Plugging the gaps in opportunity
SEA619 was born out of a recognition that Black innovators in Seattle have faced systemic barriers to success.
In the mid-2010s, local Black entrepreneurs, technologists, and community leaders rallied together to address these inequities and the isolation many experienced in the tech and startup scene.
They envisioned a supportive ecosystem built by and for the Black community, one that would create a sense of belonging in a city where the African diaspora was often fragmented.
This vision led to the formation of the "Talented Xth Labs" powered by Pan African Center for Empowerment (PACE) in 2015, laying the groundwork for programs that would empower people of African descent across technology, entrepreneurship, arts, and media.
The guiding “why” was clear: to cultivate a space where Black founders could thrive on their own terms, supported by a collective, values-driven network rather than left to navigate systemic challenges alone.
Building an ecosystem of empowerment
Early programmatic work under PACE focused on community-building and economic empowerment.
In 2018, on Juneteenth, PACE launched The Union as an African-centered innovation hub – a physical downtown Seattle space designed as a culturally welcoming home for creativity, learning, and entrepreneurship.
Through The Union’s programs and events, PACE fostered community, commerce, creativity, and culture for people of African descent, providing a shared co-working, educational and meeting space where Black entrepreneurs could collaborate and find support.
Annual Juneteenth activations became a cornerstone: vibrant “Meet Me on the Yard” plaza celebrations that mixed Black joy and cultural expression with opportunities for local vendors and small businesses.
At these events, Melanin Marketplaces showcased Black-owned businesses and artisans, directly connecting them with the community.
Pop-up co-working days, networking mixers, and even a Pan-African tech meetup series (eventually became known as a “Tribe Called T.E.C.H.”) further strengthened ties among Black founders and professionals.
Each initiative addressed a different facet of the ecosystem gap – whether it was visibility for Black-owned brands, access to communal workspace, or simply the chance to network without isolation.
Over time, what started as grassroots gatherings and pilot programs coalesced into a thriving community, or “tribe” committed to building Black wealth and creative enterprise in Seattle.
SEA619
From community catalyst to entrepreneurial incubator
By the early 2020s, the momentum and lessons from PACE’s community work paved the way for a more structured venture support program.
In 2025, the vision culminated in the launch of SEA619, Seattle’s first incubator and accelerator intentionally designed for Black founders.
The name itself honors launching from Seattle and 6/19, Juneteenth, reflecting a mission of economic freedom.
What began as volunteer-run meetups and co-working sessions has evolved into a formal incubator program for cohorts of budding Black entrepreneurs. SEA619’s creation marked the progression from informal community support to an institutional, capacity-building platform.
Yet unlike conventional accelerators, SEA619 was created without extracting equity or ownership from the very entrepreneurs it set out to help.
Instead, it leverages the collective strength of the community and its allies: major companies, nonprofits, and investors came on board as partners in the mission rather than profit-seekers.
This values-driven approach means the return SEA619 seeks isn’t financial ROI – it’s the social return of seeing Black businesses launched, jobs created, and creative projects flourish.
The program measures success in terms of its “Rate of Impact” on the community, not the return on investment to funders. Every milestone – from a founder securing their first customer to hiring from within the community – is viewed as a win for the ecosystem’s health and durability.
A non-extractive impact-driven model
In lieu of traditional venture funding models, SEA619 collaborates with mission-aligned allies who “strengthen the foundation of Black economic, artistic, and cultural freedom” in the community. This non-extractive, partnership-driven model, known as the PAACT Network is core to how SEA619 operates:
This approach is community development-centered. It acknowledges that addressing generations of disenfranchisement requires patience, creativity, and putting people before profits.
Every mentorship session, every networking event, every partnership forged is designed to chip away at structural barriers and multiply opportunity in a sustainable way.
Lasting impact and beyond
What started as a local initiative has blossomed into an expanding ecosystem poised to uplift Black innovators not only in Seattle, but beyond.
Through national and global partnerships, SEA619 connects with the broader African diaspora entrepreneurial network – from HBCU alumni in the South, to technologists and investors on the coasts, to creatives overseas – sharing lessons and opportunities across borders.
The history of SEA619 is still young, but its trajectory shows how a values-driven collective can rewrite the narrative for Black entrepreneurship.
By creating durable infrastructure for Black wealth, ownership, creativity, and self-determination in Seattle and beyond, SEA619 is ensuring that the story of its community’s success will continue to unfold for generations to come.
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