By Jeroslyn JoVonn
Cecilia Pearson’s Babypalooza brand aims to help new parents adjust to life with their children. She has been spearheading the company since its inception in 2005 while advocating for more funding for Black women business owners.
Pearson launched Babypalooza with hopes of guiding new moms and dads on their journeys to parenthood. Through products, resources, and a hub of other moms, whether in-person or through their virtual baby expos, Babypalooza serves as a community.
“In my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, I’d see women with new babies and just thought about how important it is for them to tap into the information and support they truly need,” Pearson told Essence.
Her company website includes information on talking to children about race, baby crib safety tips, and information on breastfeeding. Some of the upcoming events she has planned for her members include “Tips for Getting More Sleep While Breastfeeding,” “Travel With Baby Product Picks,” and a Babypalooza event for new moms.
What started as just a magazine in 2005 has turned into a quarterly magazine, event space, in-person and virtual events, and online hub.
Pearson comes from a long line of courageous businesswomen who served as early angel investors for her business.
“My mother and many other women in my family are ride-or-dies and helped me realize my dream through both monetary support or sweat equity,” Pearson said.
But Pearson has been open about the financial hardships she has faced as a Black women business owner and doesn’t mind addressing the issue.
“Stats and rates show that Black [business] founders, and particularly Black female founders, get very little [when it comes to venture capital] dollars,” Pearson told the Birmingham Times in August 2020.
“The answer to that is to have more founders that are willing to invest in Black females, and they don’t have to be young,” she added. “I think that’s part of our problem; we feel like everybody has to be specifically young. I’d also like to be able to invest in them.”
Pearson encourages business owners looking for funding to take part in business accelerator programs. She recently received $50,000 from Bronze Valley to help her scale the digitization of Babypalooza. She was also selected to participate in Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator.
