Startup SocialCrowd has announced the securing a $1.6 million pre-seed funding round to expand its team and focus on customer acquisition. SocialCrowd Founders Raphael Akinsipe and Paul Doran are on a mission to optimize the world’s labor force through data and automation. The platform automatically tracks employee progress toward goals, reminds them of the work they have left, and rewards them instantly. Key to SocialCrowd’s appeal is its real-time tracking capability, which integrates seamlessly with existing productivity apps. “Many of our customers have large blue-collar shift teams; their staff was
Marvin Ellison, one of the world’s wealthiest Black CEOs, recently saw his company, Lowe Companies Inc, stock market value increase by $3.4 million in under one month. Who is Marvin Ellison? Ellison is the chairman, president, and CEO of the home-improvement giant, Fortune 500, Lowe’s Companies, Inc In 2022, Ellison made the rare distinction of being the only Black executive with CEO positions at two Fortune 500 companies. Before his role with Lowe’s, he held the CEO position with JC Penny and worked at companies like The Home Depot and
In celebration of Black History Month 2024, themed “African Americans and the Arts,” we wanted to focus on the Afrofuturism and it’s evolution and influence over the years. Afrofuturism is a movement that merges science fiction, tech, history, and African diaspora culture. Origins And Evolution Afrofuturism, a term coined by Mark Dery in 1993, has roots that trace back even before it was named. It represents a cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical movement encompassing science, technology, and the history of the African diaspora. As author and filmmaker Ytasha L. Womack described,
Actress, author, and entrepreneur Malinda Williams has launched the ESTEAM Project for women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The coding bootcamp emerges from her Arise And Shine Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering women from diverse backgrounds. “As a professional actress and someone who has experienced first-hand the support of my community, I understand the value of collaboration and paying it forward,” said Williams in a press release. “The Arise and Shine Foundation exists to empower women to reach their goals, and coding is a powerful
NASA plans to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for a future diverse workforce. NASA’s Mission Equity This week, the agency published its Equity Action Plan 2023, which included new commitments to continue removing inequitable barriers and challenges facing underserved communities. In line with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to racial equity (Executive Order 14091), NASA’s plan represents a contribution towards a more equitable society. The 2023 Equity Plan includes increasing the utilization and integration of contractors and businesses from underserved communities to expand equity in NASA’s procurement process. It
Media mogul Tyler Perry has announced the first series under his new multi-year first-look series deal with Netflix. The new arrangement with Netflix extends his exclusive film deal with Netflix in October 2023. Meet Tyler Perry Perry, who was named on Forbes’ list of “World’s 10 Highest-Paid Entertainers” for the second year running in 2023, is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. In October, Perry secured a first-look deal with Netflix for feature films, following his deal with Amazon Studios to write four features for Prime Video. To date, Perry’s
Women-led healthtech companies in Africa secured $52 million in funding in 2023, compared to just $2 million the year before, a report has found. The report by Salient Advisory shows findings on investment activity covering grant, equity, and debt investment for African healthtech startups in 2023. A Surge In Funding For Women-Founded Companies According to the 2023 Roundup Investments in African Healthtech report, gender financing gaps in African healthtech ecosystems narrowed in 2023. In 2022, women-founded companies received a mere $2 million, just 1.4% of all investment, but the following
To mark Black History Month, a new game titled “Guess, Jerry!” has made its debut on the App Store. Created by Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Michael Curd, the app pays tribute to Jerry Lawson, who shaped modern video gaming. Father Of Video Game Cartridge Jerry is an AI buddy inspired by video game legend Jerry Lawson, who was often named the “Father of the video game cartridge”. Lawson was one of the first prominent African American figures in the gaming industry. As chief hardware engineer for Fairchild Semiconductor, Lawson steered
Brennan Nevada Inc., reportedly New York’s only Black woman-owned PR and media agency for tech companies, has partnered with SoLo, the US’s largest Black-owned personal finance company. Building Brennan Nevada Inc Founded by Brennan Nevada Johnson in 2021, the agency has quickly established itself as a formidable force in the industry. Johnson, a descendant of Carter G. Woodson, the founder of Black History Month, channels her heritage into her work, emphasizing the promotion of Black and BIPOC stories in the tech world. Johnson’s background in journalism and experience in a
As Black History Month unfolds, BlackPast.org is offering a Civil Rights Black Power Timeline to showcase significant developments in the Black Freedom Struggle from 1905 to 1975. Founded on February 1, 2007, BlackPast offers in-depth reference information about people of African ancestry in the United States and worldwide. Now, it marks its 17th anniversary amidst growing acclaim, having welcomed nearly 60 million visitors since its inception. Celebrating the Civil Rights Movement: 1905-1975 This year, BlackPast shines a spotlight on the 20th-century Civil Rights Movement, covering the period from 1905 to
