SymbyAI has raised $2.1 million in seed funding with participation from Drive Capital and CharacterVC, among others, as reported by TechCrunch. The AI-driven platform accelerates the research lifecycle from hypothesis to published paper, making scientific research faster and easier. “It’s also important to note that SymbyAI is built on a proprietary AI solution, so users don’t have to worry about accidentally sending confidential information to OpenAI, Anthropic, or any other company,” co-founder Ashia Livaudais told TechCrunch. SymbyAI is making science research easier Ashia Livaudais and Michael House launched SymbyAI last year
LoftyInc Capital Management has announced the first close of its third fund at $43 million. The LoftyInc Alpha Fund focuses on investments that will expand Africa’s most talented startups across key areas like Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, and Francophone Africa. It has previously invested in notable startups such as Flutterwave, Andela, Wave Mobile, and RelianceHealth. This comes at a pivotal time, as investors were less active in Africa last year. In 2022, 28 were involved in over ten $100,000 deals, but this number dropped to 8 in 2024. LoftyInc has over
Facebook, Tinder and Airbnb Apps are being used to lure women into sex trafficking in Colombia. In an investigation carried out by Bloomberg, several girls shared that they were victims of sexual exploitation. Platforms like Facebook, Tinder and Airbnb allowed predators to lure victims into sex work and plan dates and accommodations with tourists overseas. “With the growing availability of good internet service, the technology to enable this type of crime is on the rise,” Pablo César Villeda Ortiz, former regional president for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International
Cashflow management platform Lenkie has secured £49 million ($62 million) in Series A funding to transform how UK small businesses access capital. The funding round was led by a large US private credit fund focused on supporting lenders internationally. It also included a £4 million ($5 million) equity and a £45 million ($57 million) debt facility, according to a press release shared with POCIT. How does Lenkie support SMEs? Lenkie specializes in payables financing. Instead of waiting weeks or months for payments to process, Lenkie steps in to pay suppliers upfront, helping
The American Geophysical Union (AGU), one of the leading science organizations in the world, has elected Dr. Brandon Jones as its first Black president according to Forbes. Dr Jones graduated from Lincoln University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) with a degree in biology. He also has a master’s degree and a doctorate in Marine Sciences from the University of Delaware. AGU’s first Black president Speaking with Forbes, Dr Jones says his vision for the AGU is to “continue to develop the elements of future adaptiveness and maintain a
In this episode, Michael and Abadesi dive into why Gen Z want to be in the office, tools like Replit that make app-building a breeze for entrepreneurs. They also look into the rise of on-demands security services aka “Uber for Guns,” and what it means about the state of the world. Finally, they tackle the ethics of investing—should you back a company that doesn’t align with your values? Chapters 00:00 Gen Z and Remote Work 04:32 Why Replit Is a Game-Changing App Builder 08:29 New Protector App Wants to Be ‘Uber for
Sustainable fashion has become more popular in the past few years, with more consumers acknowledging the damage fast fashion does to the planet. In a worldwide survey by Statista, over one-quarter of consumers said they had made a significant change toward buying more sustainable products. Additionally, fashion lovers are realising the benefits of investing in pieces, so more individuals have started renting their clothes. In 2025, the US clothing and apparel rental market was expected to be worth $1.5 billion, according to IBIS World. It makes sense; why spend hundreds of dollars on
HBCUvc Alumni Fellows invested over $10 million into Black-founded startups and organizations, according to the organization’s 2024 Annual Impact Report. Black entrepreneurs still struggle to gain capital. In 2024, Black-founded startups received just 0.48% of total US venture capital, from 1.3% in 2021 and 0.5% in 2023, according to Crunchbase. This decline comes at a time when the country is facing a vast overturn in DEI initiatives. HBCUvc aims to create a smooth pipeline of investors, supporting its program participants from their first exposure to venture capital through hands-on experience and,
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’s privately funded space venture, announced its next flight into space with an all-female crew. In a press release on Thursday, the firm shared that Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez will take a 10-minute flight to space from a West Texas launchpad this spring. This mission will be the first time since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight in 1963 that an all-female crew will be on a human-crewed spaceflight leaving Earth, according to Blue Origin. The all-female crew
Last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s executive orders to cut federal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, ruling that they likely violate the First Amendment and other constitutional protections. Judge Rejects Trump’s DEI Crackdown AP News reports that US District Judge Adam Abelson in Maryland issued an injunction on February 21, preventing the administration from terminating or altering federal contracts tied to DEI. Baltimore officials and three organizations brought the lawsuit, arguing that Trump’s orders unlawfully suppress free speech and overstep presidential authority. Abelson agreed
