Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, a multi-Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, has recently raised $7.5 million for his startup, EngineEars. Ali’s journey in music has been marked by his work with influential artists like Roddy Ricch, Donald Glover, and Kendrick Lamar. Ali’s Journey To Music Ali’s passion for music emerged from having little to no formal musical training and growing up with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He found his calling in high school by experimenting with technology and music, leading to his early experiments with custom ringtones that laid the groundwork for a
Black-owned startup The SMART Tire Company (STC) is calling on Black celebrities, investors, and engineers to help disrupt the global tire market industry at $300 billion. SMART tires: TIME’s Best Inventions STC is best known for its space-age tires, which are changing the way vehicles perform on and off the road. The tires were initially designed for NASA’s Mars Rover program, but STC was founded to commercialize this advanced tire technology as part of the FedTech NASA Startup Program. The company’s inaugural product is a high-performance, airless bicycle tire made
Black-owned London-based startup Koalaa has recently closed a significant funding round of $1.2 million (£925,000) for its world-first soft prosthetic arms. Koalaa Established in 2020 by Imperial College alumnus Nate Macabuag, Koalaa has been dedicated to addressing three critical challenges faced by the limb difference community worldwide. These are access, affordability, and comfort, with their creations crafted from breathable fabric, offering a lightweight alternative to conventional prosthetics. Macabuag was named as part of the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe Class of 2021. His design through Koalaa has proven to especially
NASA plans to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for a future diverse workforce. NASA’s Mission Equity This week, the agency published its Equity Action Plan 2023, which included new commitments to continue removing inequitable barriers and challenges facing underserved communities. In line with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to racial equity (Executive Order 14091), NASA’s plan represents a contribution towards a more equitable society. The 2023 Equity Plan includes increasing the utilization and integration of contractors and businesses from underserved communities to expand equity in NASA’s procurement process. It
To mark Black History Month, a new game titled “Guess, Jerry!” has made its debut on the App Store. Created by Microsoft Senior Software Engineer Michael Curd, the app pays tribute to Jerry Lawson, who shaped modern video gaming. Father Of Video Game Cartridge Jerry is an AI buddy inspired by video game legend Jerry Lawson, who was often named the “Father of the video game cartridge”. Lawson was one of the first prominent African American figures in the gaming industry. As chief hardware engineer for Fairchild Semiconductor, Lawson steered
An Atlanta-area Black-owned tech company founded by Derek Bailey hopes to change the delivery industry with the Exceeder app. Atlanta’s All-Electric Vehicle Delivery Service Exceeder is an all-electric vehicle delivery service offering sustainable electric SUVs, pickup trucks, and scooters for rent. At the heart of its innovation is the Proteus Generator, a patented gas-to-electric-circulation generator that transforms fuel into low-carbon electricity, redefining recharging for electric vehicles. “The Proteus generator basically puts the power plant onboard the vehicle, eliminating the need to plug into an external power source,” Bailey told Digital
Y Combinator-backed startup DryMerge has launched its platform that uses AI to write event-driven workflows for developers, businesses, and their customers. Edward Frazer and Samuel Brashears co-founded the startup to address the problems they faced as engineers and founders. In addition to engineering challenges, the pair found that many repetitive operational processes required coordination between SaaS tools and internal infrastructure. This inspired them to build DryMerge to make building solutions for these things as easy as explaining the problem. As easy as a conversation with a co-worker DryMerge uses AI
In today’s tumultuous tech world, internships and co-op programs are essential for Black and Brown students eager to make their mark. We’ve handpicked some of the internships and co-ops you should apply for on POCIT! But first, some FAQs: Why do an internship or co-op? Internships and co-ops are more than just resume-fillers. They’re about hands-on learning in a professional environment. You can team up with full-time professionals who mentor you on actual projects. Enjoy office resources, attend talks and social events, and dive into work that excites you. Link up
This year’s top stories reflect the challenges, opportunities, and dynamic changes in the tech industry and broader society. Unsurprisingly, many of these years’ top stories concern the boom in generative AI, from developing the “BlackGPT” to concerns around the historical and present-day harms and philosophies underpinning AI developments. We’ve also shared stories of Black innovation, Latine entrepreneurship, workplace wins and challenges, collective triumph, and personal tragedy. Here are the ten stories that resonated with you, our POCIT readers, the most this year. 10. Cash App’s Appeal in the Black Community
Engineer turned consultant Mohamed Kande is set to become PwC’s next global chair and the first Black person to lead the Big Four firm. Meet Mohamed Kande Two years ago, Kande took to LinkedIn to detail his unique life story that spanned several countries and three continents. Kande grew up in the Ivory Coast with his half-Lebanese mother in a Catholic and Muslim family before moving to France at 16. He stated that France was not always an inclusive place in the 1980s, as he had encounters with far-right extremists
