The Internet Was Built On Black Culture. Now Comes The Renaissance.

Building a Social Media Platform that Puts Black Culture First

AUSTIN, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 02: CEO & Founder of SPILL, Alphonzo Terrell attends the 2023 Afrotech Conference Innovation Stage – Day One at ACL Live on November 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for AfroTech)

ForbesBLK newsletter offers the latest news and events surrounding the Black community. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. In this edition, we’re shining the spotlight on Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell, Co-founder and CEO of social media app, Spill. Three years ago, we mentioned Terrell in this newsletter, and since then, his social media platform has reached remarkable milestones.

The Rise of Spill

Since launching Spill in 2023, Terrell’s social media platform has reached 750,000 downloads and secured big-brand partners, including Netflix and Disney. Additionally, Spill has been named Apple’s “App of the Day” twice. Most importantly, the startup is flashing signs of increased revenue, with over $100,000 paid directly to creators in 2025. But the numbers only tell half the story. The other half lives in Spill’s cultural white paper, “What’s The Tea: The Cultural Exploration of a Black Renaissance,” which examines the power Black America holds online, post-Black Twitter.

In 2026, Black America’s spending power is projected to reach $2.1 trillion, yet Black consumers remain among the most underserved audiences in marketing research. Brands often ignore this demographic, and the social platforms that Black culture helped establish underserve it. As Terrell notes, “When people feel like the official narrative doesn’t reflect their lived reality, they don’t disengage — they build their own language, their own signals, their own spaces to process what’s actually happening.”

A Conversation with Alphonzo Terrell

Before attending our ForbesBLK Investors Roundtable at the Under 30 Summit in Phoenix, we caught up with Terrell for a quick Q&A. When asked if the decision to start Spill was worth it, Terrell replied, “We’ve raised over $6 million, crossed 750,000 downloads, and grown revenue 4x year-over-year. But more critically, nearly one out of every three users on Spill have commented organically about the safety they feel on the platform.” Terrell believes that Spill is different from other platforms because it’s transitioning from being the producers to the platformers, connectors, and distributors, allowing Black people to create and benefit from their own value.

Terrell also addressed the skepticism surrounding AI in the Black community, stating that disengaging from this technology is not an option. “AI is no different than any other major shift — if we do not roll up our sleeves and master this technology, it will most certainly master us,” he said. Terrell will be attending the investor’s roundtable next month, where he hopes to think generationally and position future generations for greater success.

ForbesBLK’s Mission and the Upcoming Roundtable

What Terrell is building at Spill aligns with ForbesBLK’s mission to create true infrastructure and support promising startups with connections between them and powerful investors. The roundtable, which includes co-chairs Solomon Hailu (March Ventures) and Sasha McKenzie (Wellington Access Ventures), will feature Veronica Reaves (Black Women in VC), Nia Pryce (Penny Jar), and Erik Moore (Base Ventures). The first 80 ForbesBLK members to register for the Under 30 Summit will be invited to attend the roundtable and networking session.

As Terrell sees it, Black communities have always shaped culture, but the gap lies in ownership. Many individuals, alongside Terrell, have been working to close this gap for years. This April, they’ll come together to do it again. With the Under 30 Summit and the ForbesBLK Investors Roundtable, the opportunity for growth, connection, and empowerment is immense.