Black visionary Gianni O’Connor is on a mission to unleash the true power of technology. Through artificial intelligence, O’Connor is working to build a one-of-a-kind AI personality that will make it easier for users to converse with their game console – sound strange? We’re officially stepping into the future. Who is Gianni O’Connor? Gianni O’Connor’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2012 when he launched the music social media site Micsu (later Mozrt). The 29-year-old UK-based entrepreneur then founded the social trading app Trad3r and, most recently, Go Games. “I love being
Mentor Connect is a mentorship program that eliminates the loneliness of being an entrepreneur. The mentorship program, sponsored by Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT), currently has over 200 mentees and 130 mentors in its network. The network aims to provide a positive community for entrepreneurs to grow and connect with like-minded people. Not only does it give them space to share their concerns and issues, but it also helps provide them with a reliable network they can lean on in their time of need. “We always say
Black-owned startup CourtRoom5 is a platform dedicated to providing everyone with access to the courts and justice available to all. Founded in 2017 by Sonja Ebron and Debra Slone, CourtRoom5 works to help civilians navigate the judicial system and offers affordable legal advice to people from marginalized communities who can’t afford legal aid. Navigating the judicial system Sonja Ebron PhD is an electrical engineer and entrepreneur with a background in AI. She co-founded CourtRoom5 with her wife Debra Slone PhD, a former library school professor and qualitative data analysis expert. Motivated by their own
Are Black and Latinx neighborhoods more prone to experiencing slower internet services? According to a recent study by The Markup, the households that suffered from slower internet service were based in prominently lower-income areas with fewer white residents. Despite the service being a lot slower than the other household, both are paying the exact same price for their internet services – meaning the slower internet speed doesn’t come at a cheaper price. Racial Digital Divide In the study, The Markup gathered and analysed more than 800,000 internet services from AT&T,
Olympic gold medalists Lauryn Williams and Sanya Richards-Ross, also of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, are embarking on a new journey in the venture capital space. As Debut Capital company investors, Lauryn Williams and Richards-Ross have become two of the first venture capitalists to invest in the Black-owned hiring platform Us In Technology (UIT). “We are incredibly excited about helping UIT connect many more people of color, women, military veterans, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to life-changing opportunities within the tech industry,” said Richards-Ross. From Athletes
Annie Jean-Baptiste, head of product inclusion and equity at Google, is on a mission to make product inclusion and equity a critical part of tech. Who is Annie Jean-Baptiste? After 10 years at Google, Jean-Baptiste now leads the diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) team, pushing the tech giant to take marginalized users into account when building its products. According to Jean-Baptiste, the idea to focus on product inclusion came about after she noticed that many things like culture and representation were internally important but were forgotten about when designing new
Home appliance brand, Whirlpool, has partnered up with Black-owned app, Magnusmode, to help further support the autistic community through technology. What is Magnusmode? Magnusmode, founded by Nadia Hamilton in 2021, was inspired by her autistic brother Troy who found it challenging to carry out certain everyday tasks. To help her brother with tasks like brushing his teeth, Hamilton decided to hand-draw a step-by-step guide on cards. Hamilton says that the cards became a go-to guide for her brother, providing him with the structure and confidence he needed to carry out
The Hidden Genius Project, a nonprofit for Black male youth in tech, is coming to the Formula 1 racetrack thanks to the Sponsor X initiative. McLaren Racing partner Smartsheet launched the Sponsor X initiative at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year. Now, for this weekend’s US Grand Prix, McLaren Racing partner Smartsheet is replacing its logo on the McLaren race cars and all marketing activities with The Hidden Genius Project’s logo. Smartsheet will also work with the nonprofit to bring tech education to local youth ahead of the racing event. What
Miami-based property tech startup, BLCK, is offering a new solution to the average person hoping to earn passive income. The startup founded by Samella Watson, is one of the first organizations in the rental trading sector to break into the technology world. Through the use of technology, BLCK hopes their platform will help streamline the process of bidding on long-term leases, allowing anyone to become a rental host and grow their business. “BLCK is the first to tap into the rental arbitrage sector via technology,” said founder Samella Watson. “While
Ye, also known as Kanye West, has announced his acquisition of Parler, an American alt-tech microblogging social networking service that labels itself as a “free speech network.” What is Parler? Parler, founded in 2018 by John Matze Jr, is a right-wing social media site that provides an alternative for conservatives who have left social sites like Facebook and Twitter due to increased censorship. Parler’s parent company, Parlement Technologies, is headed up by George Farmer, husband of right-wing activist Candace Owens. Farmer is also the son of Michael Farmer, the former treasurer
