SHELBY TSIKA MARQUARDT.
Morgan DeBaun
Our annual list of trailblazing women are creating lasting legacies for themselves and for the city of Nashville. Now they’re sharing their stories, their triumphs, their setbacks, and their advice with us. Prepare to be inspired.
Early Aspirations
I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit since I was a kid. When I was in middle school, there were no candy vending machines at my school, so I would mix packets of Kool- Aid and sugar together and sell them to kids at lunch for 25 cents. I’ve also been a retail stock investor since I was 14 and was a student of corporate leadership at a young age. I knew I wanted to start my own venture because I saw a need for Black creative voices in America to have a platform and a media brand that would share authentic stories about our heroes, news, and achievements. What ultimately spurred me to leave my Silicon Valley tech job and commit to Blavity full time was the lack of coverage from Black media companies after Michael Brown’s death in 2014. I started my company at 24 because I wanted to make a positive impact on our community and build a brand that could help the voices of our generation push progress forward and tell our stories.
Challenges Faced
I was a product manager at Intuit out of college and while I loved the technical and problem-solving side of my job, I realized that we weren’t creating these products for the full market. I also knew I wasn’t going to effect change as a VP at a tech company in the way that I wanted to—which was to rewrite the rules on who we see as a valuable market/audience in tech and in media entirely. I kept my full-time job at Intuit but was spending all my nights and weekends working on Blavity., which started with a curated video newsletter and eventually built a website. Our momentum began in 2014 with a single Black news site that has now grown into a digital media ecosystem, brands with a monthly reach of 100 million people, and over 150 corporate partners a year.
Work Perks
I love that I get to work with an incredible team who care deeply about serving our audience. I still remember building the first Blavity newsletter in an apartment with my friends, so now to have such an incredibly skilled team full of intelligent, dedicated people who also care deeply about our mission is really something I don’t take for granted.
Advice to Others
Stop asking for permission and start building your vision.
Meet Morgan DeBaun and other women in the local community who are the best in their fields at our annual Women in Business event.
>>> PURCHASE TICKETS
The mix and mingle reception will be held on August 24 from 5-7:30 p.m., to network with our Women in Business honorees plus 200 other local business professionals. Throughout the evening, we will be doing live Q and A sessions with each woman!
Guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres from Virgin Hotels Nashville along with wine from Biltmore Winery and cocktails from Tito's Handmade Vodka. Beverages from a full bar will also be available for purchase (credit cards only).