In 2021, venture capital invested just $115 million in digital media globally, a tenth of the $1.1billion it funded in 2015, but not much came to Africa. Digital newsrooms in Africa are reportedly said to be more likely to receive story grants than business funding, with a few exceptions like OMG Digital. Of the reported $4.3–$5 billion raised by African startups in 2021 where fintech received 53–63% of the volume, digital media companies are one of many sectors that have traditionally been overlooked in the conversation of tangible ventures. But last week Big Cabal
After struggling to connect with top technologists and designers, Ronnie Kwesi Coleman co-founded Meaningful Gigs two years ago. The inspiration drew from Coleman’s desire to specifically connect Black product designers and developers around the world with better job opportunities. Now – the company has raised $6million. The seed round was led by Stage 2 Capital with participation from Rethink Education, Authentic Ventures, Reach Capital, Marla Blow, Zvi Band, and Michele Perry. Stage 2 Capital partner, Mandy Cole told TechCrunch, “With the shortage of highly skilled talent and the increasing need for diverse
Women remain underrepresented in computing-related jobs in the tech field, holding just 26 percent of the positions. This disparity is even worse for Hispanic women, as they make up just 2 percent. But – there are some who’ve made it and they’re using their social media to advise, mentor, and equip other Latinx with information about the industry. Gina Moreno, 26, a program manager for Microsoft, is a first-generation College Graduate and first-generation American from El Paso, TX. In school, she obtained a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an M.S. in systems
Komodo is hiring on pocitjobs.com Vanessa Anderson is a director of engineering for product teams at Komodo Health. In the following interview, you will learn how she got into tech and obtained her first job as a software engineer without a Master’s degree, before eventually being offered a key position in a health tech startup valued at $3.3 billion. Hi Vanessa, What Do You Do at Komodo? I just transitioned out of a senior DevOps role where I was the tech lead of the infrastructure team. I now manage teams
Goodwin has just announced its latest partnership with Meta on a new IP/Tech Scholarship Program for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) planning to pursue a career in intellectual property or technology law. The new program provides $20,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from historically excluded groups who are currently attending HBCUs and will be starting law school in fall 2022. Awardees will spend one week this summer at a Goodwin office, shadowing firm lawyers to learn more about the firm and its practice areas. Each awardee will be
Tiffany Johnson’s journey is impressive. Since moving to the United States at age 14, Tiffany Johnson has been determined to find her way. Despite a difficult start t in the country that reportedly included living undocumented for five years and raising two younger siblings, Johnson’s drive and ambition became a passion for business. It led her to become the CEO and founder of feminine care and wellness brand Moozii and secure a job at Amazon. In 2018, she worked with Amazon’s sales team to help US sellers expand their businesses to
The Cultural Custodian recently celebrated dozens of African women leading the way when it comes to NFTs and Web3. Hence, we thought to jump on the wave and shout out the women of color worldwide who are also pioneering in this space. It’s important to celebrate women every day and not just on International Women’s Day. Deborah Ojengbede is the first name that comes to mind. Deborah amasses a following of 16.6K on social media and is the CEO of Afen Blockchain Group. The ‘group’ is an NFT project dedicated
An annual conference for Black tech entrepreneurs — reportedly the largest in the country — is relocating from the West Coast to Austin. Due to the pandemic, organizers switched AfroTech’s event from an in-person event to a virtual event in 2020 and 2021. But now – it’s back in person. Black Americans continue to be underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and math sector. According to the Pew Research Center, Black workers account for only 9 percent of the country’s STEM workforce but 11 percent of the entire workforce. “Black
According to The Big Deal, less than 1% of all VC dollars went toward startups with one or more women founders last year, details investments in Africa. However, on a more positive note – depending on how you look at it, founding teams counting women and men as members raised 17% of VC investments in Africa in 2021. But the lack of investment in women-founded startups isn’t new. If we took a look back almost a decade ago – according to Briter Bridges, another publication that tracks VC investments in
Level Ex is hiring on pocitjobs.com Todday Gaither has been working at Level Ex for 5 years—first as a Quality Assurance Tester and now as an Assistant Production Manager. The company focuses on creating video games for doctors that capture the challenges of practicing medicine: from puzzling diagnoses to rare surgical complications. Todday thanks his grandmother for pushing him to move to Chicago to pursue a career in technology. In this article, he tells us how he got into tech as an eager child who spent most of his time
