YolanDa Brown - Worldwide Record Amount Raised For New Venue.

Friday, June 30, 2023

Saxophonist YolanDa Brown has just broken the record for most amount raised by a restaurant on Kickstarter, worldwide. She will open music venue and restaurant Soul Mama in London in autumn 2023.

We have received the following press release;

YolanDa Brown - Worldwide Record Amount Raised For New Venue

BIGGEST EVER AMOUNT RAISED BY A RESTAURANT ON KICKSTARTER WORLDWIDE

YOLANDA BROWN OBE PUSHES BOUNDARIES AND RAISES QUARTER OF A MILLION POUND FOR MUSIC VENUE AND RESTAURANT ‘SOUL MAMA’, AS VC FUNDING OF BLACK WOMAN START-UPS PLUMETS TO LESS THAN 0.4%, WHILE CHANGING THE FACE OF VENUE OWNERSHIP

Musician, broadcaster, author and philanthropist, YolanDa Brown OBE DL, alongside music manager, creative entrepreneur Adetokunbo “T” Oyelola have today raised a record-breaking £248,148 for ‘Soul Mama’, the largest ever amount raised by a restaurant on Kickstarter globally!

As woman-led start-ups, particularly those founded by black women, continue to be underfunded, YolanDa is breaking boundaries with the most successful restaurant Kickstarter ever.  With black women receiving only 0.35 percent of all VC funding1, the London-based entrepreneur took matters into her own hand and engaged the community to bring Soul Mama to life.

Soul Mama, Yolanda’s brand-new London-based grassroots restaurant and music venue will be bringing high-quality cuisine fusing authentic tastes of Africa, the Caribbean and South America to Islington Square, alongside Jazz, Soul, Gospel, Reggae and much more. With some of music biggest names taking to the stage, Soul Mama is first and foremost grounded in community and will be providing a much-needed platform for underrepresented musicians and chefs from across the globe, filling a gap in the UK’s live music and restaurant space.

Additionally, YolanDa will be creating the Soul Mama Foundation, a not-for-profit, charitable foundation with five percent of all profits going to the foundation to support causes around women, children and education.

From a menu inspired by mamas from around the world to sourcing ingredients ethically, the venue will not only be a space for food and music lovers to enjoy, but it will also bring opportunities to undiscovered and emerging artists to touch our souls. Set to open this autumn, more information will be revealed soon.

SOUL MAMA WILL OPEN THIS AUTUMN

Study on black female entrepreneurs
https://news.crunchbase.com/diversity/something-ventured-black-women-founders/