Stemuli, a Black woman-owned edtech company providing AI-driven game-based learning through its educational metaverse, has announced the merger of infinity.careers and Oppti into Stemuli. Immersive education A lack of engagement in K-12 classrooms today is resulting in math and science scores being at an all-time low. This creates long-lasting negative impacts not only for the students themselves but also for their communities and the national economy. Stemuli reports that we facing a loss of $8.5 trillion in potential earnings because students are not prepared for the workforce that awaits them.
Nigerian founder Bisola Alabi is the powerhouse behind Heels & Tech, an e-learning platform that empowers women with technical education and upskilling. The platform aims to close the gender gap between women and technology, helping women secure flexible well paid work. As a bootstrapped founder with three toddlers and no external funding, Alabi has relied on being a generalist to succeed in her business. In a recent LinkedIn post, she shared some insights into the advantages of being a generalist. Versatile and adaptable “A generalist is someone who has a
Organizations may be more at risk of losing their highly talented women and minority leaders than they realize, according to a new report by global leadership consulting firm DDI. DDI’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report found that hat many companies are regressing in their DEI programs. Stephanie Neal, director of DDI’s Center for Analytics and Behavioral Research, told The Business Journals that these decisions are having a knock-on effect on talent retention and company performance. “With the stress of economic uncertainty and labor challenges, companies have turned their attention away from
The Bean Path is a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Nashlie Sephus, which is using tech to sow expertise, grow networks, and fertilize communities in Mississippi. The Makerspace, a 6,400-square-foot collaborative community workshop building, is the first step in solidifying Sephus’ vision of creating a science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) hub on 21 acres of previously neglected land. Identifying Blind Spots The Jackson, Mississippi native was introduced to engineering by her eighth-grade science teacher. After pursuing a degree in computer engineering, Sephus earned a PhD in electrical and
BK-XL, a new Brooklyn-based early-stage startup accelerator for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) founders, has announced its inaugural cohort of 12 startups. With each startup receiving up to $500,000 each, BK-XL’s capital is on par with other big-name accelerators like Y Combinator, and, by relative investment size, is the largest BIPOC-focused accelerator in the US. Clara Wu Tsai, a Brooklyn Nets owner and Vice Chair of BSE Global, created the accelerator in partnership with Visible Hands, a VC firm for underrepresented founders. “We created BK-XL to identify and
There are now more women of color than men named Dave or David sitting on corporate boards, according to a recent report by social impact venture Him For Her and Crunchbase. Him For Her teamed up with Crunchbase for a fourth year to assess the gender diversity of over 600 high-growth private companies, representing nearly $200 billion in funding. WOC vs Daves Of the 4,610 board seats included in the study, 1 in 5 (20%) are held by men of color and 1 in 25 (4%) by women of color.
This article was first published by Laila-Josefin Azhar on Medium. Have you ever felt like you don’t belong in your workplace? Like your ideas aren’t heard, your contributions aren’t valued, and your authentic self isn’t welcome? Unfortunately, this is a common experience for many people, especially those from underrepresented communities. I’ve set the theme of belonging for our quarterly topic in my region. I believe that creating a culture of belonging is crucial for building inclusive workplaces that attract and retain diverse talent. When people feel like they belong, they’re
US-based non-profit organization Geekz Ventures has announced the 10 Black and Latine-led startups selected for its inaugural pre-accelerator program. The 10-week virtual program welcomes startup founders in any industry, but the focus is on Media, Connectivity, Entertainment, and Mobile Technology. The program, which kicks off in March 2023, offers Black and Latine founders business training, community, and coaching to refine their startup ideas and attract their first paying customers. Participants receive an equity-free grant and follow-up funding opportunities. World-class mentors The program offers access to world-class mentors and coaches, including
Companies that report workforce demographic data outperform those that don’t, according to a new analysis by JUST Capital. JUST Capital found that Russell 1000 companies that publicly disclose data on the gender, race, and ethnicity of their workforce by job category more than tripled between 2021 and 2022, increasing from 11% to 34%. Moreover, companies that disclose such demographic data outperform those that don’t by 7.9%. Diversity is good for business A 2015 McKinsey study previously showed that the country’s most racially diverse companies were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their
For Black and Latino entrepreneurs, there’s only one direction to go — forward. This is the message driving Square‘s small business accelerator program for Black and Latino entrepreneurs, FORWARD. The accelerator, launched in partnership with Social Change Fund United (SCFU), 1863 Ventures, and American Express, aims to provide Black and Latino entrepreneurs with the education, mentorship, coaching, and capital needed for their businesses to thrive. Black and Latino Americans are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. In 2022, Black and Latino Americans filed more than 5 million new business applications, more than any other group.
