Southwest Michigan has seen the debut of its first Black-owned venture capital firm, Kalamazoo Forward Ventures (KZFV). With a $50 million commitment from limited partners, KZFV aims to empower underrepresented founders, startups, and innovators in Kalamazoo and beyond. The firm, led by a group of seven influential men from Michigan, focuses on bridging gaps for those who have traditionally lacked access to capital. A Mission to Uplift Marginalized Entrepreneurs Kalamazoo Forward Ventures’ founding members are Eric L. Wimbley, CEO of First Line Risk Management; Jamauri A. Bogan, CEO of Bogan
Ruby Jackson, a 23-year-old student midwife at the University of Brighton, has developed an app, “Melanatal,” to address gaps in the recognition of maternal and neonatal conditions on Black and brown skin. Her app aims to educate both clinicians and patients on how conditions such as jaundice, pre-eclampsia, and mastitis appear on darker skin tones, a subject historically underrepresented in medical training. Bridging the Knowledge Gap in Maternal and Neonatal Health Jackson’s inspiration for Melanatal came during her placement at a neonatal unit in Ghana, where she realized that key
Bolt Kenya has awarded 10 drivers with KSh 288,000 ($2,200) each in seed funding as part of its first-ever accelerator program. The awards, amounting to a total of €20,000 ($22,400) mark the culmination of a six-month program aimed at creating innovation in Kenya’s mobility sector. A Platform for Innovation The Bolt Accelerator, launched in April 2024, provided drivers with business training, mentorship, and funding to create innovative solutions for transport and delivery services. The program attracted over 800 applications from Bolt drivers and couriers, including ideas for electric vehicle charging
Nigerian e-health startup, Field, has unveiled a new service aimed at addressing Africa’s maternal mortality crisis. Backed by a $11 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Field’s initiative focuses on emerging therapies for maternal, newborn, and child health as well as improving nutrition across the continent. Helping healthcare access Co-founded in 2015 by Michael Moreland, Justin Lorenzon, and Peter Bunor, Field has already made significant strides in transforming healthcare delivery through its pharmaceutical supply chain solutions, operating in Nigeria and Kenya. The company has supported over 800
Los Angeles-based tech startup See Computing is introducing Speakimage.ai, an AI-powered tool designed to make communication more inclusive and accessible. Unlike most GPTs which prioritize text, Speakimage.ai generates text, images, and video from a single input, revolutionizing communication for visual thinkers, the hearing-impaired community, and neurodivergent people. A Groundbreaking Tool for Inclusive Communication What sets Speakimage.ai apart is its holistic approach to communication. Set to launch on October 1, 2024, Speakimage.ai caters to the specific needs of different cognitive and sensory styles. Whether it’s creating vivid images for visual thinkers, captioned
Tech influencer Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, recently faced backlash following the release of his new wallpaper app, Panels. Launched on both iOS and Android, the app curates high-quality digital wallpapers from various artists. However, the premium pricing model and privacy concerns have stirred some controversy. Brownlee quickly responded to the criticisms, addressing them head-on in an effort to assure users that changes are on the way. Marques Brownlee’s Panels app Brownlee is a leading voice in tech with nearly 20 million YouTube subscribers, recently making the second-ever TIME100 AI
Kofa Technologies, a Ghanaian company specializing in portable clean energy solutions, has announced an expansion of its battery-swapping network, supported by a £6.15 million (approximately $5 million) initiative. The project, led by Kofa and impact investor PASH Global and backed by Shell Foundation, the UK Government, and PASH Global, aims to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption and clean energy access in Ghana. EV Battery Swapping Kofa’s battery-swapping network aims to provide a sustainable, cost-effective solution to reduce urban pollution and boost EV adoption. The system allows users to swap depleted
Wells Fargo has closed and emptied the business accounts of Beautiful Curly Me without warning, according to its 12-year-old CEO Zoe Oli and her mother, Evana. Zoe Oli founded the company at age seven to boost confidence in young Black girls through dolls and other products and recently became the youngest CEO to have a toy line at Target. Account Closure Leaves Business in Crisis The closure of Beautiful Curly Me’s three business accounts has put a severe strain on the company’s operations. According to Zoe and Evana, Wells Fargo
Black Eyed Peas frontman and tech entrepreneur will.i.am has launched RAiDiO.FYI, a free AI-powered set of interactive radio stations focused on topics like sports, pop culture, and politics. RAiDiO.FYI uses OpenAI’s language models to create a unique experience where listeners can ask questions, request songs, and get news updates from an AI DJ. A New Era of Interactive Radio With RAiDiO.FYI, will.i.am aims to bring a new level of interactivity to radio. Unlike traditional radio or even AI music tools like Spotify’s AI DJ, RAiDiO.FYI allows for tor two-way communication. Listeners
In this week’s Techish, Abadesi and Michael reflect on the ups and downs of running their own companies: Vanity metrics and getting your priorities right (00:10) Why VC money seems so sexy (08:05) The secret to getting good feedback (11:35) The future of corporate anti-racism (19:05) Listen to the episode You can find the Techish podcast on Spotify, Apple, and all good podcast apps. Watch On YouTube Extra Reading and Resources Check out Hustle Crew’s Playschool Accelerator 2024.
