Ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft have helped to mitigate racial discrimination against Black passengers—at least when it comes to wait times, a new study from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has revealed. Researchers found that the technology’s ability to rapidly rematch canceled rides plays a key role in lessening the impact of discriminatory behavior. A Complex Issue with Tech-Led Solutions Historically, Black passengers hailing taxis faced rampant discrimination, often enduring longer wait times or outright rejections. An academic study had revealed a troubling pattern of discrimination by Uber and Lyft
The first-ever NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator Demo Day has crowned four African startups as champions. The event, held in New York City at the NBA headquarters, saw four standout companies—Festival Coins, Salubata, HustleSasa, and UBR VR—win financial awards and mentorship opportunities to help scale their businesses. Top Startups Rise from Over 700 Applicants The NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator, launched in April 2024, aims to fuel growth for African startups operating in sports and creative industries. By providing capital, mentorship, and connections, the initiative supports early-stage companies that focus on event
Lorenzo Lewis, a Black entrepreneur born in prison, has overcome challenges to build a $20 million company focused on mental health advocacy. Despite facing tremendous challenges, including his own incarceration at 17, Lewis now leads a $20 million company, inspiring others through his story of resilience and success. From Incarceration to Entrepreneurship Despite facing difficult circumstances early in life, Lewis pursued higher education, earning degrees in Human Services and Public Administration. After his release, he founded The Confess Project of America (TCPA), a nonprofit organization aimed at breaking the stigma
Kenya’s Court of Appeal ruled that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, can be sued in Kenya for labor disputes involving outsourced content moderators, according to The Kenyan Wall Street. The ruling marks a major step in a long-standing case where Meta sought to avoid legal responsibility for its operations in Kenya. The court dismissed Meta’s appeal, which argued that Kenya’s Employment and Labour Relations Court lacked jurisdiction to sue a foreign company like Meta. How Did We Get Here? The case centers around Daniel Motaung, a South African whistleblower,
Barry Lawson Williams, founder of the Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) progam, has been honored with a $10 million endowment to advance Black representation on corporate boards. Increasing Black representation on corporate boards At a gala event on Friday, September 27, 2024, honoring Barry Lawson Williams’ efforts to increase Black representation on corporate boards, Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business announced a $10 million endowment for the BCBR program. The $10 million capital campaign will establish the Barry Lawson Williams BCBR Program Endowment Fund, ensuring the program’s sustainability, and
Carver Bancorp, one of the nation’s oldest and largest Black-owned banks, has announced Donald Felix as its new president and CEO, effective November 1, 2024. Felix, a 25-year veteran of the banking industry, steps into this leadership role following a challenging year for the institution, which included a hostile takeover attempt. The announcement, made September 16, 2024, comes as Carver looks to stabilize and grow under Felix’s guidance. A New Chapter in Leadership Donald Felix succeeds Craig MacKay, who served as interim CEO since October 2023 following the departure of
Reddit is bringing its AI-powered translation tool to more than 35 new countries, with plans to rollout the feature across Latin America in the coming weeks. Following a successful introduction in France earlier this year, users in Brazil and Spain are now able to translate posts and comments with a simple click, making Reddit more accessible to non-English-speaking communities. Seamless Translation Across Platforms This new feature allows Redditors to translate posts and comments into their preferred language across all platforms—mobile web, apps, and desktop. A translation icon in the overflow
A group of former Revolut employees has launched LiveFlow, an AI-driven accounting startup that aims to streamline financial workflows while ensuring accountants remain central to the process. As enterprise software increasingly automates manual accounting tasks, LiveFlow seeks to strike a balance between technology and human expertise. Founded by Lasse Kalkar and Anita Koimur, both of whom held senior positions at Revolut, LiveFlow raised a $13.5 million Series A led by Valar Ventures, with plans to expand in the U.S. The startup leverages AI to automate the synchronization of financial data
In rural South Sudan, where venomous snakebites claim thousands of lives annually, a new AI initiative is giving healthcare workers a lifeline. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is piloting an AI-driven app that can identify dangerous snake species, offering hope in a region where access to effective treatments is scarce. With snakebites killing between 81,000 and 138,000 people globally each year, this solution could help save lives by ensuring the right antivenom is administered promptly. Tackling A Neglected Crisis Snakebite envenoming is one of the world’s most overlooked tropical diseases, with
Vista Equity Partners, led by billionaire Robert F. Smith, is partnering with Blackstone to acquire Smartsheet, the popular enterprise work management platform. The all-cash deal values Smartsheet at approximately $8.4 billion, marking one of the largest recent acquisitions in the software space. Under the terms of the agreement, the two firms will pay $56.50 per share, a 41% premium to Smartsheet’s 90-day average stock price. Smartsheet’s Continued Growth With New Partners Smartsheet has been a key player in the enterprise work management sector, serving millions of users, including 85% of
