# POCSTOCK

Join us in building the world's largest and most inclusive content company

## Elevator pitch
pocstock sells licensed stock media (ie. photos, video footage, and illustrations) featuring people of color (ie Black, Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous people) to major corporations, advertising agencies, media outlets, and any organization that uses stock media to market and advertise to their customers, vendors, and employees (ie most of the images you see on websites, brochures, ads/commercials, blogs, news stories, etc. are stock media).

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/pocstock
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:116884
- Last updated: 2026-06-02T05:01:14Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-03T23:56:34Z

## Quick facts
- Raised $1.6MM in seed funding; with $500k from VC
- Generated $1MM+ in lifetime sales | 1.2k+ customers including AAA, Adobe, Google, Microsoft, Samsung
- Built proprietary tech platform + library of 1.8m+ images | 1000+ contributors across 60+ countries
- Developed ethical & inclusive datasets, and a prototype for an Inclusive AI platform
- Entered global content partnership with Canva to increase access to inclusive imagery for 100m users
- Featured in AdAge, Fast Company, Adweek, Forbes, The Grio, Blavity, NJBIZ, Yahoo Finance, TechCrunch

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:129259: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:129258: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:64510: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:64643: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## Story
We founded pocstock because we believe that representation matters, every race, culture, body type, skin tone, hair texture, and style deserves to be authentically seen. Yet, if you've ever worked on a marketing campaign or website, you know how hard it is to find quality images of people of color in stock photography. We experienced this firsthand.As Black men in the advertising and tech worlds, DeSean Brown (an ad agency exec) and Steve Jones (a tech entrepreneur) spent years working on campaigns for global brands. But when it came time to find images that reflected our experiences and the people around us, we were met with frustration. Despite people of color making up 90% of the global population, we were nearly invisible in the stock imagery we relied on.That was our "WTF?" moment. The problem was obvious, but the solution was missing. So we decided to create it ourselves.pocstock founders DeSean Brown (L) and Steve Jones (R)In 2019, we founded pocstock with a mission to build the largest, most inclusive content company in the world. We wanted to ensure that people of color are authentically represented in all media, not just in front of the camera, but also behind the lens and now in the data driving today's creative industries.As AI continues to reshape how we create and share content, we’re committed to ensuring that people of color are leading the way in this new era of data, content, and media. We're building a new, inclusive ecosystem that reflects the world as it truly is, and we invite you to be part of it.What we built for marketers, is now essential for the future of AIOver the past five years, pocstock has become a trusted partner to some of the biggest names in business. From AAA and American Heart Foundation to Audible, Bank of America, Canva, Google, Microsoft, Prudential, Samsung, and over 1,200 more. To meet the needs of our global customers, we've built a network of 1,000+ photographers and videographers across 60 countries who have contributed over 1,850,000 authentic stock images and videos to our library. But here’s the thing, AI is now transforming how content is created and we’re seeing some familiar and troubling patterns. Generative AI often reinforces the same biases that existed in the traditional stock photography, portraying people of color inaccurately, reinforcing negative stereotypes, or failing to represent us at all.  Our unique process of curating these images, as well as the level of cultural data we've collected, has made our library attractive to many AI companies looking to train and refine their AI models. If you're new to the concept of how AI is trained, simply put, AI requires tons of data to help them become more accurate when generating images of people of various races, genders, skin tones, etc. in various settings, and with a range of actions and emotions.As AI models are trained, they often reflect the biases of the data they’re fed. When you ask an AI platform to generate images of "a successful CEO" or "a doctor," the results are still overwhelmingly White. This is because of the data they are trained on.This is where pocstock steps in. We’ve always been about challenging the status quo, and we’re already working with several AI companies to ensure there is accuracy in the data which is integral to the future of AI. We’re not just solving a problem for today, we’re laying the groundwork for a more inclusive tomorrow. Goldman Sachs research predicts that generative AI will increase global GDP by 7%, adding $7 trillion to the economy over the next decade. We believe AI should reflect the diversity of the people who will drive that growth, and we’re here to help make sure that happens. We're powered by a diverse community of investorsWe’ve come a long way, but we’re just getting started. We’re raising funds to scale and expand our content operation globally, building content hubs in North and Latin America, APAC, and Africa, and continuing our work with the world’s top corporations, ad agencies, and AI companies. Content: We’re enhancing our platform to increase our capacity to process and deliver millions of assets to partners faster than ever. Technology: We’re adding cutting-edge AI features to make it easier for creators worldwide to share their images, and for companies to license them. People: We’re expanding our team, empowering talent around the world to help us produce even more content that reflects the true diversity of the world. Thanks to the support of over 200 investors including VCs, professional athletes, actors, creators, entrepreneurs, executives, interns, customers, friends, family, and supporters around the world we've raised over $1.6m to fuel the growth of our company. We’ve been able to scale our image library from just 1,500 images to over 1,850,000 and counting, secure contracts with major companies, expand our reach into 60 countries, and we’re not stopping there. With your investment, we plan to become a market leader in inclusive and ethical AI datasets. Snapshot of our investment history2023-24 - Seed Round 3: $775k raised privately, with $500k from VCs 2023 - Seed Round 2: $126.5k raised from 179 investors on WeFunder  2022 - Seed Round 1: $745.5k raised from private investors 9.58 Venture Partners - https://www.958vp.com/investments/Securities managed on Carta.comFunding rounds tracked on CrunchbaseMore info on pocstock.com/investorsSEC Filings on SEC.GOVNews & press mentionsPress Release - "Inclusive content leader pocstock opens global HQ in Newark, NJ with Ribbon-Cutting hosted by FREE from 106 & Park"Press Release - "pocstock Appoints Dr. dt ogilvie to its Board of Directors"Press Release - "Pocstock Raises $1.4M to Increase Diversity and Inclusion in Advertising, Media, and AI Technology"Article - Adage - "How Innocean and pocstock are training AI to return more diverse images"Article - Fast Company - "AI generators say there are no Black surfers"Article - "Audible’s Business Attraction Program" Article - "https://finance.yahoo.com/"Article - "https://peopleofcolorintech.com/"Article - "https://njbiz.com/pocstock-new-newark-hq"Article - "https://njbiz.com/stock-image-disrupter"Article - "https://www.roi-nj.com/"Article - "https://thegrio.com/"Mention - "https://www.forbes.com/"Mention - "https://techcrunch.com/black-founders"Mention - "https://techcrunch.com/equity-investments"FAQDo I have to be an accredited investor to invest?No. Wefunder allows you to invest up to $2200 without being an accredited investor. All you have to do is sign up and invest. If you are looking to invest $50k USD or more, contact us directly to invest under our Reg D offering.What is the minimum amount I can invest?$250.What's the maximum I am legally allowed to invest?Through Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) anyone can invest up to $2,200. How much you're able to invest above that depends on your net income and net worth. You can create a Wefunder account and login to see how much you're allowed to invest by entering those two numbers under "Investor Limits" here .How will I make a return on my investment, and when?We’re not able to make future projections or guarantee a return on your investment. Start-up investments are generally high risk, but we have big ambitions for the company. We are working on launching new products and services to serve high growth industries. We think the best way to achieve that is to build a successful company, which could involve going public one day, but for now we are focused on building.Under the terms of this Seed Round, our pre-money valuation is $48M. If we have a successful exit in the future (like an IPO, merger, or acquisition) for more than that amount, you’ll see a return on your investment.Where can I ask a question? You can ask any questions you have in the “Ask A Question” section of this page.

## FAQ
1. **How is it decided what photos are allowed on the platform? Is there some kind of color chart? Is that decision made by humans or by an algorithm?**
   - Thank you for the question. We have several quality controls in place to ensure the content that is approved for sale on our platform meets our content guidelines @ https://www.pocstock.com/content-guidelines from an aesthetic and legal standpoint. Our platform does have several automated components to extract and parse metadata, but at this time, all content is hand checked by our team of asset managers before being made available to our customers.
2. **What is the pre-money # of shares issued and outstanding? Is this common equity and are there any other classes of stock currently?**
   - Thanks for the question. The details can be found here, https://wefunder.com/pocstock/details under Capital Structure but I'll summarize below: Series Seed CF Preferred Stock (this round) = 470,639 authorized 0 Outstanding Series Seed Preferred Stock = 604,063 authorized 604,063 Outstanding Common Stock = 9,249,542 authorized 7,472,528 Outstanding
3. **I invested in 12/2022 and again today - 2/2023. When may I expect the courtesy of receiving POCSTOCK perks for investing at my recorded level? Thank you.**
   - Hi Crystal, thanks for the question and great timing. We were actually waiting for the round to close tonight, then we will have our final list of investors who will be receiving perks. We will absolutely be in contact over the next few days with all investors to coordinate the perks. eg. some of the perks are branded T-Shirts, so we will need to contact everyone to get their sizes and mailing addresses. Thanks again for investing in our mission. We will be in touch shortly.
4. **Is there a timeframe and an expected yield on my investment and are you offer a prospectus before or after we make the investment to you?**
   - 1. Thank you for your question and for your interest in investing in our company. Please be aware that all investments involve risk, and there are no guarantees or promises of a return. The timing and amount of any potential return depends on a variety of factors, including market conditions and the company’s performance. We encourage you to consult with a financial advisor to fully understand the risks and potential rewards to ensure this investment aligns with your goals. 2. Investors can m...
5. **To the direct attention of the CEO of POCSTOCK Hello, my name is Mr.Charles Sperss. I'm very interested in your project and would love to invest in it, but I have several questions that I would like to go through with you. Please if possible do contact me or by mine email or b...**
   - Thanks Charles, we're looking forward to having you in our investor community. Please post any your questions you may have in this Q&A section, so that others can benefit from the answers.

## Team
- Steve Jones (Founder, CEO, Chairman)
- DeSean Brown (Founder, Chief Relationships Officer, Board Member)
- Derrick Larane (Chief Operating Officer)
- Steven Russell (Head of Content)
- Chad Comiteau (Investor / Advisor)

## Recent posts
- pocstock at DEITECH (2022-10-28T14:07:20Z)
- We're off to a great start! (2022-10-11T18:57:39Z)

## Q&A
- Q: To the direct attention of the CEO of POCSTOCK Hello, my name is Mr.Charles Sperss. I'm very interested in your project and would love to invest in it, but I have several questions that I would like to go through with you. Please if possible do contact me or by mine email or by my phone number. charles.sperss@gmail.com +33759267121 best regard Charles SPERSS
  - A: Thanks Charles, we're looking forward to having you in our investor community. Please post any your questions you may have in this Q&A section, so that others can benefit from the answers.
- Q: Is there a timeframe and an expected yield on my investment and are you offer a prospectus before or after we make the investment to you?
  - A: 1. Thank you for your question and for your interest in investing in our company. Please be aware that all investments involve risk, and there are no guarantees or promises of a return. The timing and amount of any potential return depends on a variety of factors, including market conditions and the company’s performance. We encourage you to consult with a financial advisor to fully understand the risks and potential rewards to ensure this investment aligns with your goals. 2. Investors can make their decision based on the content of the information on our pitch page at https://wefunder.com/pocstock/, and any research information you can find publicly about the company.
- Q: I invested in 12/2022 and again today - 2/2023. When may I expect the courtesy of receiving POCSTOCK perks for investing at my recorded level? Thank you.
  - A: Hi Crystal, thanks for the question and great timing. We were actually waiting for the round to close tonight, then we will have our final list of investors who will be receiving perks. We will absolutely be in contact over the next few days with all investors to coordinate the perks. eg. some of the perks are branded T-Shirts, so we will need to contact everyone to get their sizes and mailing addresses. Thanks again for investing in our mission. We will be in touch shortly.
- Q: What is the pre-money # of shares issued and outstanding? Is this common equity and are there any other classes of stock currently?
  - A: Thanks for the question. The details can be found here, https://wefunder.com/pocstock/details under Capital Structure but I'll summarize below: Series Seed CF Preferred Stock (this round) = 470,639 authorized 0 Outstanding Series Seed Preferred Stock = 604,063 authorized 604,063 Outstanding Common Stock = 9,249,542 authorized 7,472,528 Outstanding
- Q: How is it decided what photos are allowed on the platform? Is there some kind of color chart? Is that decision made by humans or by an algorithm?
  - A: Thank you for the question. We have several quality controls in place to ensure the content that is approved for sale on our platform meets our content guidelines @ https://www.pocstock.com/content-guidelines from an aesthetic and legal standpoint. Our platform does have several automated components to extract and parse metadata, but at this time, all content is hand checked by our team of asset managers before being made available to our customers.