Black-owned food waste startup, Goodr, has closed $8 million in their latest round of financing. The funding round, led by venture capital firm, Precursor Ventures, included investment firm Collab Capital, Emerson Collective, Backstage Capital, Innovations for Impact, Kimbal, Telus Pollinator Fund, and a series of other private angel investors. This round brings Goodr’s total funding to $9.4 million. The Atlanta-based startup, founded by Jasmine Crowe in 2017, works to feed people who may experience food insecurity. The community first focused on helping feed a small number of people experiencing homelessness
Green NFT platform, OneOf, has launched an exclusive NFT collection, allowing fans to collectively license the audio recording of the Notorious B.I.G.’s most famous freestyle. The collection, in partnership with the Christopher Wallace estate, will provide collectors with a series of 3D profile picture (P.F.P.) NFT collectibles, also known as avatars. The characters on offer will be inspired by Biggie Small’s life, style, lyrics, and fashion. Biggie Smalls, who tragically passed away in a drive-by shooting in 1997, immensely influenced the hip-hop scene we all know and love today. In
Black-owned tech firm, Eminent Future, known for providing software development, project management, and analytics services to a range of businesses, has been awarded over $13 billion in a defense contract with the US Airforce and US Spaceforce. Eminent Future, co-founded by José Risi and Isaac Barnes in 2009, has grown into one of Virginia’s fastest-growing companies. The tech firm, which led software development teams for both President Obama and President Trump’s administrations, uses AI technology to build the framework of their products. The platform, which “prioritizes people over technology,” works directly with organizations to help
Ghana-based Fintech company, Fido, has raised $30 million in equity investment in a Series A funding round. The funding round, led by the equity fund company, Fortissimo Capital, included venture capital firm Yard Ventures and a series of other private angel investors. Fido, co-founded by Nadav Topolski, Nir Zepkowitz, and Tomer Edry in 2012, provides mobile loans of up to $250 to small businesses and individuals. In addition, the fintech company aims to build a digital bank, which will give hundreds of adults in Africa access to flexible loans and other financial services, which
The online technology platform, Kibo School, known for providing online degrees for students across Africa, has raised $2 million in seed funding. The funding round, which venture capital firm Neo led, included African investment company Future Africa, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, and Transcends Ventures. In addition, a range of different angel investors also participated in the seed funding round. Kibo School, co-founded by Ope Bukola in 2021, aims to provide affordable and high-quality programs for anyone interested in building a career in tech. The curriculum, based on the Human Skills Matrix,
Athletic champions Naomi Osaka and LeBron James have announced the launch of their new media production company, Hana Kuma. Hana Kuma, founded by the four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka and NBA legend LeBron James, will produce documentaries, feature television shows, and anime programs for a global audience. The production company will primarily focus on highlighting stories from marginalized groups yet to be covered by mainstream media outlets. “I’ve built my career taking a different approach than others around me,” Naomi Osaka said in an Instagram post. “Because my journey has
22-year-old Khaby Lame (@khaby.lame) has officially become the most-followed person on TikTok after accumulating 142.8 million followers on the platform, ultimately making him the official king of TikTok. Khaby Lame, who first joined the app in March 2020, managed to cultivate a cult-like following in just over a year without saying a word. Over the past few weeks, his fans across the world launched a social media hashtag (#KhabyToNumberOne) to push him past TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio, who previously held the top spot with 142.3 million followers. “I don’t care
London-based venture capital firm, Octopus Ventures, has launched its first £10 million ($12 million) pre-seed fund to support fresh startups in the fintech and health sectors. The firm, founded in 2007, works to fill the growing gap in early pre-seed funding for European founders. Kirsten Connell and Maria Rotilu, veterans of Seedcamp and Uber, will lead the company’s first-ever investment fund. They will bring their extensive experience and knowledge of growing firms from the beginning to the job, enabling them to work closely with start-ups in their early years. Octopus
Olympian Allyson Felix‘s footwear brand Saysh, co-founded by her brother and business partner Wes Felix, has secured an $8 million investment in its series A funding round. The funding round led by Iris Ventures, with participation from Redpoint Ventures saw Gap Inc. acquire an equity stake in Saysh. Additionally, Athleta, a subsidiary of Gap Inc., has agreed to showcase Saysh footwear on their website in partnership with the footwear brand. The news comes after Allyson Felix announced her departure from Nike in 2021, due to claims the company was not doing enough to support pregnant female athletes and
Snapchat has officially launched ‘The Black Creator Accelerator,’ a mentorship program to help emerging talent jumpstart their careers. The scheme which falls under Snapchat’s content-accelerator program, 523, will see the social networking app invest $3 million into emerging Black creators. In addition, participants will learn creative skills and knowledge to help them pursue successful careers. Snapchat’s announcement follows similar actions by other tech companies who have decided to help bridge the gap and create an industry that reflects the diversity within our communities. “The launch of this accelerator program is part of
