A common perception surrounding aspiring tech entrepreneurs is that it takes a well-practiced pitch and substantial seed funding to get an idea off the ground.
From ABC's Shark Tank to Silicon Valley, many simple inventions have landed million-dollar investments in exchange for shared ownership, producing both game-changing and life-changing returns for their founders.
In the vast, yet highly competitive mobile market, the push to break into the app world is a gold rush that can present an exciting and intimidating uphill climb. That is, unless, you take the road less traveled.
Facebook, America’s biggest media company, claims 1.3 billion monthly active users, with over 870 million engaging the platform through mobile.
Snapchat, today’s undisputed social fan-favorite, boasts an impressive 100 million monthly active users, with more than 75% of them falling under the age of 25.
One celebrated and signature commonality amongst each of these powerhouse social platforms is the excessive use of emoji’s.
The addictive conversational tools have grown to replace how millennials express their wide range of emotions. Clever, convenient and culturally adopted – emoji’s have made it easier for the mobile generation to confidently speak their mind without uttering a word.
In 2013, after conducting extensive research into the pool of emoticon apps and custom mobile keyboards, one small group noticed that people of color were underrepresented in the space and decided to attack the void.
Recognizing the need and expressed desire for a diverse alternative, 25 year-old Donovan Brown, his brother Trey, and mother Priscilla saw an opportunity to create a new culture through mobile communication.
Raising just $10 thousand from family and friends, WeMojis was born – a comprehensive set of multicultural emoticons customized and curated for the text-driven generation.
Featuring an expansive collection of international flags, facial expressions, hairstyles, nuanced gestures and culturally relevant symbols - WeMoji's delivers an alternative to Apple's new iOS 8.3 update that reflects a deeper connections to the diverse lifestyles that define multicultural millennials.
Users download the WeMijos app, then add as a custom keyboard by allowing access through your smartphone's general settings.
Lacking access to developers and coding experience, Donovan and his partners outsourced production internationally, while working closely with local freelance graphic designers to develop the targeted aesthetic.
Since its release in October, without any strategic marketing efforts, the free app has accumulated over 25,000 downloads.
Available in two versions, WeMojis Lite specifically for social media, and the WeMojis keyboard for iOS, growth is increasing, inching them closer to their ultimate landmark.
“Our main goal is to provide a platform for digital representation of multicultural people”, says Co-Founder Donovan Brown, "there’s not a Snapchat, or app with similar success, where you can point to the CEO and see a person of color.”
As discussions around diversity in tech continue escalating, the launch of WeMoji's further sends an encouraging statement to young entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, who may feel it’s somewhat impossible to make their tech dreams a reality.
“We can say this is real, it exists, and we’ve accomplished it. That is inspiring to us, and hopefully inspiring to others like us,” Brown stated, “there’s a lot of untapped potential for people of color in tech and the barrier to entry isn’t as crazy as it seems.”
With a growth strategy that includes in-app purchases, exclusive licensing deals, branded content and native advertising – there is a promising upside for this emerging emoticon app.
Aiming for eventual acquisition by a larger digital media company, the path is also sure to require diligence and the foresight to discover future trends in mobile.
Yet, with African Americans far more active on their mobile devices and social media platforms than other racial groups, WeMojis has the ability to ignite an impactful movement in more ways than one.
