The tech industry in India is one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in the world, reporting a growth rate of 12.2%. The southern Indian tech hub of Bangalore is also home to the most significant number of high-growth companies in India. It ranks fourth overall among Asian cities, according to the FT’s latest ranking of High Growth Companies in Asia-Pacific, compiled by research company Statista. Twenty of the top 500 companies on the list are based in Bangalore, representing four percent of the total. India’s financial capital, Mumbai, is Bangalore’s
According to Insider Intelligence, there are currently over 2 million podcasts and 424.2 million podcast listeners worldwide in 2022, a 10.6% increase from the previous year. As of 2020, the global podcasting market size was valued at $11.46 billion. It grew to $13.785 billion in 2021 and is expected to be a massive $153.07 billion in 2030, according to Acumen Research and Consulting. This growth has been spurred by a number of factors – from the proliferation of new celebrity shows, investments from companies like Spotify, and the increased affordability and availability of tech such as smartphones
There’s only one way we can start the week here at POCIT: sharing the ‘good news’ of people of color in tech. There have been a lot of negative headlines in the tech space, from declining investment in minority communities to major layoffs at big companies – redundancies that often impact women, POC, or juniors. But that’s why we’ve made an effort to kick off the week on a high note as it’s important to remember that we’ll all see the light at the end of the tunnel. Here’s some
A well-known influencer collective, Collab Crew (formerly known as Collab Crib) has had a turbulent few months with its founder Keith Dorsey stepping down to focus on his mental health, appointing Robert Dean III (@robiiiworld) to take the lead and of course the big news that it’s shifting from a collab house into a studio. What was the ‘Collab Crib? It was one of the nation’s only content houses for all-Black influencers. There – 10 young creators worked daily under the care of a manager. Most of them lived in
Float, a Ghanaian cash flow and spend management platform, has completed a full acquisition of the Nigerian accounting platform, Accounteer. This Nigerian subscription-based cloud-based accounting service combines bookkeeping, tax prep, and financial advisory services all in one platform for African businesses, for an undisclosed amount. Founded in 2015 by Merijn Campsteyn, Accounteer allows users to create invoices, track expenses, and register payments, among other things. The venture-backed company provides accounting software that allows businesses to continue operations offline. According to previous reports – this deal comes eight months after Float closed its
UK-based elderly care platform Cera has raised a £260m round of roughly half equity and half debt to grow the number of patients it supports by 500% and expand overseas. The funding round was led by the existing investor, US-based Kairos HQ. Vanderbilt University Endowment, Schroders Capital, Jane Street Capital, Yabeo Capital, Squarepoint Capital, Guinness Asset Management, Oltre Impact, and 8090 Partners also participated. LocalGlobe’s Robin Klein joined as an angel. The round is the second time the startup has raised debt after its previous $70m round — which was also
Recording Academy co-president, Valeisha Butterfield Jones, has moved on from her role to join Google’s diversity team, where previously worked as the global head of inclusion. Butterfield Jones has been a part of the Academy for over two years and played a vital role in the organization’s leadership team as a chief diversity officer. She oversaw and managed the business culture, membership, awards, and people. After working alongside Google’s inclusion team, Butterfield Jones is expected to re-join the tech giant in October as VP of partnerships on the diversity team, according
The pre-seed fund, Visible Hands, has officially launched the second cohort of its “Visionaries Accelerator” program. The initiative, which aims to support overlooked and underrepresented founders, welcomed 51 new founders to its flagship program. The program, which will take place from September to December, will see each company work full-time towards building their business, with financial support from the Visible Hands team. Each founder will receive a starting investment of $25,000. Throughout the program, they will have the chance to earn additional assets of up to $150,000 as they progress.
Talent x Opportunity has announced the launch of its third cohort. The initiative, designed to support artistic geniuses with the tools they need to scale and grow, welcomed a new set of founders for this year’s program. The TxO program, founded by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (known as “a16z”), works to help accelerate the growth and impact of upcoming tech companies. They select elite entrepreneurs and prepare them with the ideal tools to build and expand their companies. Here are five founders joining the TxO community in Fall 2022.
The Judee von Seldenec (JVS) Philadelphia Fund for Women has invested $500,000 in Black-owned hair product line, Naturaz. The investment fund, which marks JvS’ commitment to investing $2 million in women entrepreneurs, will financially support nine technology-based ventures based in Philadelphia. The extra funding aims to help close the funding gap, disproportionally impacting Black and Hispanic women founders. Naturaz, founded in 2017 by Mumbi Dunjwa, is a hair product line based in Philadelphia that manufactures and sells vegan hair products for curly hair. Dunjwa uses her experience in chemistry, health,
