If you’ve been paying attention to the American marketplace over the past few years, you’ll notice a distinct trend: the brands that are winning hearts—and market share—aren’t just adapting to diversity. They’re built on it from day one. This “born multicultural” movement isn’t about checking boxes or tacking on a Hispanic Heritage Month campaign. It’s about building brands where multicultural consumers are not an afterthought, but the very foundation.
The data backs this up. The 2020 Census confirmed what those of us in the multicultural marketing world have long predicted: America’s population is undergoing a seismic shift, with nearly 40% of Americans identifying as Hispanic, Black, or Asian American. The multicultural population is young, growing, and increasingly influential—both culturally and economically. According to Nielsen, multicultural consumers now wield more than $5 trillion in annual buying power. If you’re not designing for this cohort, you’re not designing for the future.
There’s a fundamental difference between how legacy brands approach multicultural audiences and how this new generation of startups does it. Traditional brands, even with the best of intentions, tend to “retrofit”— adapting existing products or campaigns in hopes of resonating with diverse consumers. Sometimes it works, but often it feels like an afterthought.
Now, a new wave of founders—many of whom are themselves from multicultural backgrounds—are flipping the script. Here are four brands that exemplify this trend by identifying gaps in the market that legacy brands have ignored or misunderstood, and by building businesses from the ground up with cultural nuance at their core:
1. Topicals:
When Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng launched Topicals, they weren’t just introducing another skincare line. They started with a simple truth: people of color have unique skin needs, and the beauty industry has largely ignored them. Topicals focuses on chronic skin conditions like eczema and hyperpigmentation—issues that disproportionately affect people with melanin-rich skin. Their marketing isn’t just inclusive; it’s unapologetically real, featuring unretouched skin and authentic storytelling. Topicals’ traction speaks volumes: the company hit a $500 million valuation in 2024, and its online community is among the most engaged in the beauty segment.
2. Siete Foods:
Siete Foods started because the Garza family—Mexican American and proud—couldn’t find grain-free tortillas that honored their cultural recipes. Instead of settling, they created their own. What began as a solution for one family has become a staple in supermarkets across America. Siete’s success isn’t just about health trends; it’s about cultural pride. Their packaging, recipes, and marketing all reflect a deep love for Latino heritage, and that authenticity resonates with both multicultural and mainstream consumers. Last October, PepsiCo announced an agreement to acquire Siete Foods for about $1.2 billion.
3. The Break by Patricia Bright:
In the world of finance, few platforms speak authentically to Black and multicultural women. Patricia Bright, a British Nigerian entrepreneur and influencer, saw this gap and filled it with The Break. Focused on financial literacy, career advancement, and entrepreneurial empowerment, The Break has built a community of over a million users—a testament to the hunger for culturally relevant content in a space often dominated by generic advice.
4. Partake Foods:
Denise Woodard’s motivation for founding Partake Foods was deeply personal—her daughter’s food allergies. But she quickly recognized a bigger opportunity: to create allergy-friendly snacks that were delicious, accessible, and inclusive, especially for Black and multicultural families who are often underserved by the food industry. Today, Partake’s cookies and snacks are found in Target, Whole Foods, and Kroger, supported by celebrity investors and a loyal customer base.
What unites these companies isn’t just their founders’ backgrounds or their product lines—it’s their approach. They lead with authenticity, not tokenism. They solve real problems for real people. Their marketing isn’t about “diversity messaging”—it’s about reflecting their own stories, their customers’ stories, and the communities they serve.
According to the Hispanic Marketing Council, 78% of multicultural consumers feel “seen” by brands that prioritize authentic representation—not just in advertising, but in leadership and product development. Research from the Collage Group shows that brands with inclusive DNA outperform competitors on brand love and loyalty by up to 20%. In other words, multicultural isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing.
The takeaway for legacy brands is clear: The most exciting, fastest-growing brands in America today are multicultural to their core. They’re not asking, “How do we reach multicultural consumers?” They’re asking, “How do we build for the world as it really is?”
As investors pour record funding into these companies, and as Gen Z’s diverse voices continue to shape culture and commerce, the next wave of iconic American brands will almost certainly be “born multicultural.” The question isn’t whether this is the future—it’s whether established brands are ready to keep up.