Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMoCDE) has announced a three-year partnership with IHS Nigeria to empower Nigerians with critical digital skills. IHS Nigeria is one of the world’s largest independent owners, operators, and developers of shared communications infrastructure. The partnership supports the recently launched 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative to train three million Nigerians with technical skills in four years. The Partnership The three-year partnership aims to establish the 3MTT Learning Community and facilitate the setting up of learning communities in Nigeria’s 36 states and
As he retires from the NBA, former professional basketball player Andre Iguodala is set to lead Mosaic, his venture capital (VC) fund. Iguodala had an established reputation for nearly two decades as one of the NBA’s most versatile players, an All-Star, and an Olympic gold medalist. He has now announced his retirement from pro basketball to DealBook to focus on his other career as a startup investor. “It’s been a blessing to play for that long,” he told DealBook. Mosaic Mosaic is Iguodala’s $200 million venture capital fund raised with
Black founders raised only 0.13% of all capital allocated to US startups in Q3 of this year, Crunchbase has reported. A decline in funding Only 0.13% of venture dollars allocated between July and September went to Black founders. This equates to about $39.7 million of the total $29.9 billion allocated, a massive year-over-year drop for Black founders. In Q3 2022, Black founders raised $1 billion out of around $81.7 billion in venture dollars, approximately 1.2%. TechCrunch also reported a massive quarter-over-quarter drop as in Q2 of 2023, Black founders raised
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments have seen a downward trend from its high point in 2020. New data from ROI communications has shed light on the state of DEI-related budgets, diversity officer roles, and predictions for the future of corporate DEI. A Decline From 2020’s high point Roles for DEI first increased following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, with tech companies, in particular, pledging to boost their diversity efforts. A global leadership consulting firm, DDI found that many companies are regressing their DEI programs. According to Bloomberg,
Latimer, named after African-American inventor Lewis Latimer, is a new platform trying to make generative AI more inclusive. Nicknamed the Black GPT, Latimer is a new large language model (LLM) built to reflect the experience, culture, and history of Black and brown people more accurately. The platform recently announced new partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to help bring the inclusive tool to students, agencies, brands, and the general public. Tackling racial bias and erasure Many generative AI models amplify the bias, inaccuracy, and erasure of Black and
Hispanic and Latine tech workers comprise a small percentage of the workforce, According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study, only 8% of tech workers are Hispanic or Latine despite making up 18.7% of the US population. The percentage is even smaller for women, with Hispanic or Latina women only holding 1% of tech roles. We recently rounded up communities and organizations for Latine tech professionals; here’s an updated list of available resources. Resources For Tech Professionals 1. Techqueria Techqueria, a nonprofit founded in 2015, serves tech’s most extensive global
Black-owned beauty-tech company Myavana is using AI to provide personalized insights and hair regimens that work for women of color. Myavana is the brainchild of computer scientist Candace Mitchell Harris. Her natural hair journey led her to seek data-driven, intelligent hair care solutions everywhere, from the lab to the Metaverse. The Science of Hair Data reveals that Black consumers drive the global hair-care market, spending nine times more on hair-care products than other racial groups. Black women, in particular, spend about $1.7 billion annually on hair-care products. While studying computer
Google has announced an additional $2 million investment in Morehouse College and Hampton University as part of an ongoing collaboration with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). According to UNCF, Google has invested over $50 million over a number of years to elevate talent and innovation at Historically Black Universities (HBCUs). Supporting students to pursue tech careers Morehouse College and Hampton University will receive $1 million each to invest in technical infrastructure aimed to support in-class and remote learning. The universities will also develop curriculum and career support programs for
YouTube has launched its Inclusive Media Initative, allowing creators to self-identify in ways that capture their multiple identities and allow advertisers to target their advertising better. The initiative is in partnership with Pixability, the leader in brand suitability and contextual targeting solutions for advertisers on YouTube. The Inclusive Media Initative For the first time, YouTubers can self-select how they identify regarding their race, sexuality, and other factors. Previously, creators on the platform had to rely on party ad vendors to choose the identity labels presented to advertisers, which often limits
Black-owned tech startup Slinger has raised £500,000 ($600,000) in pre-seed funding to shake up the hospitality industry’s hiring process. Brexit and COVID-19 have left the UK’s hospitality industry struggling with staff vacancies – industry vacancies are still 72% higher than pre-pandemic levels. As a result, the industry is having to turn away £25 billion ($30.3 billion) worth of business in the UK. Slinger aims to change this. Group Chat To Google-backed Founded by Theo-Lee Houston, Slinger aims to make hospitality hiring processes easier and fairer, connecting talent with businesses in
