Esusu, a fintech that targets immigrant and minority groups and provides rent reporting and data solutions for credit building, said it had raised $130 million in a Series B fundraising round. The investment gives Esusu, launched in 2018 by co-CEOs Nigerian-born American Abbey Wemimo and Indian American Samir Goel, a valuation of $1 billion, placing it as one of the very few black-owned unicorns in the U.S. and globally. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led the funding round, with participation from Jones Feliciano Family Office, Lauder Zinterhofer Family Office, Schusterman Foundation, SoftBank Opportunity Fund, Related
Black Women Talk Tech, a worldwide collective of Black women tech founders, celebrates its longstanding relationship with Microsoft and continues collaboration with a host of new projects for 2022. BWTT seeks to identify, support, and encourage all women to build the next billion-dollar business. Its next event, Face of a Founder Summit, is set for Feb. 24, 2022. In the fifth year of the relationship, Microsoft has supported Black Women Talk Tech’s Roadmap to Billions Conference, which took place at the company’s New York City headquarters in 2018. In addition, Microsoft
NALA, a Tanzanian cross-border payments company that recently pivoted from local to international money transfers, has raised $10 million in a new fundraising round. It comes almost three years after NALA secured a seven-figure pre-seed round led by Accel in 2019. It received funds from an impressive group of angel investors — Jonas Templestein, co-founder and CTO of Monzo; Vladimir Tenev, Robinhood co-founder and CEO; Deel founder Alex Bouaziz; Laura Spiekerman, co-founder of Alloy; Peeyush Ranjan, the head of Google Payments and early employees at Revolut and TransferWise. Sheel Tyle,
Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty has reportedly raised $125 million in a Series C funding round, thanks to investments from a consortium of private equity firms, led by Neuberger Berman. As she sings in Pour It Up, all Rihanna sees are dollar signs. Timed with the opening of the company’s first-ever brick-and-mortar over the weekend, Savage X Fenty has just raised millions from several big0time investors. Neuberger Berman was joined by previous investors L Catterton, Avenir, Sunley House Capital, and Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners. The recent funding round comes on the back of a Series B
As it prepares to open its first-ever retail locations, lingerie brand Savage X Fenty said its inaugural store in Las Vegas would feature augmented reality (AR) technology from apparel matching platform Fit: Match. Fit: Match. is designed to use body scans from Apple devices equipped with lidar to analyze shoppers’ body shape data and find their personal “fit twin” from the unique database created for each retailer. This twin is based on the shape profile of an actual person and functions as the shopper’s fit model. Fit: Match then recommends the
In celebration of Black History Month, Apple is spotlighting Black business and innovation, and amplifying Black voices with a variety of exclusive content and curated collections. Apple Music is also launching special episodes of “The Message,” featuring Ebro Darden, head of Hip-Hop and R&B editorial, and guests to discuss issues around Black health and wellness, and highlight the historical perspective, achievements, and contributions that Black people have made to culture. Starting today, customers can also enjoy a special edition Unity Lights watch face and order the new Apple Watch Black
The NAACP, VistaPrint, and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation have announced the second cohort of recipients from the Power Forward Small Business Grant. The collaboration between the trio and their commitment of $1 million was designed to create a lasting impact through the economic empowerment of Black-owned small businesses across New England. As well as the grants of $25,000 and the opportunity to be featured on national co-branded platforms, recipients also receive design and marketing assistance customized to their specific needs. The successful small businesses, chosen from the Boston metropolitan area, Western Massachusetts, Rhode
“I had a mental breakdown,” Nnenna Darlene Umelloh tells me over our zoom call. She’s a 26-year-old founder, an experienced data analyst, and an Adjunct Professor in Oakland, California. She’s open and honest during our interview about the realities of raising capital as a woman and as a Black person. I started this series for transparency to our readers. Many of you will be interested in building and scaling your businesses or you might simply just want to understand the experiences of others. Through this series, we’ll be taking you
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons has granted a request from the police chief of a North Carolina city to release body camera video recorded in the aftermath of the shooting death of a Black man by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy. On Tuesday Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins filed the petition with the courts asking that the footage be released as she says it will show exchanges between Fayetteville police officers and three witnesses at the scene of the shooting. The decision comes after Walker, 37, was shot and killed earlier this
SaLisa Berrien, a Pittsburgh university trustee, has received a $100,000 Black Founders Fund award from Google for Startups. The award will be used to expand her Tampa-based renewable energy services company, COI Energy. Berrien was recognized in 2021 as one of Google’s 30 Black founders to watch. On top of this funding, she has raised over $2 million for her firm which serves customers throughout Florida and 13 mid-Atlantic states. Berrien plans to expand to California in the near future. From working at electric utilities to Smart Grid, Clean Tech, and Big Data
