Miiriya: Building a Digital Marketplace Where Black Businesses Can Be Found, Supported and Sustained

Supporting Black-owned businesses should not require hours of searching, scattered social-media recommendations or waiting for Black Business Month to place them in the spotlight.

Miiriya is working to change that.

Created by entrepreneur and software developer Lamine Loco, Miiriya is a Black-owned digital marketplace designed to connect consumers with businesses across the Black diaspora—all in one convenient location. Often described as a Black-owned alternative to major marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy, the platform features products and services across fashion, beauty, hair care, books, food, home essentials, art, electronics and more.

But Miiriya represents something larger than online shopping. It is an effort to build infrastructure.

Loco, a U.S.-born Ivorian American whose parents are from Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, created the platform to make supporting Black entrepreneurs easier and more intentional. The name Miiriya comes from the Bambara/Dioula language and translates to “thoughts” and “ideas”—a fitting name for a platform built around creativity, collective consciousness and economic independence. Miiriya’s official About page⁠

One of the platform’s most significant features is its vendor-centered model. According to Miiriya, businesses can register without paying listing or transaction fees, allowing participating vendors to retain their earnings while the platform absorbs certain operating and payment-processing expenses. The marketplace relies partly on voluntary tips and community support to help cover those costs. Miiriya app information⁠

That decision speaks directly to one of the greatest challenges confronting small businesses: access.

It is not enough to tell Black entrepreneurs to “work harder” when many are simultaneously fighting for visibility, capital, affordable technology and access to customers. Miiriya addresses part of that problem by bringing Black-owned brands into one searchable ecosystem where consumers can discover them without depending entirely on shifting social-media algorithms.

The platform also confronts a larger economic question: What happens when Black consumers move from celebrating Black businesses occasionally to supporting them consistently?

Black Business Month may come and go. Hashtags may stop trending. Public attention may shift toward the next cultural moment. But rent, inventory, payroll, marketing and operating expenses remain due every month.

Sustainable Black business development requires more than symbolic recognition. It requires habitual purchasing, reliable distribution, technological ownership and systems that keep money circulating through Black communities.

That is what makes Miiriya worthy of this Boss Talk 101 Business Spotlight. It is not simply asking people to buy Black. It is attempting to create the digital infrastructure that makes buying Black more accessible.

The platform’s mission extends beyond commerce. Loco has described a community-centered vision in which resources generated through Miiriya can eventually support mutual aid, food access, healthcare, education and assistance for people experiencing hardship. The goal is not simply to reproduce another corporate marketplace with Black branding—it is to demonstrate what technology can accomplish when community welfare is built into the business model.

is available through its website and as a mobile application. Its current App Store listing identifies Lamine Loco as the developer and describes the platform as a place to discover businesses representing the Black diaspora while also supporting mutual aid. Apple App Store⁠

The message is clear: if we want Black-owned businesses to survive, supporting them cannot remain a seasonal conversation.

Download the app. Explore the marketplace. Discover a business. Make a purchase. Share the platform. And when you find a Black-owned company delivering quality, do more than applaud it—become a returning customer.

Because visibility may introduce a business, but consistent economic support is what helps it remain open.

Business: Miiriya

Founder: Lamine Loco

Platform: Black-owned online marketplace

Website: Miiriya.com⁠

Instagram: @miiriya.app⁠

Pronunciation: Me-ree-ya

Boss Talk 101 Business Spotlight—highlighting the entrepreneurs, platforms and institutions building power beyond the moment.