Scaling his superpower: How BXKC’s new app amplifies Black professionals’ connections

A new tech platform recently unveiled by Black Excellence KC is expected to provide Black entrepreneurs with resources to elevate their careers and journeys, said Craig Moore II — a move that aims to boost the group’s human capital beyond one-on-one interactions.

“We’re trying to create a tool where we can create better engagement among our resources, our resource partners, job opportunities, and our membership,” said Moore, founding executive director of Black Excellence KC (BXKC). “The goal is to make it as automated as possible so that our members can really take control of their careers.”

The new app’s name — Proximity — brings meaning; and it’s already available to Black Excellence KC members.

“Kansas City, and the Black community specifically, is very siloed,” said Moore. “So, we’re not close to each other, and then oftentimes, we’re all going after the same resources.”

“How can we create that proximity?” Moore continued. “How can we create that proximity to each other, and to the resources, so that more collaborations can happen?”

Proximity currently offers a free and premium version, each featuring how-to-use videos and job postings, Moore said.

Moore teased that additional content will be coming to the free model in the coming months, and noted that users of the premium version will receive access to the “founder’s desk” slate of features.

The founder’s desk will feature a development space that provides resources to Black professionals looking to start their own nonprofits and businesses, he explained. 

“The goal is to create a community platform where those resources can be available, but then also just really connect our membership a little bit better with each other,” Moore said.

Black-led and Black-focused organizations can also create their own password or paywall protected pages within Proximity, Moore said, adding that KC Black Owned will be transferring much of its membership base onto the platform.

BXKC will also be creating DEI modules and trainings to help companies attract and retain diverse talent, Moore added.

“It’s a holistic tool for everybody,” he said. “We’re trying to be the nucleus where all those things are happening using Proximity.”

Making organic collaborations through tech

A hub-focused philosophy of connecting Black professionals drove Moore’s desire to launch Proximity for BXKC members, he said.

Craig Moore, Black Excellence KC (BXKC)

“A lot of people see me as an individual as a connector,” he said. “I feel like that’s my superpower. I know what’s happening in certain spaces, how to connect dots, and really be an intersection for people and programs who don’t normally or aren’t able to find each other.”

“So instead of me just having 100 one-on-one meetings every day, my thought was, ‘How can I create a platform where those meetings can happen more naturally on their own?’” he continued.

Proximity is designed especially to make those organic connections happen, Moore said, because the platform isn’t flooded by sponsored ads or at the mercy of an algorithm.

“You don’t have to fight the algorithms of social media to see what’s happening around the city,” he said. “What you select to be a part of is the content you’re going to see.”

Those types of specialized features separate Proximity from similar apps, Moore said, noting that he intentionally set out to make a unique platform, just as he did when deepening Black Excellence KC’s impact.

“I didn’t want to build something that was just another entrepreneurial support organization out there doing the same thing,” he said. “So instead of developing a whole program, how can we just be a tool that everybody can use and get what they need?

“Organizations and companies see the data, the engagement, the impact,” Moore continued. “Our members can see each other; they can be celebrated more; and they can get closer proximity to these resources. … It helps everybody be better engaged with each other.”

Expanding Black Excellence’s footprint, impact

As Proximity continues to evolve and grow — Moore emphasized that the app remains in the beta testing stage — so too does Black Excellence as an organization.

The nonprofit is officially Black Excellence, Incorporated and plans to eventually expand to markets beyond Kansas City, said Moore.

Events and programming that currently fall under Black Excellence KC would be restructured into a “City Hubs” program, he added.

Meanwhile, Moore said Black Excellence welcomes feedback from all parties on the Proximity app, noting that focus group sessions are planned for the future.

Craig Moore, Black Excellence KC (BXKC); photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“This is not the finished product; it’s just the beginning,” he said. “Getting the members and resources on there is the main focus for this first year, just to get them engaged with each other.”

After the initial testing and development phases, Black Excellence plans to add courses to the Proximity platform, Moore said, with the ultimate goal of providing a strategic plan for recent college graduates and new residents.

“Five to 10 years from now, we feel like we’ll be able to see some clear journeys, some clear paths from our members that we can then provide to new people who move to Kansas City, and college students who are looking to get into the workforce, who want to see what the trajectory looks like,” Moore said.

“Our hope is that we’ll be able to have enough data points where we can really give somebody some strategic planning support when it comes to growing their career,” he added.

Though Moore certainly doesn’t expect Black Excellence and Proximity to solve every problem, he firmly believes the organization and platform can be valuable for Black professionals as they grow their careers and wealth, he said.

“Kansas City has all the dots, and Black Excellence just looks to be the line between the dots that connects everybody to each other,” Moore said. “I really truly believe that we’ll be able to create something that’s going to not only push Kansas City to the next level, but also something that we could spread across the nation.”