Confido has raised $20 million in total funding across its Seed and Series A rounds. Footwork led the rounds with participation from Watchfire Ventures, Y Combinator, Boulder Food Group II, Fintech Fund, Barrel Ventures, and a group of strategic angels. The startup, founded in 2022 by Justin Hunter and Kara Holinski, began by automating Cash Application and Deductions Management. Over the past year, it expanded into Trade Promotion Management and Sales Forecasting, with the mission of giving accounting, finance, and sales teams a single platform to plan, execute, and analyze
Seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster is making a comeback under the leadership of CEO Damola Adamolekun. The 36-year-old, who took the helm as Red Lobster emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, is leaning on two simple strategies: listen to customers and make the restaurants worth returning to. Red Lobster’s bankruptcy Founded in 1968, Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024, closing more than 100 of its nearly 650 restaurants. Decades of rising labor and lease costs were compounded by the infamous endless shrimp fiasco, which turned
Rebundle, the first US-based, plant-based braiding hair company, now has a patent for its flagship innovation. In June, the brand’s founder, Ciara Imani May, announced that the company learned the United States Patent and Trademark Office approved Rebundle’s patent for its hair extension line called braidbetter. “The patent protects the core innovation behind braidbetter, giving it its unique texture, durability, and scalp comfort,” May said in an Instagram post. “For our community, it’s further proof that this product is protected, scalable, and here to stay.” Rebundle solving a solution After May
A federal judge has struck down two Trump administration directives that sought to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools and universities. Judge Stephanie Gallagher of the US District Court in Maryland ruled that the Department of Education violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that would maintain its DEI initiatives, The Guardian reports. The department’s guidance had been on hold since April, when three federal judges temporarily blocked parts of the department’s anti-DEI measures. Gallagher’s ruling followed a motion for summary
Neibar is a social platform that helps people give away home, school, and workplace items they no longer need. The company, founded by software developer Roland Namwanza in July 2025, offers a diverse range of products, including household goods, office supplies, clothing, electronics, books, groceries, and university past exam papers. Namwanza told Techpoint Africa that it was hard to overlook the significant waste co-existing with the apparent need in his community. So, instead of creating a platform to buy and purchase products, he built one where people could give without expecting money
Black-owned whiskey brand Uncle Nearest has been hit with a $100 million lawsuit for allegedly not paying back its loans, as stated by court documents. Nearest Green Distillery, which sells Uncle Nearest premium whiskey across the US, has been accused of breaching loan agreements with its lender, according to a suit obtained by WSMV. The lawsuit has been filed by Louisville-based Farm Credit Mid-America, which accuses the company’s founders, Fawn Weaver and her husband, Keith Weaver, of breach of contract, stating that they defaulted on multiple loans, totaling $108 million, including interest. It also alleges
46.0% of all Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, according to a new report. That percentage is the highest level recorded since the American Immigration Council started examining immigrant entrepreneurs in annual reviews in 2011. Amazon, DoorDash, and Apple were among the Fortune 500 companies founded by immigrants or children of immigrants, as highlighted by the council’s research. These companies employ 15.5 million people worldwide, more than the population in Pennsylvania. As major companies across the country have rolled back their DEI efforts to comply with President Trump’s executive orders, these
Leon Burns III and Open Technology Group are helping Black students pursue careers in data analytics with the DEIB in Black Analytics scholarship. Students attending Hampton University’s James T. George School of Business will be able to receive $25,000 scholarship, which will be split among five full-time junior or senior students ($5,000 per student). “The idea behind the scholarship is to get African American students into careers in data analytics. Data is shaping the way that we’re moving forward as a country business wise, on a sociological scale, economically across
Right-wing influencer Robby Starbuck has been appointed as an AI bias advisor at Meta to help the company’s chatbot be less “woke.” The announcement came after Meta settled a lawsuit filed by Starbuck, claiming that he was part of the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to MSNBC. “Since engaging on these important issues with Robby, Meta has made tremendous strides to improve the accuracy of Meta AI and mitigate ideological and political bias,” Meta and Starbuck said in a joint statement to Advocate. Who is Robby Starbuck? Starback is a former Hollywood director
Casap has raised $25 million in new funding to help banks tackle credit and debit card disputes. The new capital brings its total funding to $33.5 million, according to a press release. The funding round was led by Emergence with participation from Lightspeed, Primary Ventures, SoFi, and others. The startup aims to change the way financial institutions handle disputes and reduce fraud cases. Its intelligent automation accelerates resolutions, cuts fraud by more than half, and eliminates friction for consumers. This capital will allow the company to expand its first-party fraud
