Flutterwave, Africa’s largest payments technology company, has acquired Nigerian open banking startup Mono in an all-stock deal valued between $25 million and $40 million, TechCrunch reports. The acquisition brings one of Africa’s most prominent open banking companies under the Flutterwave umbrella, as the payments giant looks to expand its infrastructure beyond transactions into data and financial services. According to a press release, Mono will continue to operate independently under its existing leadership team. Mono: Africa’s Answer To Plaid Founded in 2020 and backed by investors like Y Combinator, Mono builds
2025 made one thing clear: progress is rarely linear. Against a backdrop of DEI rollbacks and an especially challenging job market, the year revealed how quickly gains can be challenged. Still, the pieces you returned to most weren’t just about what was taken away. They were about creativity, accountability, and agency. You showed up for stories of builders forging new paths, consumers demanding better from corporations, and individuals exposing systems that weren’t built with them in mind. So, as the year winds down, here’s a look back at the ten most-read
Sponsored by Microsoft for Startups On October 28, POCIT hosted Breaking Bread, an intimate dinner in Houston, Texas, designed to bring together early-stage founders for an evening of conversation, connection, and community. The dinner gathered seed-stage and Series A founders alongside a select group of venture capitalists, including Nasir Qadree (Founder & Managing Partner, Zeal Capital Partners) and Richard Odior (Head of Pre-Seed Investments, Zeal Capital Partners). Breaking Bread with Founders The gathering created a rare, intentional space for founders to slow down, exchange lessons, and build genuine relationships. Hosted
Last year, POCIT launched its first-ever Innovators Index, recognizing the changemakers among us who are driving change in tech and beyond. Now in its second year, the Index returns with an extraordinary cohort of founders, investors, engineers, and storytellers reshaping what’s possible across tech and beyond. This year’s honorees are closing wealth gaps, exposing discrimination, advancing life-saving science, rethinking education, and building more sustainable systems, from fashion and beauty to climate and community. Tade Oyerinde Revolutionizing college education Tade Oyerinde is the founder and chancellor of Campus, a community college
Rent is often the largest monthly expense for American households, yet for decades it counted for little when it came to building credit. Esusu, a Black-owned fintech company, is working to change that. Founded in 2018, Esusu partners with large property owners to report renters’ on-time payments to credit bureaus. The approach allows millions of renters to build credit without taking on new debt, creating clearer pathways to homeownership and long-term financial stability. The company has now raised $50 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total funding to more than
Two Black women are leading rival robotaxi programs that could define the future of autonomous transportation in the US. Aicha Evans, CEO of Amazon subsidiary Zoox, and Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Alphabet subsidiary Waymo, have been named to Forbes’ “Women to Watch in 2026” for their influence in one of tech’s fastest-moving sectors. Alphabet’s Waymo: Tekedra Mawakana Tekedra Mawakana, 54, has been co-CEO of Waymo since 2021, overseeing the company’s strategy and the commercial rollout of its autonomous driving technology. Before taking on the top job, she served as Waymo’s COO and previously held leadership roles at eBay, Yahoo, AOL,
Apple is undergoing its biggest leadership upheaval since the death of cofounder Steve Jobs, as a cluster of top executives head for the exits. Among them is Lisa Jackson, the company’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, and one of the most visible Black women in Silicon Valley. On December 4, Apple announced that Jackson will retire in late January 2026, marking the end of more than a decade at Apple, which helped shape the company’s climate agenda and its public commitments to racial equity. Lisa Jackson’s Departure Apple will not replace Jackson with a
Each year, Forbes releases its flagship Under 30 list showcasing young innovators shaping the future of business, culture, and society. The 2026 class marks the list’s 15th anniversary and showcases 600 young innovators across 20 categories from technology and venture capital to music, arts, sports, social impact, and beyond. Forbes reports that 41% of honorees self-identify as people of color, and 22% were born outside the US, hailing from countries including Mexico, Cameroon, Tanzania, and the Dominican Republic. Among this year’s honorees are a number of Black and Latine founders and
Crystal Brown has no background in biology. She studied political science and women’s studies at the University of Michigan. Yet she has raised $3.3 million for CircNova, her AI-powered biotechnology company developing new therapies using circular RNA. Since securing the seed funding earlier this year, the Detroit entrepreneur has split her time between Michigan and Boston, building partnerships with biotech heavyweights as she scales the company. An Unlikely Journey To Biotech Brown’s path to biotech began in Michigan’s automotive industry, where she was climbing toward an executive role. A friend’s introduction to a life
Emma Grede, founding partner of $5 billion shapewear brand SKIMS, has said workers have “no choice but to AI-proof our careers” at Axios’s BFD dealmaking summit in New York last week. The British-born entrepreneur has an estimated net worth of $405 million and has been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s richest self-made women for four years running. AI: It’s Do Or Die Grede, who also serves as SKIMs’ chief product officer and is the CEO and co-founder of Good American, says she sets aside time in her schedule to focus on AI. “I have what
