Uber Eats launches £250,000 Black Business Fund

Uber Eats has launched its annual £250,000 fund for Black-owned restaurants across the UK.

For the fourth year running, 25 Black-owned businesses with fewer than five locations will receive a £10,000 grant, over half of which will be based outside of London.

The cash grants have been made available in collaboration with Enterprise Nation and Be Inclusive Hospitality.

Since its launch in 2021 with an initial £5,000 fund, the Uber East Black Business Fund has scaled up, having awarded £550,000 to eligible applicants over the past three years.

It comes after recent figures from the Investing In Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurs from the British Business Bank showed that less than 8% of smaller businesses are led by individuals or teams identifying as an ethnic minority.

Furthermore, according to the 2023 Inside Hospitality Report published by Be Inclusive Hospitality, Black hospitality workers were most likely to be on zero-hour contracts, compared to other ethnic minorities.

Karis Theophane, owner of Jerk Grill in London’s Hackney and a previous recipient of the grant, said: “I applied to the Black Business Fund as resources for small businesses are scarce. Opening a restaurant is new territory for us, we wanted to boost the business and let people know we are here. Next, we are in the process of finalising our marketing strategy for long-term growth and sustainability. We would like to achieve brand recognition and be known as the number 1 place to go in Hackney for Jerk, date nights, work parties the lot.” 

Matthew Price, general manager at Uber Eats UK, Ireland and Northern Europe, added: “We are proud to launch the Black Business Fund for a fourth consecutive year, bringing our total contribution to Black-owned businesses to over three-quarters of a million pounds.

“Past grant recipients have used the funding for essential investments—whether upgrading equipment or expanding their teams and staff training. We’re proud to continue empowering the next generation of Black entrepreneurs, helping their businesses thrive.”

Applications for the Uber Eats Black Business Fund are opening on Thursday 14 November.