It started with securing her own Kiva loan, but that was only the beginning of Danielle's connection with Kiva. Through her social enterprise Black Business Boom and her nonprofit, Boomin University, she’s breaking down systemic barriers, fostering confidence, and building a stronger future for underserved entrepreneurs.
Danielle started her first business early. With her childhood best friend Antonia, she asked neighbors to walk their dogs so that they could earn some money to help out at home.
“It was a failure,” she claims. “But it ignited our entrepreneurial spirit.”
Antonia was the first of Danielle’s group of friends to open a business as an adult, and until her death in 2017, her entrepreneurial spirit continued to shine.
“She is still one of my greatest inspirations,” says Danielle.
Danielle harnessed her inspiration into her social enterprise, Black Business Boom, and her nonprofit, Boomin University, which both serve to inspire and enable other Black business owners.
“My big goal is to provide funding and capital readiness training to as many folks as possible.” – Danielle
And Danielle is doing just that.
To date, over 2,000 business owners have participated in her organization’s programs, which provide targeted technical assistance and resources tailored to the unique challenges marginalized entrepreneurs face.
Her platforms are designed to break down barriers, foster resilience, and equip minority-owned businesses with the tools and mentorship needed to thrive in today’s business landscape. But none of it would have been possible without the necessary startup capital.
In 2019, Danielle secured a 0%-interest, zero-fee, socially underwritten $5,000 Kiva loan; these funds were key to enabling her to build and launch a mobile app for the social enterprise, Black Business Boom, known as the Groupon for Black-owned businesses, which she founded just a year earlier.
“I started Black Business Boom because Black-owned businesses typically have less access to funding, which consequently limits their ability to spend money on marketing. Our platform is an affordable way for small business owners to generate revenue while attracting loyal customers.”
Danielle was grateful that the Kiva community — and the 127 lenders worldwide who lent to her campaign — took a chance on her and her dream, so that she could, in turn, help other Black business owners with theirs.
“Kiva gave me the opportunity to invest in the technology we needed to be able to grow the platform. So Kiva is near and dear to my heart.”
Little did Danielle know at the time, Kiva would remain part of her purpose-driven entrepreneurial journey, serving as a platform via which she would later be able to give others the opportunity to grow their businesses, just as Kiva did for her.
Innovating to serve entrepreneurs better
“We learned that Black business owners needed more than just a platform to promote their businesses. They needed technical assistance… That led us to launching our nonprofit, Boomin University in 2020.”
Following countless candid conversations with small business owners across the country as part of the work to launch the platform, Danielle came to a key realization that would shape the next phase of her business’s growth.
“Through those conversations, we learned that Black business owners needed more than just a platform to promote their businesses,” she says. “They needed technical assistance, they needed to understand things like marketing, what finances were in a business, how to improve their personal finances. That led us to launching our nonprofit, Boomin University in 2020.”
This was a pivotal moment. As a direct result of listening to the voices that mattered the most — namely, the Black business owners themselves — Black Business Boom was evolving intentionally and strategically, transitioning from an e-commerce marketplace to a comprehensive business support hub.
Boomin’ University offers free training, coaching, and mentorship to underestimated and underserved minority business owners. Their flagship program, the Boomin Marketing Program, equips participants with the latest communication strategies and tools needed to master social media and content creation as well as develop an end-to-end marketing strategy.
Watching entrepreneurs move through the program, Danielle witnessed how systemic economic inequality and the racial wealth gap showed up daily: most Black founders entered without startup capital, equity, or collateral. These funding gaps — rooted in decades of discriminatory lending and exclusionary systems — kept many ideas from taking off. To close that divide, she launched Boomin to the Bank in 2022, a dedicated track within Black Business Boom that provides accessible funding support and growth tools — built to move early-stage ideas into real businesses.
This capital readiness program, which involves both group learning and one-on-one coaching, helps participants learn the art of budgeting, investing and wealth creation. But it’s more than just numbers and profit margins; according to Danielle, it’s all about foundational financial literacy, both personal and business.
“We actually start with your mindset, in doing some mindset work around removing money blocks. Many of us have experienced money blocks in our upbringing. Then we transition into your personal finances, talking about how to increase your savings, decrease your debt, increase your credit score. And then we transition into bookkeeping, understanding financial statements, using those statements to make decisions within your business.”
Despite the program’s name, participants weren’t always ready for a traditional bank loan — or similar financial products — immediately after completing Boomin’ to the Bank. For example, conventional banks often require small b
usinesses to provide 2–3 years of tax filings, which presents a significant hurdle for many. That’s when Danielle turned (once again) to Kiva. Kiva’s innovative social underwriting approach prioritizes character over credit scores, evaluating creditworthiness based on community trust and personal networks. The inclusive, zero-interest Kiva U.S. loan product offers an accessible first step on the capital ladder — exactly what Boomin’ to the Bank entrepreneurs need.
Connecting entrepreneurs to capital and opportunity through Kiva
At the end of 2023, Black Business Boom became an official Kiva U.S. Hub. Hubs are local organizations nationwide that support small businesses and foster economic development and financial inclusion in their communities. For Danielle, who went from Kiva borrower to Kiva Capital Access Manager, the partnership
represented a powerful full-circle moment, as well as the chance to play an even bigger role in facilitating access to capital to underserved communities while simultaneously expanding Black Business Boom’s reach. In line with Kiva’s belief that dreams are universal but opportunity is not, Danielle knows that capital readiness alone isn’t enough — it must be combined with meaningful opportunities.
“It’s not just about loans; it’s about creating opportunities, fostering innovation, and nurturing the dreams of countless Black entrepreneurs who have the potential to change their communities.”
Boomin to the Bank is truly not just about loans; instead, it serves to bridge the bankable business gap. The program was thoughtfully designed so that entrepreneurs are set up for success from the start.
“When someone’s going through Boomin to the Bank, we’re presenting them with the Kiva opportunity and, at the same time, they’re working 1:1 with a financial coach.”
Thanks to a grant from a corporate partner, Black Business Boom also has its own lending account with Kiva, supporting borrowers as they crowdfund their loans on the platform. Danielle notes that this was something she was intentional about from the start, as she wanted to ensure the entrepreneurs who went through the Kiva process would be successful. After all, the Private Fundraising Period component of Kiva U.S., which requires borrowers to get financial support from anywhere from 10 to 50 individuals in their network, is inherently challenging.
“On the front-end, before receiving the loan, one of the largest challenges is believing in themselves, believing in the process. Confidence is certainly a challenge. Most folks have not done any type of crowdfunding or crowdlending, so having that confidence is a huge challenge. We’ve had so many people that have started an application and then stopped, because they were scared.”
Having the necessary confidence to get started is easier said than done, but the structure of Black Business Boom’s tailored offerings, the personal support and mentorship, and Danielle’s promise to match funds lent are often enough for a small business owner to take the leap. And the leap pays off – not only in a fully funded loan, but in increased confidence. 4 in 5 U.S. borrowers reported an improvement in their business confidence as a result of going through the Kiva process, frequently mentioning the unique Kiva crowdfunding process as one that instills both momentum and a sense of community.
Highlighting impact and continuing commitment to champion Black business owners
“We’re really intentional about making the small business owners that we work with feel supported.”
In less than two short years, Black Business Boom has already lent approximately $300,000 to 32 borrowers. Even more impressive is the Hub’s cumulative repayment rate of 97%. When asked how she was able to create such momentous impact in such a short period of time, Danielle smiles.
“I like to challenge myself, I want to be great at everything that I do,” she says. “But we work with such amazing business owners. And I have a strong team that really cares about the people we serve. I believe in the power of relationships and the power of empathy and caring about those that you serve. We’re really intentional about making the small business owners that we work with feel supported. We want them to feel comfortable as they’re going through the process.”
Collaboration, not competition. Passion for the work. Compassion for the people. That’s how Danielle and her team lead Black Business Boom. They’re focused on giving Black entrepreneurs the tools, relationships, and system-driven support they need—not just to start a business, but to grow it in community. It’s an intentional ecosystem, designed to help founders not just survive, but flourish.
“I wake up every day and get to be a champion for Black business owners. I get to offer them opportunities to learn and grow free of charge through Boomin University. I know this is where I am supposed to be. I know I am living my purpose.”
The memory of Antonia, Danielle’s childhood friend, continues to inspire Danielle’s journey — a journey advancing transformative change and building a lasting legacy through Black Business Boom.
“I know she would be proud of me and would encourage me to keep going, because I am building something for the culture.”
Values- and mission-aligned partners like Black Business Boom are key to Kiva U.S.’s work to expand financial access to systemically marginalized communities in the U.S. Interested in partnering with us? Contact us here.
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