Day Edwards and Emmanuel Brown, both raised as pastor’s kids, have embarked on a transformative journey with their innovative app, ChurchSpace. This app ingeniously connects business owners and event professionals with vacant faith-based venues, offering a new lease on life for underutilized church spaces.
Day’s upbringing in the church, combined with her education in tech from free classes at a local HBCU in East Austin, equipped her with the skills necessary to become a faith-based marketing entrepreneur. Her expertise in tech and online marketing has been pivotal in addressing the needs of modern churches and community businesses alike.
Emmanuel Brown, sharing a similar church-centered childhood in New York, brings his analytical prowess to the team. His background in startups and operations complements Day’s vibrant energy, making them a formidable duo in the tech startup ecosystem.
The inception of ChurchSpace was timely, as recent studies show a significant decline in church attendance, with only 20% of Americans attending weekly services, a sharp drop from earlier decades. This decline, exacerbated by the pandemic, presents a unique opportunity for churches to repurpose their spaces, thereby supporting Black entrepreneurship and community economic growth.
Launched in 2019 with substantial backing from investors like Google for Startups and Amazon Web Services, ChurchSpace has already made significant strides. With over 350 churches onboarded and a recent partnership potentially adding 1,200 more, the platform is set to revolutionize how church properties are utilized, turning them into hubs of economic activity and community service.
The journey of Day and Emmanuel from pastor’s kids to tech innovators is not just a story of personal achievement but a testament to the power of faith, innovation, and community collaboration in creating sustainable solutions for modern-day challenges.
