United States
Updated: June 21st, 2023
What do Geocities, Facebook, PayPal, and Calvin Klein have in common? All were founded or co-founded by someone from the LGBTQIA+ community. With about 1.4 million LGBTQIA+-owned businesses in US, it’s not surprising that some are among the most successful businesses around. Over 800 of them have been certified as LGBTQIA+Es (LGBTQIA+ Enterprises), a number that is expected to rise sharply in the coming years, as the Small Business Association launches its second outreach to the LGBTQIA+ business community.
While government support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender entrepreneurs lags behind that for women and minorities, a few private organizations (backed by more than a few Fortune 500 companies) have become very useful resources to the community. Some of these organizations have been dedicated to LGBTQIA+ advocacy, networking, or publishing for decades, creating communities and partnerships among LGBTQIA+ business owners and their allies. Others have sprung up to fill in the gaps.
Whether you’re looking for other LGBTQIA+-owned businesses, wondering what certification means, or hoping to connect with LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs and allies at the next national conference, these resources have you covered.
The NGLCC, a global advocacy group that calls itself the “business voice of the LGBTQIA+ community,” is a major player in the LGBTQIA+ business world. Its 140 corporate partners include IBM and American Express.
Founded in 2002, it is the oldest organization of its kind, and the only certifier of LGBTQIA+-owned businesses. As of June 2016, it has certified 864 LGBTQIA+ Enterprises. While certifying a business can help it grow on a national scale, joining one of NGLCC’s 52 Affiliate Chambers can help LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs at any stage connect with a supportive community.
Through a partnership with the Small Business Administration and Affinity Inc. Magazine in 2015, the NGLCC launched the LGBTQIA+ Business Builder. This initiative encourages LGBTQIA+ Business Enterprise Certification and collaboration between SBA offices and local. Business Builder events are happening across the country throughout 2016.
StartOut is another solid presence on the LGBTQIA+ business scene. It is a national nonprofit founded in 2009 whose mission is to support LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs through educational events networking, and mentoring. It hopes to fight discrimination through promoting LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs in the media. StartOut has chapters in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, and Chicago. Membership is between $95 and $5,000 per year. It is something of a combination of LinkedIn and Forbes specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community. The network is free to join. Free events across the country encourage further connection and networking for LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs.
Hello ALICE! This awesome gay entrepreneurs site specializing in networking events. Founded 2016, it aims to connect LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs nationwide.
OutProfessionals calls itself “the nation’s leading LGBTQIA+ networking organization.” The OP website hosts a business directory, membership directory, list of B2B network groups, job listings, and event postings. Founded in 1983, it is has about 1,000 members. Membership is $65-$125 per year.
Lesbians Who Tech is a global community of over 15,000 queer women and allies with 35+ chapters. The organization, launched in 2012, has national and international summits each year. Its programs include coding scholarships & Bring a Lesbian to Work Day.
ROMBA is an organization that connects LGBTQIA+ students in MBA programs around the U.S. through events, particularly its annual conference. ROMBA hopes to create a supportive community of future LGBTQIA+ business leaders.
LGBTQIA+ Week is a diverse series of conferences, workshops, and events held each spring in NYC. The event is organized by Community Marketing & Insights and Pink Banana Media.
“The LGBT(QIA+) community’s most powerful business event,” the Gay Days Expo is an annual convention begun in 1983. The 2016 Expo was held in March at the Javits Center, where over 300 companies exhibited.
Affinity Inc (also known as AIM) is a quarterly magazine dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ business community and allies. Its three pillars are innovation, success, and loyalty. Article categories include government and nonprofit alongside business equality news.
Open For Business is an informal coalition of businesses, including behemoths like Google and IBM, that want to make an economic case for LGBTQIA+ inclusion. It’s included in the Media section because the coalition’s main work was to create a report that explains the opportunities associated with LGBTQIA+ inclusion and the business risks of discrimination.
As the name suggests, the Gay Pages is a 90s-style website featuring a gay business directory and membership portal. According to its Facebook page, the site has been seen by 7 million unique visitors.
The Gay Lesbian Directory is a simple site that lists businesses and organizations supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community. You can search by keyword, location, or business type.
The LBC is a website made up of a nationwide directory of lesbian-owned and LGBTQIA+-friendly businesses, LGBTQIA+ event listings, and articles for LGBTQIA+ business owners. It aims to bring attention to lesbian-owned businesses and connect them with consumers.
Samantha Novick is a senior editor at Funding Circle, specializing in small business financing. She has a bachelor's degree from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. Prior to Funding Circle, Samantha was a community manager at Marcus by Goldman Sachs. Her work has been featured in a number of top small business resource sites and publications.
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