Location-based VR destination Dreamscape and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality have announced they’re launching a new VR experience that puts a group of people in the shoes of the ‘Men in Black: First Assignment’ crew. Dreamscape, founded just four years ago, will allow six attendees per round to take part in an exhilarating adventure where they will face and defeat incoming virtual aliens. According to the Dreamscape website, you will have to suit up as an agent. Participants will get exclusive access to the “secret command center,” where they will receive assistance from more friendly aliens and
Google for Startups has announced the next 50 recipients of its Black Founders Fund, unveiling the next slate of trailblazers who will be receiving $100,000 in non-dilutive funding. This is the second batch the giant tech firm has supported. All 126 of them hail from all over the United States, including Georgia, Texas, New York, Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Hawaii, and Missouri. Last year, Google for Startups gave 76 Black-led startups up to $100,000 in non-dilutive funding – meaning founders did not give up any ownership in their company in exchange for
Nigeria and San Francisco-based start-up, Klasha, has just announced its partnership with OpenCart, an all-in-one e-commerce builder that provides businesses with the tools to create and launch an online store. Klasha, first launched in 2018 by Jess Anuna and Kemi Oritsejafor, specializes in helping merchants worldwide sell online to Africa and receive payments in local currency. The new partnership means that OpenCart merchants can now sell more and accept payments online from customers across the continent while enjoying “superfast last-mile delivery to customers across the continent within 10 days.” Merchants who
Infibranches Technologies Limited has secured $2million in funding from ‘All On,’ an investment company backed by oil and gas giant Shell. The Nigerian firm, founded in 2019 by Olusola Owoyemi, aims to provide digital financial services for service providers in the energy sector. Through its flagship products – OmniBranches and Green Energy Plug – Infibranches helps companies with extensive distribution networks. With the support of The Nigerian Off-Grid Market Acceleration Programme, it has also developed a payment system that helps to facilitate payment collection for providers of solar home systems and mini-grid developers through
Netflix Inc has launched a free mobile plan in Kenya as part of its strategy to spark growth in the East African nation, home to over 20 million internet users. The plan will be rolled out to all users in the country; it will be available on Android mobile phones and will not have any ads. Some shows will not be included in the free plan, and they will be marked with a lock icon. Clicking on one of those titles will encourage the user to sign up for a
Digital Harbor, a technology specialist school in Baltimore, has received dozens of laptops for its students from TODAY’s Al Roker and Comcast after its principal was named Maryland’s Principal of the Year for 2021. Thanks to Comcast, a telecommunications conglomerate, the students were gifted 1,400 brand new Dell laptops and a free year of internet access. Taiisha Swinton-Buck was left in shock from the surprise and told the TODAY Programme: “It means everything to us.” She added: “At Digital Harbor High School, we’re focused on technology. Computers kept us connected during the COVID
Yonas Beshawred, the CEO of StackShare and countless other ventures, is a man not afraid to tell it as it is and this skill has worked in his favor. His venture, StackShare, a platform that allows software developers and tech companies to share their tools and how they use them, has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2014. What first started as a side project on a WordPress blog, StackShare has raised $7 million and reached 1M developers, engineers, CTOs, VPEs, architects, and founders. Although the journey
Facebook is set to donate millions to Black-owned Wine Collection McBride Sisters to help them continue their efforts to give back to other Black women-led businesses. Through the SHE CAN Fund, run by the collection, Black women entrepreneurs will be eligible to receive $20,000 in Facebook advertising credits. They’ll also receive guidance from the Facebook Elevate community and learning program designed to fuel the growth of Black and Latinx and Hispanic-owned businesses, according to Afrotech. Members of the program are also encouraged to visit the Elevate Hub to join the Facebook Elevate
Rappers Pusha-T and Nas have jumped the bandwagon and followed the likes of Jason Derulo by investing in a new streaming platform, Audius, which is looking to rival Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal. The free-to-use streaming platform built on blockchain technology launched in 2018 and also supports NFTs or non-fungible tokens. Last week the venture also announced a $5 million round of strategic funding. “I believe [blockchains] might be the most important technology to ever hit the music industry,” Nas said in a statement. “Everyone who uploads to Audius can be an owner. You can’t say that about any
Black Tech Twitter started an interesting debate earlier this week after speculations spread that Mailchimp employees may not have been adequately compensated with stock after the company’s exit. Prominent Black figures in the tech world, including legend Arlan Hamilton and founder and investor Jewel Burks Solomon joined the stage and shared their concerns. Ms. Solomon, said: “I do really hope Mailchimp employees are taken care of in the deal. Would be huge for Atlanta for that cash to be well distributed.” Her tweet soon got the attention of quite a
