Life and health insurance provider Globe Life and its subsidiaries, including American Income Life (AIL), are facing serious allegations of racial discrimination and harassment. A Business Insider investigation revealed evidence of racism from Globe’s Texas headquarters to its agencies nationwide. Racism Among Senior Managers Business Insider obtained screenshots that revealed senior managers at AIL exchanged racist, sexist, and transphobic texts between 2014 and 2019. Domenico Bertini, a former AIL vice president, sent a meme depicting a Black man in a mousetrap baited with Kentucky Fried Chicken. Other texts included the n-word and
OpenseedVC has reached the first close of its $10 million fund for operator-led startups in Africa and Europe. Founded by former Octopus Ventures and Oxford Seed Fund investor Maria Rotilu, OpenseedVC is a new solo General Partner (GP) that aims to be the first check for startups. OpenSeedVC: Filling a Crucial Funding Gap According to Sifted, Rotilu is Europe’s first Black solo GP and one of the first female solo GPs in the region. Rotilu’s strategy with OpenseedVC is to back startups even earlier than the pre-seed stage, at a
Break Through Tech AI, the largest program of its kind in the U.S., aims to support college students from underrepresented backgrounds into top tech careers. Specifically, the program helps underrepresented groups, including lower-income, Latina and Black women and nonbinary students, gain the skills they need to get jobs in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Expanding Access to Elite Tech Opportunities Hosted and supported by institutions such as MIT, UCLA, and Cornell Tech, Break Through Tech AI is free and focuses on students from public institutions and historically Black colleges.
Seven organizations focused on diversity in tech have announced the formation of the Diversity Data Alliance to address funding disparities faced by underrepresented groups. The alliance comprises All Raise, Diversity VC, BLCK VC, StartOut, 2Gether-International, Vets in Tech, and Somos VC. Standardizing Data for a Unified Approach The Diversity Data Alliance has agreed upon a set of standardized demographic data points to be collected across each member organization. This initiative, which began in the spring of 2023 and saw its implementation in 2024, focuses on capturing demographic information, such as race, gender identity, sexual orientation, educational attainment,
Eight TikTok creators have filed a lawsuit against the US government over their new law that would force the sale or ban of the video app, owned by Chinese ByteDanceLTD. The Potential TikTok Ban So Far Joe Biden recently signed into law a bill that requires TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the social media app’s US operations or face a ban, after the Senate passed the legislation. The bill gives TikTok’s Beijing-based parent, ByteDance, 270 days to sell the app’s US operations and if not, it will then face a
Two Black founders have teamed together to create Dreamward Ventures, a new Seattle-based fund that plans to invest in diverse founders, including early-stage startups led by Black entrepreneurs. Dreamward Ventures Dreamward Ventures offers early-stage capital, technical due diligence, and network connections to founders who need them most. According to GeekWire, founders Evan Poncelet and Jesse Posey met at a Seattle Angel Conference event and decided to address the gaps in venture capital for Black founders and investors. “It’s hard for the venture capitalists and angel groups to reach out to founders of color, specifically Black
In its fourth grant cycle, the Commemoration Fund has selected 32 grantees funds ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 to help mitigate racial inequalities. The Commemoration Fund, founded in 2020, supports efforts to correct social, political and economic injustices that impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and people of color in the community. Their funds address disparities rooted in white supremacy and systemic racism with sustainable, collaborative solutions. “The Commemoration Fund is uniquely situated to stimulate the transformative work necessary to address race-based inequities,” said Hannibal B. Johnson, board chair. “Through our strategic investments,
Acclinate, a Birmingham, Alabama-based healthcare technology company, has completed a $7 million Series A funding round. The funding round, led by Cencora Ventures and supported by Labcorp and Latimer Ventures, aimed to enhance Acclinate’s efforts to promote health equity and transform the inclusivity of clinical trials. Transforming Clinical Trials through Trust and Technology Acclinate’s strategy aims to build trust and foster long-term relationships with diverse communities. Their digital platform, NOWINCLUDED, is designed to educate and engage underrepresented groups in clinical trials, ensuring their inclusion in medical research. The platform serves as an educational tool while
Actor, writer, and comedian Issa Rae is launching a new company, Ensemble, to connect brands with diverse creators. Ensemble Connecting Brands With Diverse Creators Ensemble is a next-generation branded entertainment company bringing production and distribution infrastructure to a diverse group of creators. The company collaborates with brands, platforms, and publishers to produce and distribute content that shapes culture while engaging audiences. Their primary mission is to make the creator economy more equitable for underrepresented creators, as research has previously found that Black creators, on average, made 35% less than white creators. Ensemble is funded
Operation HOPE And Small Business Adminstration Renews Partnership To Empower Minority Entrepreneurs
Operation HOPE, a national nonprofit focused on entrepreneurship and financial literacy, has renewed its Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) with the US Small Business Administration (SBA). The collaboration aims to uplift small businesses nationwide, with an emphasis on minority-owned enterprises. Expanding Access to Essential Resources During a recent visit to Operation HOPE’s headquarters, SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman and other officials met with the leadership of Operation HOPE. They discussed strategies to extend resources to entrepreneurs, particularly those in underserved communities. Under the renewed agreement, both organizations will enhance access to
