Community

Khalia & Courtney Ismain

Co-founders of Jamii - UK based

Sisters who created the UK's first discount card and marketplace celebrating Black-owned businesses.

Khalia & Courtney Ismain, co-founders of Jamii

What Jamii does

Khalia launched Jamii at just 22, creating the UK's first discount card for Black British brands. Her sister Courtney joined as co-founder, bringing content and e-commerce expertise to help grow the platform. Together they built a thriving marketplace and community that champions Black-owned businesses across beauty, fashion, food and lifestyle. Featured in Forbes, Buzzfeed and the BBC, the sisters have partnered with major organisations and helped thousands of customers discover and support incredible independent brands.

Visit Jamii

Source: the company's own website and published interviews. We only publish details the founders has shared publicly.

Superpower: Community Building

"When you support a Black-owned business, you're voting for the growth of founders and their communities."

What a young person can learn from this

A real business in community started with a specific problem, not a perfect plan.
Community Building is a skill you can practise, not something you are born with.
How social enterprise shows up in a real business.
How entrepreneurial mindset shows up in a real business.
How growth & scaling shows up in a real business.