Kiki, a social network oriented around celebrating, connecting, and creating opportunities for the queer community, launched recently. Kiki is the work of Wesley Wade, founder and CEO of the media and technology company Freshfruit.
Kiki’s mission is to digitize access to the places where queer existence takes place and revolutionize queer tech.
The launch comes at a critical time. Wade said the current administration has exacerbated the challenges faced by the queer network. He pointed out that efforts to undo diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and infringe on “hard-fought” LGBTQ+ rights are at the core of the American political discourse. For him, that means right now is the best time to stand up for his community the way he knows best: through technological innovation.
By launching Kiki, he aims to create a safe space for his community in the tech world “beyond dating and hook-up apps.”
Wade said he hopes this product will “provide folks with more convenience” when searching for events where “kikiying” and community-building efforts come to fruition. He emphasized that Kiki is a platform “built for us and by us”: It is designed for queer organizers, promoters, and attendees alike.
“Kiki will allow the entire ecosystem of the queer community to connect, whether it be a nonprofit organization, the nightlife and bar communities, and event-goers (who) are looking for activities and things to do,” Wade said. “Not only can folks discover and find activities, but they might be able to find job opportunities.”
Wade was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, attended Columbia University, and has lived in Harlem for almost 18 years. While his business is still young, he hopes to continue venturing into queer tech and that Kiki will become a “synonym of the queer experience.”
In a Q&A published by Freshfruit, Wade stated that “women, BIPOC, and queer folks have unique challenges with finding resources, funding, and making key connections. Less than 1% of funding in Silicon Valley is invested in projects spearheaded by people like me.”
Wade said “the term Kiki came from the Black and Brown queer community,” and inspired the name of this digital product. For LGBTQ+ folks, “kikiying” conveys a space of comfort, a sense of belonging, and “feeling visible and assured,” he said.
Wade told the AmNews that he founded the company thinking about the experiences of young queer folks who “live boldly, unbothered, and unbound.” For him, queer representation in the media often fails to portray the full potential of the LGBTQ+ group in America, and the messaging about it generally centers around the struggles and stigmas.
“Queer people are creative and dynamic and joyful. You don’t really see that in the media, so I created Freshfruit to embody that idea,” he said.
Wade emphasized that while his digital platform focuses on the queer experience, it also welcomes its allies. “We want to be inclusive of our allies and folks (who) care [about] and support our community … so [we] invite those who enjoy and can participate in the things that we are interested in and like to do.”
In the queer collective, Wade said, a lot of workers depend on “gig work,” so if a bar is looking for a bartender, drag queen, or performer, Kiki could be the bridge for “economic empowerment for businesses [and] job opportunities for queer folks.”