Meet Davion Ziere of Culturebase

Zi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born to two teen college students on Jan. 30, 1994 in Santa Barbara, CA, my name is Davion Ziere Colbert-Garrett-Sa’Aadat-Williams. Usually just seen as Davion Ziere. And many just call me “Zi” (Zy.)Growing up, I went to 13 schools across the U.S. before I started college (Emory Univ) at 16. In every place, I noticed a strong disconnect between what people were passionate about versus what they did for a living and what they felt was possible for them to do. When I was 12, I had a vivid dream of an island where everyone on it did what they loved for a living. There was no “money,” yet doctors nurtured, chefs prepared food, engineers crafted, artists expressed, and so on. Authentic passion was the currency and work was like play because the people enjoyed doing what they did. In my dream, we were in sync with who we were in our individual pursuits and in our collective community. This dream is 80% of what drives me. The other 20% is that I’m also an artist, musician, singer, writer, producer, designer and overall creator myself. Understanding the entire creative process from beginning to end allows me to empathize with the pains & triumphs of others, and it has motivated me to build communities, programs, education curriculums and businesses where ever I’ve lived in efforts to construct platforms that bridge the gap between our aspirations and accomplishments, our potential and performance as people.In 2013, my quest to develop healthier systems that empower us all to thrive led me to start a multi-disciplinary creative community/agency in Atlanta, GA, called C.O.R.E. Culture Group (Creators. Originators. Renewers. Entrepreneurs.) With C.O.R.E.’s growth, I felt I needed to build something digital that could reach every edge of the Earth and support those who sought to do what they loved and live in communities they enjoy anywhere. That something became the early sketches of Culturebase in 2015. While I sketched and outsourced work, I began working for Tesla and rose to become their #1 Sales Person in North America. In 2016, I met my CTO and co-founder, Sam King, who aligned with me in vision and we have been working together tirelessly ever since.Today, Culturebase has evolved into a locally focused A.I. – powered app that connects residents and travelers to the unique products, experiences, and sub-cultures made by creators in our cities. The app functions similar to Netflix or Spotify, but instead of connecting you to music and movies, it connects you to the rich world of local events, brands, and goods that our communities offer. We have a dedicated team of 9 diverse individuals in Atlanta (America’s cultural capital), and we are backed by Comcast|NBCUniversal, along with many other corporate and community partnerships. Our immediate goal is to perfect the model here in Atlanta and then scale to cities across the globe, so that we can help people easily experience and connect to the true identity and cultures of the places we are in, as well as guarantee that independent creators can grow their audience for their works and sustain their passion. This is all only the beginning of a platform that is rooted in authenticity, equitable mindsets, and sustainable intercultural community living.Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?No, it has not been an easy path at all. And there are still many bumps. I fail all the time. My team and I’s struggles are no different than anyone else’s with an outrageous dream:

People’s doubts.
Not having a lot of financial capital, to begin with.
Pitching investors who want us to think about business in traditional ways when we simply are not conventional.
The mental health battles that come with entrepreneurship.
Plans don’t always work as planned.
Strains on personal relationships.
Being a young, multi-cultural Black man dealing with old White businessmen.
Going homeless and couch surfing for periods from burning all the cash I had to keep things going.
People asking me what I do and me being “misunderstood” or not being able to perfectly explain it yet.
Getting the cold shoulder from people who aren’t sure if you’re worth their time.
Miscommunications & Mistakes.
Feeling the race against time.

Had a lawsuit filed against me…that I won…but that was one of the most annoying and unnecessary things I’ve had to deal with.
Having to hustle and work many hours doing other jobs to keep the lights on.
A close early collaborator died in a freak accident when we were at a critical point.
A team member I outsourced work to early on stole money from another team member causing additional setbacks.
My laptop and two hard drives with backups of vital files were stolen.The list really goes on…but none of these hurdles diminish or intimidate the passion that the Culturebase team and I put into seeing the vision come to life.Please tell us about Culturebase.
Our mission is to develop healthier, happier cities that empower intercultural communities of people to do what we love and be who we are most authentically while appreciating the differences and synergies we share with others. We especially uplift the underdogs (those who identify as women, Black, LGBTQIAA++, Latin, Hispanic, Indian, East Asian, the entire African Diaspora, indigenous peoples, native tribes, etc.)Our team’s core values are:
• Authenticity
• Cultural Appreciation (not Appropriation)
• Courageous Discovery
• Holistic Health
• Foundations of Trust
• Sharing What We Love
• The Power of CreationOur vision is a world where no one dies without truly living while alive.Today, we connect young locals and travelers to the dope, authentic cultural experiences, subcultures and products in Atlanta. I am proud of our ability to keep growing against all odds and take every “failure” as a lesson to succeed. We are a multi-cultural company of people who care, and that makes all the difference. Even our business model is such that our dollars route back to the people of the cities we exist in. Culturebase is a PBC (Public Benefit Corporation) because we are here to profit and benefit the communities we serve, championing the colorful people we are as the basis for how our future is developed.Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?

Meeting God in a vestibule. Being consumed by water. For me, the ocean and rivers: it was love at first sight. The first time I went to “the snow.” I am the oldest of 9 siblings now, but I never forget how excited I was to find out the first time I was going to have a younger brother and sister. Living in South Africa with my grandmother, Mama Gerry, on a mission trip when I was 10/11. I remember being amazed at how human people were, contrary to what American news and books said about Africans. My mother instilling in me that there was no such thing as “can’t” and encouraging me to create what didn’t exist and make it available to others.