According to a recent study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, an error in a widely used medical device that measures oxygen levels prevented critically ill patients of color from receiving the supplemental oxygen they required to help them breathe. The study comes after research from the medical journal JAMA last year revealed that pulse oximeters performed less accurately when used on Black and Hispanic patients, ultimately leading to a delay in care for patients with severe respiratory issues. Out of 3,000 patients treated in Boston’s intensive care unit (ICU), patients
From financial impropriety and conflict of interest to operating without a license, Nigerian fintech company Flutterwave is no stranger to allegations. Most recently, the Kenyan High Court officially granted the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) permission to freeze over $50 million in 52 accounts belonging to the fintech giant following allegations of money laundering in Kenya. According to local media reports, the ARA believes that the platform “concealed” the nature of its business by providing a payment service payment without approval from the Central Bank of Kenya. The assets recovery agency claims the accounts
Marketplace website MinorityBiz has a 51-page directory to find, compare, and hire minority- and Black-owned businesses across the U.S. to service your company’s needs. It’s not the only directory out there that’s trying to shine a light on Black professionals and their ventures. Here is a list of online directories to help you find the right Black-owned business partners for your needs. We will continue to update this list as we find more resources. Official Black Wall Street Official Black Wall Street hosts a variety of local and online consumer products as well as business
Senegal-based fintech startup, Wave, raises a syndicated loan of $91.5 million from International Finance Corporation (IFC), Blue Orchard, Symbiotics, responsAbility, and Lendable. Wave Mobile Money, founded by Drew Durbin and Lincoln Quirk in 2018, has quickly grown to become the largest mobile money remittance in Senegal. In 2021, the company closed the most extensive Series A round for an African fintech at $200 million. The digital fintech platform uses technology to build a radically inclusive and affordable financial network. As a result, Wave has built a life-changing economic infrastructure for
Social media giant Facebook is on a mission to create some of the most innovative forms of technology in society today. The platform recently announced the launch of its new AI translator, No Language Left Behind (NLLB-200), the first multilingual machine that can translate up to 200 languages without relying on English data. The NLLB-200 aims to help people better connect in society today by eliminating the language barrier. Meta’s AI model uses one of the world’s fastest AI supercomputers and is already used to translate content on Facebook and Wikipedia.
Kenyan and Canadian-based solar energy platform, Solar Panda, has raised $8 million in Series A funding. The funding round was led by investors Oikocredit and Electrification Financing Initiative. The pay-as-you-go solar home system was founded by Andy Keith in 2016, to help provide clean, affordable solar energy to rural communities in Africa. The platform has already provided more than 200,000 solar home systems to households across Kenya from its 37 retail branches. “We are excited to partner with leading global impact investors Oikocredit and EDFI ElectriFI and thankful that this
Tennis legend Serena Williams has been announced as the keynote speaker for the Black Tech Week Conference, scheduled to take place in Cincinnati, OH, July 18-22. Black Tech Week, founded by Felecia Hatcher and Derick Pearson in 2016, is a minority-centered ecosystem-building festival that partners with founders, corporations, and the community to create a valuable experience for all investors, entrepreneurs, and techies of all kinds to enjoy. The event is committed to bringing Black tech founders, influencers, and innovators together to create memorable experiences centered around Black culture and inclusive
Changing the continent’s narrative will entail solving old problems while also harnessing the power of new technologies, says Akintoye Akindele, a serial entrepreneur and investor on a mission to build a new Africa. Akindele is also the chairman of Platform Capital, a venture capital outfit that invests in tech companies across the world, but mostly in Africa. In May 2022, Platform Capital announced an investment in Zuri Health, a company that connects patients with affordable healthcare services via SMS, WhatsApp, and a dedicated app. Speaking ahead of receiving the African
The Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund is a $5 million fund that provides promising U.S. Latinx-led startups non-equity cash awards to help fuel their businesses. Google announced the fund last year as part of its $15 million commitment to economic equity for Latinx people in the U.S. Across the country, 50 founders will each receive $100,000 in cash to help grow their business. They’ll also receive hands-on support from Google employees across the company, $100,000 in Google Cloud credits, and access to therapy to support founders emotionally and professionally.
Earlier this year, on February 13th, Sporting Lagos FC played its first-ever football match, which ended in a draw. The club, which currently plays in the Nigerian National League, the country’s second tier, is the brainchild of Shola Akinlade, co-founder and CEO of financial technology company Paystack, which he says was acquired for more than $200 million in 2020 by Irish American financial services company Stripe. Akinlade says he intends for Sporting Lagos to be a platform for community development and social change. But managing a football club in Nigeria is often
