London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

The incredible Londoners who created Amazon for Black businesses

Two entrepreneurs from London have teamed up to launch an online marketplace which will be like 'Amazon for Black businesses'.

Albert Larter and Nathaniel Wade, both 29 and from Southbank and Catford respectively, launched Wakuda last month with the aim of helping small and medium sized Black businesses gain more visibility in the business world. The pair have re-launched the platform this month to spotlight Black businesses to across Black History Month celebrations.

Albert and Nathaniel said following the global Black Lives Matter protests which began this year, they saw a spike in people wanting to support Black business. This lit the fire under the idea for Wakuda which was birthed a few months later.

Nathaniel told MyLondon, "I've seen how underrepresented they [Black businesses] are and the difficulties they face and if this disparity was switched around I would be for the other. I think if there's inequality or inequity it needs to be levelled.

"In terms of role models, I feel like there's not enough of that and not enough visibility. The more we see Black businesses are supported, it will begin to become the norm."

In their first month in operation Nathaniel said that although platform currently only hosts UK businesses, they've already seen customers from various countries including the USA.

The impetus behind Wakuda, which means Black in Chichewan, follows in the steps of Black Pound Day, an initiative created this year by So Solid Crew member, Swiss. It aims to level disparities of wealth in the Black community by supporting Black businesses.

Nathaniel said: "We are aware through our own personal experiences how difficult it is for black business owners to get funding to start or support their businesses in the UK.

"Black businesses are four times more likely to be turned down for business loans.

He added: "It's for different reasons not only discrimination but that difficulty is there. If you're a start up and you're purely reliant on loans and overdrafts and you're not able to get them, you can't stay afloat."

Nathaniel, who said he's always been 'conscious' of buying from Black businesses described the challenges of doing this because of visibility, and as a result every day essentials on the high street are seldom Black owned products.


Albert and Nathaniel hope Wakuda will allow Black owned businesses to launch their businesses and quickly tap into a ready market of shoppers who want to support them. Black consumers in the UK are worth approximately £300 billion according to most recent estimations.

Wakuda hosts products ranging from skincare and gifts to food and drink from a range of diverse Black businesses across the country.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×