In response to the lack of diversity in the UK’s teaching force, Lewis Hamilton’s charitable foundation, Mission 44, has co-launched a campaign to to recruit and train more Black teachers in science, technology and maths (STEM) subjects. The STEM From Black campaign is part of Mission 44’s two-year partnership with educational charity Teach First. Fronting the campaign is Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, tech leader and founder of the award-winning social enterprise, Stemettes. Research by Tech First has revealed that out of 500,000 teachers in England, only 2% are from Black
Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, the co-founder of African genomics company 54gene, has officially stepped down as chief executive officer. 54 Gene, founded in 2019 by Ene-Obong, works to address the gap in the genomics market. Despite being more genetically diverse, Africans currently make up less than 3% of genetic material used in pharmaceutical research, which is why 54 Gene’s work is incredibly important in bridging that gap. Ene-Obong will continue his duties as a co-founder while transitioning into a new role as a senior advisor. The platform has hired General Counsel Teresia Bost as
This article by Gloria Lo was originally published in UX Planet. In the past three months, I’ve had a few people ask me about how I landed a job in UX design without having any relevant experience under my belt. “How did you get into UX without a design degree?” “What did you do to learn how to become a UX designer?” “What advice would you give to someone looking to transition into UX design?” Many people would believe that the immediate answer to this is to complete an intensive
A former orphanage for Black children in Nova Scotia, known for its historic institutional abuse, has reopened as Kinney Place, a community hub for Black businesses. The Orphanage With A Dark Past The Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, established in the 1920s to ‘meet the needs of disadvantaged Black youth,’ became a symbol of prominent struggle amongst the Black community. After closing in the 1980s, hundreds of former residents began to disclose the neglect and abuse they had faced during their time in the orphanage. A public inquiry also revealed
One hundred years after the Tulsa race massacre saw the US’ wealthiest Black community burn to the ground, Tulsa is experiencing a resurgence of Black entrepreneurial community. The Black Tech Street, founded by Tyrance Billingsley II, is a network committed to scaling and cultivating Black potential through tech and entrepreneurship. The community provides a safe space for Black entrepreneurs and visionaries to thrive and grow, creating a model that creates space for people to build inclusive and equitable economies. The global Black tech hub, based in the heart of Tulsa, has
Are we officially in the future? It appears we are. The world’s first robot burger vending machine, created by RoboBurger Inc, has secured $10 million in seed investment funding via a partnership with equity firm Promethean Investments. What is Roboburger? RoboBurger, founded by Audley, Dan, and Andy in 2019, is a company that specializes in engineering, robotics, and, last but by no means least, delicious burgers made from high-quality ingredients. According to reports, RoboBurger is the world’s first fully autonomous burger vending robot that assembles Michelin star burgers. The company, which
25-year-old Iddris Sandu is a technologist and founder of Spatial Labs (sLabs) an organization committed to reshaping the future of commerce, Blockchain technology, and fashion. The technologist, born in Accra, Ghana, moved to Los Angeles when he was three years old. After teaching himself how to code and partaking in a range of internships and consultancy programs, Sandu set his sights on reshaping the way technology exists in the world. Additionally, he stuck to his word and became one of the youngest founders to enter Black Enterprise’s 40 under 40 list. The
The latest figures from Crunchbase have revealed that Black founders raised just $187 million in the third quarter of this year, considerably less than the $350 million WeWork’s Adam Neumann raised for his latest venture. TechCrunch reports that this quarter’s figures mark a significant and continued decline in capital for Black-owned businesses. In total, Black founders have raised just over $2 billion in venture capital funding this year – although this may seem like a lot – it’s a massive decrease from the record-breaking $4.72 billion raised in 2021. Lack of
Every celebrity is migrating into the VC space, it seems. Kevin Hart is the latest example of a notable entertainer making major moves in the investment space. The comedian’s venture capital firm, Hartbeat Ventures, has received its first institutional investment from JP Morgan, the largest bank in the US. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the bank provided “the max allocation” through Project Spark, an initiative launched by the bank to support firms led by underrepresented founders. Hartbeat Ventures, launched earlier this year, is an early-stage VC firm focusing on financial inclusion. In
Software platform Adobe has partnered with HBCUs across the US to provide more Black Americans with the skillsets needed to prevail in the competitive tech industry. According to a study by Zippia, Black people currently make up 13.6% of the US population but only 7% of the tech industry. Abode’s investments aim to inspire students to express their ideas in a compelling, digital-first world and provide them with critical digital literacy skills needed to thrive in the modern workforce. “To create products that solve challenging problems for people all over the world, companies
