Black journalism has shaped the way we look at the technology industry. Get to know the writers and storytellers amplifying Black stories and speaking up across matters as varied as race, artificial intelligence, venture capital, diversity, and other issues affecting communities of color. Sidney Fussell, Senior Staff Writer for WIRED Sidney is a Senior Staff writer based in San Francisco covering technology for WIRED, writing compelling features about surveillance, health, spending data, and Silicon Valley’s social and political impact. Sidney was previously a technology writer with The Atlantic but has also
Techish · #EndSars! PayStack's $200 million exit, Horrible Board Members, Ice Cube + Diddy Techish is back with another episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss the large scale social movement against police brutality in Nigeria (#ENDSARS) (00:40) They also break down: PayStack $200 million exits to Stripe (5:30) The lack of IPO’s (11:02) Are Black celebs trying to lead the revolution? (21:08) The CircleUp Board Member email (26:05) Extras: Techish on Patreon:Advertise with Techish:Please rate and review the Techish podcast Subscribe To The Techish Podcast On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, And Other Platforms.
Last week, Stripe announced it had purchased the Nigerian startup, Paystack for an estimated 200 million dollars. Founded in 2015 by Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, Paystack is a platform designed to deliver a safe, convenient, and modern payment experience for customers and merchants in Africa. Background The idea for Paystack was born when Akinlade built a simple way of integrating a card transaction into a website. It was the simplicity of how it worked that propelled him and Olubi to think about developing it into a platform for others.
In honor of October being Black History Month in the UK, we highlight ten influential Black British women who code and break down barriers. For more Black British Tech stories, see our BHM feature on UK founders from 2017. Charlene Hunter – Lead Software Engineer at Made Tech, Founder Coding Black Females Charlene is the founder of Coding Black Females one of the largest platforms for Black female coders in the UK. Charlene wrote her first line of code at the age of 10 and went on to earn a
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss how Black Linkedin users who post in forceful tones about racial issues and injustices say they feel the platform has silenced them (13:21). They also break down: The Clubhouse app controversy (00:40) A new dating app for short kings? (05:40) Are Chief Diversity Officers necessary? (17:13) The death of cinema (22:04) Extras: Techish on Patreon:Advertise with Techish:Please rate and review the Techish podcast Subscribe To The Techish Podcast On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, And Other Platforms. Main image by Benjamin Norman via NYT of Aaisha Joseph, a diversity consultant, who had
The other day, I posted a poll on what post I should write next, and 57.1% voted for a “founders resource guide.” And because I’m working on a first-time founders course, I thought I’d focus the guide on first-time founders. Here we go… In this post, you’ll find: Founder Basics A Note for Underestimated Founders Resources And although the concepts that I share in the Founder Basics are simple, in the +1,000 startups I’ve reviewed for investment, I’ve seen first-time founders skip these foundational blocks, spend a lot of time and money, and
During a short business trip to Nigeria in 2015, Ike Okosa witnessed firsthand the nascent but bubbling tech ecosystem in the country. At the time, Okosa was running Swoop Media, a UK-based company that provided IT and digital marketing solutions to UK private schools. The UK-born entrepreneur, who was visiting for the first time in over a decade, admits he was unaware that the country had a tech ecosystem. However, attending the 2015 edition of Social Media Week in Lagos changed his notion, and he formed vital connections there that proved helpful in
In the last few decades, business activities around the globe have become increasingly mobile, and thankfully, Africa isn’t left out. The continent has become an eager adopter and innovator in virtually all things digital and mobile. The more than 122 million active users of mobile financial services across Africa lends credence to this claim. However, when choosing locations, innovators have to be deliberate as they need to consider who will use their products. Expert opinion has it that being intentional about where to locate a business strongly impacts growth prospects and profitability.
Systemic racism has created a world where I and many other Black people literally have to work twice as hard to get half as much. Since I’ve been able to work, I’ve worked multiple jobs. During summers growing up, I worked in the businesses started by my grandparents in Mobile, AL, and passed down to my father and his siblings. You could find me doing everything from working the register at their BP gas station to preparing sandwiches in my father’s Subway. When I went to college, despite having a full-ride academic
Five weeks ago I joined Brandwatch as their first-ever VP of Global Community and Belonging. The night before my first day I had the first-day jitters and tossed and turned in bed. The following thoughts ran circles around my mind, “What if my performance doesn’t live up to the expectations set in the recruitment process? What if important stakeholders are directly opposed to my views and approach?” And of course that age-old anxiety inducer: “What if I got it all wrong in the interviews and I just don’t vibe with
