Diversity programs continue to come under fire as Meta Platforms Inc. and three entertainment groups face lawsuits. What has been happening? Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against colleges and universities considering race in their admissions process and ending Affirmative Action, there have been several lawsuits against diversity programs. Following that, conservative group American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by Edward Blum, filed lawsuits against law firms Perkins Coie and Morrison Foerster, challenging their diversity fellowships. The lawsuits alleged these fellowships unlawfully discriminated against white candidates and requested that racial
The body of Yohanes Kidane, a 22-year-old Software Engineer graduate who had just moved to the Bay Area to work with Netflix, was found near the Golden Gate Bridge last week and has been positively identified. What Happened? Yohanes Kidane was reported missing on August 14 after moving to San Jose, California, to start a role as a software engineer at Netflix. He had been last seen entering a black Toyota Camry with an Uber sticker on 28 N 4th St. San Jose, wearing grey sweatpants, a black hoodie and
UK-based bladder health startup Jude has closed a $4.24 million seed round to expand into the U.S. Bladder Health: Jude Jude is a healthcare and wellness brand with a mission to bring bladder care to the forefront. 2.3 billion globally suffer from bladder issues, whether overactive bladder, leaving or incontinence and Jude is on a mission to help change that. Jude’s initial focus is on women’s health, as founder Peony Li said she wants to establish the business as a category leader in a space that’s been overlooked and hasn’t
Friends Benedict Owanga and Chinelo Adi launched their startup Owanga to deliver clean energy solutions to Congo, Africa. The startup launched in 2022 after Owanga had the idea during his sophomore year at Emory University School of Law. While pursuing an internship, he lost power for two hours during training. The inconvenience made him consider the experience of Congolese people back home. “It got me thinking if someone like me loses power for two hours and it takes me two weeks to figure out something, what about people back home
Geek Ventures announced its first immigrant-focused fund, Geek Ventures Fund I, LP, to support pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups. Geek Ventures Ihar Mahaniok, an immigrant engineering leader with over 20 years of experience building code and machine-learning models for startups, founded Greek Ventures in 2021. He saw immigrant entrepreneurs’ difficulties when raising capital and making connections within the U.S. venture capital ecosystem. They aim to invest in bold, innovative, and brilliant immigrant entrepreneurs worldwide and believe the challenges immigrants face when coming to a new environment nurture resilience and determination.
As Coco Gauff stood up to the umpire in her recent U.S. Open match [Gauff has gone viral on social media after confronting an umpire who turned a blind eye to her 35-year-old German opponent allegedly breaking the rules], demanding fairness in the rules that seemed to be applied differently to her and her opponent, I couldn’t help but see this as a microcosm of what black women face in workplaces every single day. When someone from a marginalized community excels, we often see tears and reluctance from others, who
Tools like ChatGPT, WordPress, and React have made creating a website easier than ever, opening the doors of web design to a broader audience. However, this democratization of web design has presented opportunities and challenges, particularly for those who have long relied on it for their livelihood. In South Africa, where web design was once a lucrative profession, AI-powered web design tools bring promise and uncertainty to professionals in the field, Rest of the World reports. An oversaturated market In 2018, web designers in South Africa could earn an average
Walgreens Boots Alliance has announced the departure of its CEO, Rosalind Brewer. According to Bloomberg, Brewer was the sole remaining Black female CEO of an S&P 500 company; the last Black woman to lead an S&P 500 company was Ursula Burns, who left Xerox in 2016. Like many retailers, Walgreens faced challenges this year as the demand for COVID-19 testing and vaccines declined, and retail sales experienced a slowdown. Brewer’s departure is part of the company’s transition into a healthcare company instead of a drugstore. According to CNBC, shares of
Black-led venture capital firm Growth Warrior Capital is launching Elevo, an AI-powered pitch deck generator to help founders secure funding for their startups. Investing in overlooked founders Elevo is the brainchild of Promise Phelon, the founder and managing partner of Growth Warrior Capital. An experienced entrepreneur, Phelon’s track record includes raising $100 million in capital, transforming companies, and successfully navigating exits and acquisitions. Phelon’s early-stage venture capital firm, invests in “dangerous” startups led by traditionally overlooked founders that have the potential to “fundamentally change the way we work, earn, and
Climate-tech VC Satgana has appointed Anil Maguru, who is among the less than 10% of Black fund managers worldwide, as its newest partner. Satgana Satgana is a climate tech venture capital firm on a mission to invest in the future of Earth by investing in technology solutions. The firm aims to use business as a force for good by investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs to build a more sustainable, fair and regenerative future. They invest in European and African pre-seed and seed stage Climate Tech startups from €30K
