New campaign “Open for Business (and Love)” celebrates Black entrepreneurs who are building businesses and relationships with equal intention
ATLANTA, GA (August 20, 2026) — BLK, the largest dating and social app for Black singles, has partnered with The Gathering Spot, the members-based community and cultural hub, on a Black Business Month campaign built around a truth many Black founders know: building a business and building a love life ask for the same things — time, attention, and courage. The Gathering Spot’s community of founders and professionals knows what it means to build an ambitious career while making space for real relationships.
The campaign, “Open for Business (and Love),” launches with an original content series and a rooftop event in Atlanta. It builds on a cultural shift BLK first identified within its own community, a way of dating the app named “entrepre-dating,” in which single Black professionals seek partners who share their entrepreneurial ambitions, their business mindset, and their goals around building a lasting legacy.
For a generation of Black professionals pouring themselves into what they build, the campaign reframes a familiar tension. The drive that grows a company can leave little room for love, and “Open for Business (and Love)” makes the case that both deserve the same level of intention.
“Black founders are used to being asked about their business plan, not their love life,” said Amber Cooper, Head of Brand at BLK. “With ‘Open for Business (and Love),’ we wanted to hold both in the same frame, because the truth is they take the same thing: intention. Entrepre-dating is something we watched happen inside our own community, and this campaign is our way of giving it a stage.”
An Original Series
At the center of the campaign is “Open for Business (and Love),” a BLK and The Gathering Spot original series premiering Wednesday, August 19. Each episode opens as what appears to be a straightforward business interview. The setting, the seating, and the tone all suggest a conversation about strategy and growth. Then the questions turn, and the same founders speak about their love lives with the same candor and seriousness they bring to running a company.
The series features three Atlanta entrepreneurs.
- Timothy George is the founder and CEO of eLo, a sustainable lifestyle and personal care brand that grew from a 2017 Harlem pop-up into two Atlanta retail locations. In his episode, Timothy reflects on realizing he was an entrepreneur only three years into the journey, and on how difficult it can be to step out of CEO mode before a date.
- Shyanne Valentine is the founder of Happy Vibes Brand and The Shyanne Effect, an art and wellness brand built on the belief that happiness is the sum of one’s daily choices. Shyanne speaks openly about treating dating as a second job, about what it costs to build something that feels like your own, and about a time the business cost her a relationship, and what that taught her.
- Alyssa Evans is the founder and CEO of Grounded Marketing and co-founder of the Atlanta Book Festival, whose work is grounded in the idea that brand meets belonging. Alyssa offers a thoughtful case against “dating for the plot,” and closes the series with a warm, direct message to single people navigating both ambition and love.
Together, their stories carry the heart of the campaign. The people building Black businesses are often building Black love at the same time, and both are worth the same intention. The content series/campaign launches on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at 10AM EST.
A Rooftop Launch in Atlanta
The campaign launched with a rooftop reception and networking evening at RETREAT by The Gathering Spot in Atlanta on Tuesday, April 18. The event premiered the content series to a curated room of single Black entrepreneurs and professionals for an evening of food, conversation, and connection. Guests were invited to come as builders and leave with a connection.
“The Gathering Spot was built for moments exactly like this one, where ambition and community meet in the same room,” said Ryan Wilson, co-founder and CEO of The Gathering Spot. “We have partnered with BLK before because we share an audience and a mission, which is making space for Black excellence in all its forms. Continuing that partnership for Black Business Month, with Atlanta’s founders at the center of it, was an easy decision.”
The Trend Behind the Campaign
BLK first identified “entrepre-dating” in 2024, after observing a clear shift in how its members were connecting. Increasingly, users were seeking partners who understood the demands of entrepreneurship: the long hours, the creative pressure, and the reality of building something from the ground up. Rather than keeping work and romance in separate lanes, these daters looked for shared ambition, a partner who respected the unpredictable schedule and mental load of running a business, and in many cases, a collaborator in life as well as in love.
The trend has a track record. BLK has previously highlighted and supported couples who met on the platform and went on to launch or grow businesses together, providing $2,000 grants to help those partnerships thrive. “Open for Business (and Love)” continues that commitment, as well as BLK’s ongoing collaboration with The Gathering Spot. The two organizations first joined forces during Black Business Month a few years ago on BLK’s “Break the Bank” initiative in support of Black-owned businesses.
For more information on “Open for Business (and Love)” follow BLK and The Gathering Spot at @meet_blk @thegatheringspot.
