Black-Owned Social Media App SPILL Launches Community Investment Round

SPILL, the Black-owned social media platform transforming the way culture and conversations are shared online within the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, is seeking your support to grow and expand.

On March 10, the buzzing social media app launched its “community investment” round of equity crowdfunding, allowing fans to directly invest in the company’s future. Founded by former X employees Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell and DaVaris Brown, SPILL enables users to easily share their thoughts by combining text with high-quality images, videos, GIFs, and more. Users can also create virtual spaces to engage with friends through live audio, video, and group chats—a feature known as “Tea Parties”—along with other innovative tools.

Here’s what the company has generated so far from its community investment round.

According to WeFunder, SPILL has received $325, 840 in donations so far, but the company is still short of its $1,240,000 goal. That may not be for long as community crowdfunding seems to resonate strongly with users of the app. On March 19, artist Heather A. shared in a post that she invested in SPILL, as she felt it was a safe space to build deeper connections with BIPOC artists within her community.

“Spill is a community, not just a platform. It feels like a digital home. The queer & BIPOC people are uplifted and protected at all costs. The Spill team has Community Guidelines that are enacted upon daily,”  Heather penned. 

“On #Spill, I’ve digitally connected with many other Black creatives, intellects, total goofballs, cinema & tv geeks, music nerds, and more,” the app user continued. “I attend a “tea party” weekly called “MentaliTea” which is one of the most beautiful online gatherings of people I’ve ever seen. I run a book club (yes, ME!) with a new friend, with the purpose of enlightening our minds by reading about different ideologies. I made a “besTea.” I learn a lot, not just consume. And, friends, I simply have a safe, good time online. it was an easy choice for me to #OwnTheConvo and invest in Spill’s crowdfunding round.”

Another fan-turned-investor praised the app for elevating Black culture by empowering real voices, and building “authentic community.”

She added, “I love the feeling of sitting on the stoop and taking in the sounds of our community. I’m excited to support a platform that’s redefining what social media can be—real, inclusive, and powerful.”

SPILL gained tons of subscribers in 2024 following the fall of X, formerly Twitter.

SPILL saw a boost in subscribers in November 2024 when Elon Musk took over X (formerly Twitter), causing a mass exodus from the platform. Terrell told Tech Crunch that same year that the company saw a 10x week-over-week increase in signups, the “highest single week of growth since the platform launched” in July 2023.  

“We’ve also seen a 4x increase in returning users, which is our highest since last summer,” he added. 

SPILL has made a strong start since its launch, raising a total of $5 million in pre-seed funding, including a recent $2 million extension round led by Collide Capital, with additional backing from actress Kerry Washington and others. The company has come a long way since Terrell and Brown were laid off during Elon Musk’s acquisition of X, as noted by Tech Crunch.

We can’t wait to see what these two do next. 

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