Media and ad tech company Hero Media has launched the first-ever machine learning-powered, Black-owned demand-side platform (DSP). DSPs are automated ad-buying platforms where advertisers and agencies go to purchase digital ad inventory. Hero One, powered by AdTheorent, enables advertisers to leverage AI and machine learning to put brand messages in front of the right consumer at the right time in a contextually relevant way. Is Advertising Representative? While 2021 witnessed a surge in diversity and inclusion efforts, momentum seemingly dwindled the following year. In 2022, the advertising sector remained largely white-dominated, comprising 64.63% white professionals. Platforms
Black-owned fintech startup Mozaic has raised a $20 million Series A round to make it easier for creators to split payments with each other and get paid for their work. Helping creators get paid Marcus Cobb, CEO, and Rachel Knepp, SVP of Growth, founded Mozaic (previously Jammber) in 2015. The platform initially aimed to make it easy to handle different parts of the music business from your mobile phone – from songwriting credits and rights to ticketing and touring. However, Mozaic decided to pivot away from the B2B side of
Albantsho, the first screenwriting tool created by African screenwriters for African screenwriters, has launched its first feature – The Scriptwriter. Albantsho Julie Ako and Nikita Mokgware from Nigeria and Botswana founded Albantsho in 2020. Their goal is to showcase the potential of African storytelling, foster authentic content representative of Africa, and empower creatives. With growing global investment in motion pictures in Africa, a higher demand is placed on authentic stories from diverse voices. Albantsho is a movement, and they’ve charged themselves with finding bold new narratives of Africa by Africans
Every year, Forbes releases their long-awaited list of young innovators shaping today’s world. This year marks Forbes 30 Under 30’s 13th annual list of entrepreneurs. The list featured a handful of Black people innovating in tech, from tackling toxic language online to working on the first crewed space mission to Mars. So, let’s meet some of them. Tony Morino, Co-Founder of Wiseday Morino co-founded Wiseday in 2021 to help Canadian homeowners get the best and cheapest mortgage rates. Morina co-founded the company with his friends and long-time acquaintances in 2021
Pika, the company redesigning the entire video-making and editing experience with AI, is making its public debut. The launch comes alongside the announcement of its $35 million Series A round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. “Our vision for Pika is to enable everyone to be the director of their own stories and to bring out the creator in each of us,” stated the company in a blog post. “Today, we reached a milestone that brings us closer to our vision.” An Idea-to-video platform Founded by Demi Guo, CEO, and Chenlin Meng,
Blockchain research and development lab Polytope Labs aims to transform Africans from consumers to creators in the blockchain space. Founded by Nigerian engineers Seun Lanlege and David Salami, Polytope Labs’ first product is Hyperbridge, a cross-chain protocol designed to facilitate secure communication between blockchains. Africa’s Crypto Adoption and Consumption African countries have some of the highest rates of grassroots crypto adoption among everyday people. However, the continent has mostly been a consumer rather than a builder of blockchain technology. Lanlege drew on his experience of helping to build the Ethereum and Polkadot networks to establish Polytope Labs with David
Vanessa Kingori OBE, chief business officer at Condé Nast Britain and Vogue European business advisor, is set to leave the media giant to join Google in 2024. Among her many accolades, the Kenya-born media mogul was the first Black publisher for Condé Nast Britain and the first woman publishing director in British Vogue’s 105-year history. Top role at Google Her new position as Managing Director of Tech, Media, and Telecoms at Google marks a strategic shift for the accomplished executive. She forms part of a trio of female senior executive hires. “We
Black women remain the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, more than doubling in number since August 2019, according to a new report by GoDaddy Venture Forward. GoDaddy Venture Forward is a research initiative that quantifies the impact of over 20 million microbusinesses on their local economies and provides a unique view into these entrepreneurs’ attitudes, demographics, and needs. In August 2023, Venture Forward completed its 10th national survey with responses from over 6,000 small business owners across the US and UK. Black microbusiness ownership Most of the businesses surveyed were microbusinesses,
Waspito, a Cameroonian health startup, has secured a $2.5 million seed extension, helping its growth in Francophone African regions. Waspito Waspito is a health-focused social network that aims to integrate the whole health ecosystem into a single platform. Instead of building a platform involving pre-registration and booking consultation meetings, founder Jean Lobe Lobe opted for one where users could instantly connect with doctors. Lobe founded the startup in 2020, just before the COVID pandemic became a global health emergency, aiming to make healthcare accessible. “Going online to book an appointment
Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) has announced the close of its Morgan Stanley Next Level Fund, aimed at early-stage tech companies led by underrepresented entrepreneurs. The fund has closed at its target size of $50 million of total capital commitments with investors including Hearst, Microsoft, and Walmart. Morgan Stanley’s Next Level Morgan Stanley’s Next Level is MSIM’s impact-focused private equity business. It makes privately negotiated equity and equity-related venture capital investments in primarily stage tech and tech-enabled companies with women or underrepresented founders as part of the founding team. “We
