote and sell in Amazon’s store, then you can begin using the Black Business Accelerator to help grow your selling business. In the meantime, free training and educational resources on how to start and build a successful business selling online are available through Amazon Small Business Academy, Amazon Seller University, and the Minority Business and Technology Initiative.
Resources
What financial assistance resources are available?
- A $500 credit for newly-registered Amazon Professional sellers (newly-registered sellers are those who became an Amazon Professional seller in the 12 months preceding enrollment in the Black Business Accelerator).
- Sponsored Black-owned business certification through SupplierGATEWAY. To receive an Amazon-sponsored certificate, use the SupplierGATEWAY link provided in the email that your account manager will send you. This link will have your referral code. Additionally, you must indicate that your business is Black-owned. Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator is only sponsoring certification for Black-owned businesses at this time.
What business education and coaching resources are available to help me sell in Amazon's store?
- All Black Business Accelerator sellers will be offered up to one year of strategic advisory services. An account manager will support your launch and growth in our stores with personalized insights and recommendations, operational support, and issue assistance.
- Free training and educational resources on how to start and build a successful business selling online are available through Amazon Small Business Academy, Amazon Seller University, and the Minority Business and Technology Initiative.
What marketing and advertising resources are available?
- Complimentary imaging services for up to 50 products to help elevate your products and ensure a professional presentation to customers. To use the imaging services, you are required to ship a sample of your products to the Amazon Imaging studio. Once product images are completed, you will be provided with a URL to access the images. Brand owners with unique product listings can then upload them to their detail pages. The Amazon Imaging Services Terms and Conditions apply.
- Up to $3,000 in promotional click credits are designed to help brand owners increase the discoverability of their products. Credits are applied to your account when you take the following four actions in any order within 90 days of enrolling in BBA: 1) become an Amazon-registered brand owner, 2) become advertising ready, 3) launch a Sponsored Products campaign, and 4) join Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). The Amazon Advertising Agreement applies.
