Non-profit organization Silicon Harlem has teamed up with AT&T and the New York Urban League (NYUL) to offer opportunities for teens and students to explore tech careers. Silicon Harlem’s new learning lab, which opened Tuesday, invites students to try a new tech-related skill, from augmented reality to creating code. The lab received a major donation from AT&T, allowing them to have the latest technology for the teens in aims to bridge the digital divide and increase diversity. “We want to make sure when it’s time for you all to apply
Company and executives’ mentions of DEI or sustainability during earning calls have decreased after a peak in 2022, according to data from financial research firm AlphaSense. But this DEI- and “green-hushing” doesn’t necessarily mean companies have stopped doing the work – they’re just not talking about it. Are companies still talking about DEI and sustainability? According to data from financial-research platform AlphaSense, executives at the U.S.-listed companies mentioned “environmental, social and governance,” “ESG,” “diversity, equity and inclusion,” “DEI” or “sustainability” on 575 earning calls from April 1 to June 5.
Horizon Media – reportedly the largest US media agency – has joined Burst Premium Network to create the first-ever network featuring a DEI content experience that amplifies the work and voices of local storytellers across more than 150 broadcast stations. Burst is a leading mobile video technology company aiming to transform how broadcasters, publishers, and media companies manage and monetize user-generated and controlled video content. The aim is focused on community-based DEI storytelling to amplify the work and voices of local storytellers across more than 150 broadcast stations. “We are
This Juneteenth, we want to celebrate some Black startups that have set out to uplift and support the Black community. What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned that slavery had been abolished – two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The first Juneteenth was observed in 1866 and has been celebrated by Black Americans ever since. It is often referred to as the country’s second independence day and became an official
Early-stage investor Black Seed has raised £5 million ($6.25 million) with aims to create a Black Silicon Valley in London. The South London-based venture firm raised the money as an inaugural fund to invest in and support Black founders by investing in seed-stage startups. Founders Karl Lokko, Cyril Lutterodt, and founding member Yvonne Nagawa launched Black Seed to address the lack of funding Black founders receive in the UK. According to Techcrunch, the firm will focus on early-stage investing, serving as a kind of “family and friends” round for those
Retail technology consultant Jessica Couch is launching an AI-generated fashion tech platform with co-founder Bo Hu Yang, aiming to help stylists and stylish people to monetize their influence. The AI-powered platform, which officially launches in October, is a personalized fashion discovery engine that matches people to products based on fit and style. How does Looks work? Stylists, can tag and post their looks on the platform and share them with their community. The stylist will get paid whenever someone buys an item that they post. The platform incentivizes peer-to-peer relationships
The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund is back for the third year after it launched as part of Google’s $175 million commitment towards racial equity. The fund has also expanded to Brazil, Europe, and Africa, and last year it announced its first-ever Latino Founders Fund in the US. It aims to support Black and Latino founders using technology to solve some of society’s biggest problems. The European fund launched with a $2 million grant fund that has since doubled to $4 million, with 40 Black-led tech startups across Europe
Co-founder of Flair AI, Mickey Friedman, has announced the company has generated thousands of composable human models in various poses to sell the target company’s beauty products. Friedman said they are helping to “speak to the audience’s diversity and reflect the target market.” Flair AI, founded in New York, is an AI design tool for branded content, allowing users to generate high-end product photography in minutes for CPG (consumer packaged goods) and beauty Brands. Friedman posted that companies can “target different demographics and represent your audience in marketing campaigns,” which had
Following Elon Musk’s announcement to buy Twitter in April 2022, many users, particularly Black users, opposed it. Some have found other platforms, such as Mastodon, Spill, and Bluesky. Bluesky, however, has recently raised some alarm bells after a moderation policy change following a death threat against a Black woman left many questioning the safety of the platform. What is Bluesky? Bluesky is a decentralized social app that started off as a project by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey in 2019 when he was Twitter’s CEO. Dorsey chose Jay Graber to lead
TikTok, as we know, has the potential to change lives and shine a light on talents that may have gone unnoticed previously. Elvis Muchiri, more commonly known as Evolve with Elvis, has become a topic of conversation on TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter as he teaches his audiences how to use keyboard shortcuts with his younger sister Megan. The young boy started posting on TikTok in March of this year and has already gained 125,300 followers and over 1.7 million likes. He also has gained a platform on YouTube with 8,490
