Is there anything Keke can’t do? Actress and entertainer, Keke Palmer, has officially become the host of Meta’s ‘Are We There Yet?’, a digital series that focuses on shining a light on the developments currently taking place within the Metaverse. According to the outlet, the new series will see the entertainer sit down with creators, educators, and experts “to find out where the metaverse stands now and what’s coming in the future.” In addition, this video series will showcase how the Metaverse can help “bring people together like never before.”
Billionaire philanthropist Robert F. Smith recently announced the launch of the Student Freedom Initiative, a program designed to provide paid internships to HBCU students. Robert F. Smith will launch the Student Freedom Initiative’s HELPS Program in partnership with financial regulation company Prudential Finance. The partnership will address Black students’ disproportionate financial loan burden, which often hinders their career progression. The program aims to provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) HBCU students with $1.8 million in microgrants, which will act as a contingent fund alongside their traditional college loans. Robert F. Smith, famously known
WNBA star turned software engineer, Neisha Butler, recently announced the opening of her educational center, S.T.E.A.M. Champs in New York, dedicated to kickstarting Brooklyn kids’ learning development in coding, robotics, and app development. The educational center in Downton Brooklyn specializes in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). The establishment aims to nurture future industry leaders by giving them a head start in reading data and developing solutions to complex problems, all necessary skills needed to help kickstart their future careers. “We’re excited to bring quality STEM curriculum to the Brooklyn and
There is an ever-growing list of schemes and networks which support diverse and underrepresented founders in Europe’s tech ecosystem. From Czechitas, a non-profit aiming to increase diversity in the tech sector through education and workshop initiatives, to Diverse and Equal — UK, a two-day conference on diversity and inclusion held in Manchester – there’s an increase in communities working on upskilling those from diverse backgrounds, empowering migrants and refugees, and engaging young people in tech. Here’s a list of other initiatives Diversidays — France This organization promotes social, cultural, and
Non-profit tech platform, CodeHouse, has received a $1 million grant from Google.org to commence its second year of the CodeHouse Scholars Initiative (CHSI). The program provides opportunities for Black and Latinx students aspiring to enter the STEM industry. It is committed to building a diverse tech workforce in the US and offers four years of mentorship to underrepresented students attending HBCUs to help them kickstart a career in STEM. CodeHouse, co-founded in 2019 by Morehouse alumni Ernest Holmes, Jaycee Holmes, and Tavis Thompson, focuses on tackling the diversity gap in the tech industry. Their initiative program provides mentorship
On July 11, New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, announced that the city will be boosting its STEM programs with the help of a $1.5 million grant from Pfizer, a biopharmaceutical company known for developing a COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer’s donation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will specifically support students in two STEM-related initiatives, Exploring Futures and College Now for Careers. The programs help support the city’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational programs. The extra funding will also go towards building a career pathway for students to help them break into the industry. “Thanks
Children’s social media platform Zigazoo has raised $17 million in Series A funding. Liberty City Ventures led the funding round, which included the National Basketball Association (NBA), Causeway Capital Management, Dapper Labs, OneFootball, Medici VC, Animoca Brands, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Zigazoo, founded by Zak Ringelstein in 2020, has become one of the leading platforms for children’s short-form videos. The digital program, which has recently launched a non-fungible token (NFT) collection, aims to provide children with a safe and positive community where they can find joy, develop healthy online relationships,
Tech giant Apple has celebrated the inauguration of the first class to graduate from their US Developer Academy program. The program was launched as part of Apple’s $100 million Racial Equity and Justice scheme and is the first of its kind to take place in North America. The scheme has provided students with the necessary skills and knowledge to land some of the most prestigious jobs in the tech industry. The Detroit-based academy offers members of the community a free program to teach them the fundamentals of coding, design, marketing, and
London and Kenyan-based educational entertainment company, Kukua, has raised $6 million in its latest investment round. The funding round was co-led by world-leading technology company Tencent and Italy-based VC Alchimia and included participation from EchoVC, Firstminute Capital, and Auxxo Female Catalyst. Kukua, co-founded by Alexandre Terrien and Lucrezia Bisignani in 2015, uses technology to create magical learning experiences for children centered around a universe of superhero characters. The company is best known for creating the first-ever African animated superhero series, ‘Super Sema,’ and aims to empower the children of the
Cryptocurrency platform Binance has joined forces with TikTok star Khaby Lame for the launch of their new NFT series. The influencer, who will join the team as a brand ambassador, will use his signature moves to debunk myths surrounding crypto and the blockchain space. The partnership will see Lame create content that helps clear up any misconceptions people may have around Web3 and cryptocurrencies. As a result, fans will not only be able to purchase exclusive Khaby Lame NFT collections, but they will also have access to educational resources to
