Invesco QQQ’s startup pitch competition is back; this time, it’s even bigger than before. The competition has returned for its second year in partnership with MaC Venture Capital and Concrete Rose Capital. Invesco’s QQQ Legacy Startup Pitch Competition Invesco QQQ, an exchange-traded investment firm based near Chicago, first launched the Legacy Classic startup pitch competition last year. Initially, the competition was only open to Black founders from HBCUs. However, according to AfroTech, the 2023 competition is open to all Black-founded seed-stage companies with less than $3 million. Since the news was announced,
Microsoft has announced the expansion of its AI for Good Research Lab to Cairo and Nairobi. The expansion aims to close the climate data divide by researching and developing AI machine learning in areas in Africa worst affected by the climate crisis. Africa’s Climate Crisis Research has revealed that high climate risk correlates with income and health inequalities. The findings also coincide with the fact that two billion people in the Global South were found to be living in some of the most climate-risk areas between 2008 and 2018. Despite Africa contributing less
In a decisive move to fight against the recent overturning of Roe V. Wade, more than one hundred VC firms have come together to create VCs for Repro, a coalition of venture capital firms united in support of abortion rights. Roe v. Wade’s Impact on Black women Since the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe. V Wade law, abortion is no longer a federal right in the US. As a result, across more than half the US, many women must carry their pregnancies to term. As Black women in the
Tech platform Mission 41K has partnered with former NFL player Emil Ekiyor to bridge the racial gap within tech. What Is Launch Mission 41K? Mission 41K is a movement designed to address the difficulty the tech industry faces today with finding and retaining tech talent. By prioritizing a skills-based hiring process, more people will be able to break into the sector through inclusive pathways. The organization aims to provide a variety of entry points into the industry so people with ongoing apprenticeships and internships can still excel in a competitive
A recent survey has revealed that many Atlanta job seekers actively miss out on their dream job out of fear and intimidation. The Be The Light tour, a Black-led mobile career event, hopes to change that. Atlanta Job-Seekers Need Support Research by Atlanta-based Insight Global found that Atlanta metro area job seekers often found themselves up against job search barriers, from a lack of confidence to a lack of resources. The survey, conducted earlier this month among over 1,000 Atlanta job seekers, highlighted the issue of individuals no longer choosing to follow
The training development company, CyberVista, has announced its new partnership with the not-for-profit organization BlackGirlsHack (BGH Foundation). What is BlackGirlsHack? The BGH Foundation, founded by Tennisha Martin, aims to provide Black women and girls with the resources, mentorship, and resources needed to succeed within the cyber sector. The non-profit organization’s mission is to empower Black women to break into an industry that lacks diverse representation by supplying them with the essential training resources they need. BlackGirlsHack does not only advocate for diversity within the cyber security space, but they also use
Chicago entrepreneur Arthur Burton is working to increase access to the clean energy sector by providing job training to youth in underrepresented communities. Who is Arthur Burton? After establishing his company in 2019, Arthur Burton has been committed to providing opportunities for members of disinvested communities by making training for green jobs more accessible. Before launching his clean energy initiative, Burton focused on expanding his experience within the sustainability sector. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in telecommunications, the entrepreneur worked at AT&T for 18 years as a technical
With constant news of layoffs, hiring freezes, and restructures, we know it’s a hard time for many in the tech industry – especially people of color. When underperforming, companies retreat to what they know and who they know. They default to what is familiar, and, all too often, this means older, white men. We saw this at the peak of the pandemic, and it seems we are seeing it now. POCIT was launched to platform the stories of people of color in tech but also to create new ones. Our recruitment platform has
Twitter has terminated the contracts of almost all its staff based in Accra, Ghana. The news comes after Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of the app, which has seen thousands of employees worldwide laid off work. Twitter’s presence in Africa In April 2021, Twitter announced its plans to build a team in Ghana as a part of its broader mission to expand its services across the region. After almost a year of working remotely, Twitter’s African staff finally opened a physical office in the continent. But celebrations were short-lived. A mere
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is on its way to our theaters, and as part of the movie’s promotion, Marvel has partnered with Xbox to inspire the next generation of gaming and tech leaders. According to an HBCU Connect survey, 95% of HBCU students and alumni are interested in a career in the gaming industry. Yet, only 2% of video gaming industry professionals are Black. The Marvel and Xbox partnership aims to narrow the gap between these two figures. Code your own Marvel game Fans around the world are being invited to
