What are the best Slack communities for Black tech professionals? With so many out there, it’s hard to decide which ones are right for you. So We’ve compiled a list that you should check out. Below is a list of 17 thriving hubs of discussion, collaboration, and innovation spanning virtually all technical specialisms. As a tech journalist getting involved in these Slack communities has helped me learn a lot in a short space of time. Cleveland Tech The Slack community for North East Ohio’s diverse tech community. Developers, designers and tech people of
Microsoft announced plans today to support 10,000 startups in Africa over the next five years through a series of initiatives including partnerships with accelerators and incubators across the continent. The global tech company is also partnering with venture capital investors to facilitate access to $500 million in potential funding and has launched the Startups Founders Hub in Africa. Microsoft will enable digital transformation powered by Africans for Africa through the Africa Transformation Office. Microsoft said that it is already working with Banque Misr, Global Venture Capital, and Get Funded Capital. On top of that,
Taking a trip down memory lane has gotten Nas in a bit of trouble and he’s now facing a new lawsuit with none other than Hip-Hop photographer Al Pereira, who also went into a legal battle with Kyle and Kendall Jenner back in 2017. Pereira has reportedly filed over 450 copyright infringement lawsuits since 2015. After Nas posted a picture of himself, Tupac, and Redman from July 1993 to his Instagram, Pereira filed a lawsuit against him in February for sharing it without permission or licensing the work, according to
Rocket Health, a startup launched in 2012 working to transform the delivery of medical care using technology, has just raised a $5 million Series A funding. Telehealth, which involves speaking to a doctor or nurse through secure audio or video connection, has been around for years and even growing prior to the pandemic but it is yet to be fully utilized in many African countries. The startup’s latest funding round was led by Creadev, an evergreen investment firm backed by Mulliez family, with the participation of early-stage African investors Grenfell
Joshua Mundy and Quawn Clark founded Pivot Technology School, a fast-growing Tennessee-based EdTech startup and Isaac Y. Addae, an assistant professor at Tennessee State University, joined the duo as chief strategy officer shortly after. The tech training school is a “Black-owned, fully remote technology education hub that supports minorities interested in technology careers.” Its mission is to “empower minority students with in-demand technical skills, in an industry that historically lacks racial diversity, and build a 100 million dollar business.” The company trains “minorities to get into tech roles and are working with corporate
After less than two years as Netflix’s chief marketing officer, Bozoma Saint John is leaving the streaming giant. Variety was the first outlet to break the exclusive story and according to their report, Saint John’s departure from the company was “mutual and amicable.” The company, which also confirmed the moves on Thursday, did not elaborate on why Bozoma is departing. But in a statement, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said he “loved working with Boz and have been inspired by her creativity and energy” and that she’s “attracted world-class marketers to the company
Carl is a seasoned product executive with 10 years of experience developing products for the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence industries and specializes in making products that solve urgent problems and are easy to use by anyone. Before founding Boundless Robotics, Carl worked at Rethink Robotics, Neurala, Johnson & Johnson and started another company that manufactured components for the Aerospace, Oil & Gas, and Medical Device Industries. The Boston-based founder started Boundless Robotics with the vision to “create an ecosystem that cultivates health and happiness.” Boundless is using technologies such as
Uganda is one of the countries creating ripples in high-profile tech programs like the Y Combinator accelerator and Google’s $50 million Africa Investment Fund, launched in October last year targeting early and growth-stage startups. The growth of Uganda-based startups comes at a time when the startup ecosystem in Africa has until now been dominated by Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt – countries that continue to receive the bulk of venture capital and other forms of investment. In December 2021, SafeBoda, Uganda’s multi-service and digital payment technology platform, became the
Founders Denis Asamoah and Jay Cheng are the founders of Buzzup, a platform that provides an alternative medium for creatives to connect and ultimately monetize their most engaged fans. The startup launched its alpha version to a small cohort of creators back in January. The initial phase lets creators share their top followers who are generating “buzz” on their Instagram page by pulling publicly available API data from the Meta-owned platform. Buzzup has reportedly already raised $500,000 with investments from creators (many of whom are Buzzup’s earliest users) and is
Codecademy announced that it will be partnering with the Black and Brilliant advocacy group on a new mentorship program and accelerator in Africa. Last year, the two organizations joined forces for their first accelerator and are now eager to expand the program to help create a new pipeline of tech talent across the African continent. The intiative created by husband-and wife-team Tony Effik and Perky Noah-Effik was launched as a way to diversify the tech workforce and increase access for BIPOC communities. The 10-week program will focus on upskilling and mentorship within
