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In recent days, Elon Musk has drawn criticism from business, tech, and civil rights leaders for his disparaging tweets about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). DEI initiatives aim to rectify historical and ongoing discrimination by providing equal access and opportunities for underrepresented groups. However, South African billionaire and owner of Tesla, Space X, and X – formerly known as Twitter – has repeatedly labeled these efforts discriminatory and called for them to “die”. “DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it,” Musk said in a

Karat’s Brillant Black Minds has welcomed new partners to its program, joining investors such as Serena Williams, levelling the playing field for Black software engineers. Brillant Black Minds Brilliant Black Minds was co-founded in 2021 and launched as a solution for Black engineers lacking access and resources to excel in the tech industry. The Brillant Black Minds program aims to bridge this gap through mentorship, networking opportunities, and more. The program recently received investment from tennis champion Serena Williams to help aspiring Black engineers enter the tech industry and change the narrative. “We’re focused on

Beauty-tech company Myavana has announced a new retail partnership with retailer Ulta Beauty, along with investments from Prisma Ventures and BrainTrustFund. Myavana is the brainchild of computer scientist Candace Mitchell Harris. Harris founded the company in 2012 with the aim of revolutionizing personal and professional textured hair care through data-driven science and technology. With a deep understanding of the unique hair challenges of women of color and women with textured hair faces, Myavana introduced a suite of innovative textured hair care science and technology products. Read: Myavana Taps AI To Personalize WOC’s Hair Solutions Elevating

Seedstars Africa Ventures fund has received a $30 million capital commitment from EIB Global, an arm of the European Investment Bank. To launch the fund, the VC firm’s partners Maxime Bouan, Tamim El Zein, and Bruce Nsereko Lule teamed up with the Seedstars Group, tapping its infrastructure and market access in Africa. Seedstars Africa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in high-growth companies active across Sub-Saharan Africa. Through initial funding of $8 million from the fund’s anchor investor, French private equity firm LBO France, the VC firm has already invested in four

Developer and entrepreneur Ida Byrd-Hill is the visionary behind the Life Culture Audit vision board app, helping the Black community set and achieve their career and finance goals. The power of visualization Ida Byrd-Hill knows firsthand how visualization can change your life. In 2017, she founded the cybersecurity and tech re-skilling firm Automation Workz 4 U, later named Automation Workz Institute. When investors refused to invest in her firm, Byrd-Hill decided to sell her Detroit residence, car, and retirement funds and enter voluntary poverty. Four years later, Byrd-Hill has managed to

Music artist will.i.am and Mercedes-Benz have launched MBUX Sound Drive – a new technology linking drivers’ music to how they drive. Connecting motion and melody Mercedes announced its latest state-of-the-art technology, which uses software that allows music to react to how the car is being driven, creating a relationship between the motion and the melody. MBUX Sound Drive interprets various driving dynamics – such as recuperation, acceleration, steering, and braking – and converts them into musical expressions. The new venture will launch this summer in Mercedes-Benz’s electric EQ models, will.i.am

Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has reportedly raised $30 million in funding for his artificial intelligence startup. Agrawal was the first Indian-origin CEO of Twitter – now X but was ousted from his position following Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover in 2022. Who is Parag Agrawal? Born in Rajasthan, India, Agrawal immigrated to the US to complete his PhD in computer science at Stanford University. After joining Twitter as a software engineer in 2011, Agrawal worked his way up to the position of Chief Technology Officer for just under a

Y Combinator-backed startup DryMerge has launched its platform that uses AI to write event-driven workflows for developers, businesses, and their customers. Edward Frazer and Samuel Brashears co-founded the startup to address the problems they faced as engineers and founders. In addition to engineering challenges, the pair found that many repetitive operational processes required coordination between SaaS tools and internal infrastructure. This inspired them to build DryMerge to make building solutions for these things as easy as explaining the problem. As easy as a conversation with a co-worker DryMerge uses AI

In today’s tumultuous tech world, internships and co-op programs are essential for Black and Brown students eager to make their mark. We’ve handpicked some of the internships and co-ops you should apply for on POCIT! But first, some FAQs: Why do an internship or co-op? Internships and co-ops are more than just resume-fillers. They’re about hands-on learning in a professional environment. You can team up with full-time professionals who mentor you on actual projects. Enjoy office resources, attend talks and social events, and dive into work that excites you. Link up

Health In Her HUE, a digital health app focusing on reducing health disparities for women of color, has announced a $3 million seed round. Health In Her HUE The digital health app connects Black women to the health care providers, services, and resources committed to their health and well-being. It was founded in 2018 by public health innovator Ashlee Wisdom and Eddwina Bright – who is no longer with the company. After getting her public health master’s and tired of reading research papers about the disparate healthcare outcomes for Black women, Wisdom had an

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