All posts by

Kumba Kpakima

Social media giant Facebook is on a mission to create some of the most innovative forms of technology in society today. The platform recently announced the launch of its new AI translator, No Language Left Behind (NLLB-200), the first multilingual machine that can translate up to 200 languages without relying on English data.  The NLLB-200 aims to help people better connect in society today by eliminating the language barrier. Meta’s AI model uses one of the world’s fastest AI supercomputers and is already used to translate content on Facebook and Wikipedia.

Kenyan and Canadian-based solar energy platform, Solar Panda, has raised $8 million in Series A funding. The funding round was led by investors Oikocredit and Electrification Financing Initiative. The pay-as-you-go solar home system was founded by Andy Keith in 2016, to help provide clean, affordable solar energy to rural communities in Africa. The platform has already provided more than 200,000 solar home systems to households across Kenya from its 37 retail branches. “We are excited to partner with leading global impact investors Oikocredit and EDFI ElectriFI and thankful that this

Tennis legend Serena Williams has been announced as the keynote speaker for the Black Tech Week Conference, scheduled to take place in Cincinnati, OH, July 18-22. Black Tech Week, founded by Felecia Hatcher and Derick Pearson in 2016, is a minority-centered ecosystem-building festival that partners with founders, corporations, and the community to create a valuable experience for all investors, entrepreneurs, and techies of all kinds to enjoy. The event is committed to bringing Black tech founders, influencers, and innovators together to create memorable experiences centered around Black culture and inclusive

Instagram has partnered with Brooklyn Museum and writer Antwaun Sargent to debut this year’s #BlackVisionaries program. The initiative, designed to help invest in and support Black talent, will include a grant of $650,000. The support program, co-founded by the social media giant, writer Antwaun Sargent and the Brooklyn Museum in 2021, is designed to help uplift and champion underrepresented voices within the creative industry. Last year, five Black designers and Black-led small design businesses were awarded $205,000 in grants last year. The funding allowed each participant to pursue their biggest

The parents of two young girls are suing TikTok after the children, aged eight and nine years old, died attempting the “Blackout Challenge.” The families say the video-sharing platform’s “dangerous” algorithm is what led the children to an early death. The life-threatening challenge, which became popular over the past few weeks, encourages users to choke themselves until they pass out. Parents of Lalani Erika Renee Walton and Nylah Anderson say TikTok’s algorithm “intentionally” pushed videos of the dangerous trend onto the children’s For You page, which is why the young

Danish investment firm, Unconventional Ventures (UV), recently announced the launch of their new fund of €30 million (approx. $30.5 million) to support underrepresented founders across Europe. The fund was launched by UV to get more money into the pockets of “unconventional founders,” will work to address the lack of diversity in Europe’s start-up ecosystem. Nora Bavey, Tea Messel, and Bradley Leimer co-founded UV in 2017 with the aim of shaking up Europe’s VC space for good. The team, which has formed an extensive pool of diverse investors and advisors, will

Banking platform BMO recently announced its partnership with the Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN), North America’s largest community of Black tech and business professionals. The partnership will focus on supporting and providing opportunities for Black professionals in the financial services industry. It will also help the banking platform increase representation of Black colleagues by bridging the network gap. BMO’s recent announcement with BPTN falls under their Zero Barriers to Inclusion Strategy, highlighting its critical goals for the year. The Inclusion Strategy includes reaching new hiring targets and providing access

Uber’s rival, Bolt, has opened its first African headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The new office will serve as a regional hub for the top managers and staff running operations across the continent. Bolt, which Markus Villig founded in 2013, has more than 100 million customers in over 45 countries. The company operates in seven countries across Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Tunisia. The famous ride-hailing company decided to open its first regional hub in Africa due to rapidly growing demand. The head office will be

The cryptocurrency market has drastically fallen over the years, with the market decreasing in value by more than $1 trillion. The recent downfalls have shaken the entire cryptocurrency market and resulted in many Black investors experiencing severe losses. One of the most popular cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, fell below $20,000 for the first time in 2020 and has been steadily declining by more than 70%. Over the past seven months, its value has shrunk more than ever, consequently impacting millions of investors in the cryptocurrency market. According to the Financial Times, 25%

Founder of Beauty Concepts, Cydnie Lunsford, has filed a lawsuit against Kim Kardashian after alleging that the business owner stole the name of her salon service named SKKN+. Black-owned beauty business, SKNN+ was founded by Cyndie Lunsford almost four years ago and offers women a wide range of aesthetic body products. The brand provides a hands-on transformative experience to all clients and helps them embrace new and healthier skincare habits. In 2018, Lunsford trademarked the name of her business just two days before Kim Kardashian made it to the trademark

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