Who We Are
MAJOR, formerly known as Major Marketplace, was founded in 2017 by social entrepreneur, Leyanis Diaz. Originally, we set out to create an online marketplace that connected minority-owned businesses with those who wanted to support them, but we quickly realized that that solution alone was not enough to solve the underlying problem. Today, we are a one-stop shop for minority-owned businesses, providing underrepresented founders with access to opportunities and resources they may not otherwise have access to so that they can start, grow and be major.
Mission and Vision
The Mission
To help minority-owned businesses start, grow and be major.
The Vision
To create a world where we all have access to the same opportunities.
Our MAJOR Story
Since 2017, we have been on a mission to keep minority-owned businesses in business, working alongside minority entrepreneurs to help them start, gain traction, and qualify for more opportunities.
The Start
2016-2017
After growing up in some of Miami's roughest neighborhoods and watching her favorite minority-owned businesses close their doors, our founder, Leyanis Diaz, developed Major Marketplace to assist minority business owners and those that looked like her, who also came from homes where business was not discussed over Sunday night dinners, in starting and scaling.
At Major Marketplace, we set out to create an online marketplace for minority-owned businesses and those who want to support them. We aimed to amplify the voices of minority-owned businesses and bring more buyers and awareness to them.
Working & Winning
2017-2019
Back in 2017, we won the American Entrepreneurship Award. In 2018, we were winners of the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge and the Girl Boss Award at Premios Juventud and along the way, we have helped hundred of businesses and participated in incubators and accelerators like Startup FIU, Babson College’s Women Innovating Now Lab or WIN Lab, WBENC's Student Entrepreneur Program, NMSDC's Emerging Young Entrepreneur (EYE) Program and were invited to the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in the Netherlands.
The Refresh
2020 & Beyond
Part online incubator and development agency, today, we are a one-stop shop for minority-owned businesses and our online marketplace and community are just two of the products/services we offer. Unlike other organizations, programs, marketplaces, and/or initiatives, MAJOR, is inclusive of all ethnic minority groups. We work with minority-owned for-profit small businesses across the U.S. at every stage, providing them with comprehensive education, access to mentorship, advisement, one-on-one consulting and a like-minded, ambitious major community. Will you join us?
