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
Timbaland and Swizz Beats co-founded Verzuz during the peak of the first pandemic. The platform has provided millions of viewers with entertainment from the comfort of their homes. The show, which sparked success after hosting some exciting head-to-head music battles, was acquired by Triller in 2021. The deal included Swizz Beats and Timbaland directing a portion of their equity stake to 43 artists who have made appearances on the platform. The agreement also involved the award-winning producers overseeing Triller’s music strategy. Many speculated the video app acquiring Verzuz would impact
Black-founded startups recently saw record amounts of investment, with quarterly funding commitments nearing or even topping $1 billion. But according to new data from Crunchbase, venture capital funding has dropped significantly in the second quarter of 2022, down to just $324 million. So far in 2022, only 100 U.S. startups with a Black founder have received funding, with $100 million invested in seed rounds, $591 million in early-stage rounds, and approximately $876 million in later-stage rounds. Startups with at least one Black founder received 1.9% of deal counts and 1.2% of
According to Zion Market Research, the digital mental health market was valued at $1.4 billion (£1.1billion) in 2017 and is projected to reach $4.6 billion in 2026. Still, it has often been claimed that many of these apps do not cater to the specific challenges that Black, Indigenous, and people of color face. That’s why we’ve dug a bit deeper to find the apps that put inclusion and diversity at the forefront of their mission and have a mission to ensure everyone gets support. Therapy for Black Girls Therapy for
