Business
Founders of b Condoms on Integrating African-American Health and Business
Balla and his partners are so committed to getting their product in the hands, and bedrooms, of those most at risk, that they offer significant discounts to nonprofits and grassroots organizations working directly with those populations.
It is this community focus that is the real driving force propelling the brand, as well as the benchmark that the group uses to measure its success.
“The overall goal of b Condoms is to use the sale of condoms to help fund HIV and AIDS prevention work,” said Balla. “So what we’re doing now is trying to put studies in place that will directly measure how impactful we have been – whether from a partnership standpoint or from a funding standpoint – and whether we are changing the trajectory of STIs and HIV in those target communities.”
By any standard b Condoms has done extremely well since its launch on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2010. In less than one year the company has opened permanent office space in Harlem, hired seven staff members and forged partnerships with more than 50 community organizations, including the Brooklyn AIDS Taskforce, and global brands like Google and The Magic Johnson Foundation.
b Condoms is also an official vendor for the city of Baltimore, and the company’s founders are currently in discussions with retail chains to carry the brand.
Next month, Balla, Panada and Johnson will embark on the inaugural b Healthy Tour, traveling to 30 HBCUs to further promote their safe sex message. Additionally, they will be highlighting other illnesses that disproportionately impact African–Americans.
With an aim of tackling health disparities in urban America, Balla noted that the future holds endless possibilities for b Condoms and its parent company, b Holding Group.
“It could be HIV/AIDS testing kits, or whatever the market dictates,” he said. “But we will always focus on public health and awareness.”
Source: The Atlanta Post
