Ellington West is the CEO of Sonavi Labs, a company using a digital stethoscope with Bluetooth connectivity, called Feelix, to identify and diagnose respiratory disease from lung and body sounds. The recognition comes after she closed a seed round with over $3.5 million raised. It was supported by Sand Hill Angels of Silicon Valley, Gaingels, Nightingale Partners, Matt Hellauer of PTX Capital, and other angel investors. The company has also received two grants through the National Institutes of Health worth over $3 million combined. She then went on to win $100,000 in the Princeton Empower 2021 pitch competition. In addition, the company received
Although there aren’t many, Black-owned banks have gone from strength to strength and have enabled the community to accumulate savings, learn finance skills, start their businesses, and more. Some might question why these banks are necessary, and the truth is, in some parts of the world, financial exclusion has put Black people at a severe disadvantage. And if you take a closer inspection at America’s staggering wealth gap where the median wealth for a Black family is just a tenth of a White household’s – it becomes more apparent why minority-owned banks
Black Tech Twitter started an interesting debate earlier this week after speculations spread that Mailchimp employees may not have been adequately compensated with stock after the company’s exit. Prominent Black figures in the tech world, including legend Arlan Hamilton and founder and investor Jewel Burks Solomon joined the stage and shared their concerns. Ms. Solomon, said: “I do really hope Mailchimp employees are taken care of in the deal. Would be huge for Atlanta for that cash to be well distributed.” Her tweet soon got the attention of quite a
Former ESPN data scientist Tiffany Kelly has just raised $2.1million in a seed round of funding for her adtech startup Curastory. The company, first launched in 2019, is a creator tool helping student-athletes by “connecting brands in need of video content with athletes, influencers, and actors who create video content and are willing to create directly for brands,” according to Sport Techie. Lightspeed, Techstars, and Mindspring Capital led the funding round to help Curastory’s staff expansion, market growth, and sales and engineering footprint. The milestone seed comes after the firm secured a deal with
In 2020, despite a global pandemic, a total of 89 companies gained unicorn status globally. According to CB Insights and as of January 2021, there are 537 unicorns worldwide with a total value of $1.6 billion. 2020 was a record year for investment into the African startup ecosystem. The African Tech Startups Funding Report 2020 highlights that 397 African startups have raised a fund equivalent to $701.5 million USD. Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa stand out as the main destinations of capital, with 89.2% of the total amount of funds
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss fashion designer Virgil Abloh selling a majority stake in Off-White to LVMH but what is the cost of losing its Black-owned status? (21:58) They also break down: Twitter’s new dislike button (1:03) Bezos vs Branson’s space flight (5:30) Clubhouse is open to the public but is it too late? (9:32) Why Black employees prefer to work remotely and the Netflix employees that were caught slipping on Slack (12:20) Sponsors Get your ticket for Inbound 2021! Speakers include Oprah Winfrey, Tristan Walker, and
More new Black-owned companies were formed in 2020 than at any time in the last 25 years. However, we do know the significant challenges Black and Brown founders face trying to gain much-needed venture capital and investment for their businesses. Despite a bleak outlook, some minority entrepreneurs have found ways to attract investment during a chaotic pandemic year. In fact, Black founders are raising record amounts of venture capital funds in 2021. How are founders finding investment? Lockdowns theoretically made investors easier to reach. Many founders are now more accessible virtually through Zoom and
Earlier this month, social media was buzzing as Black TikTokers purported to go on strike from the popular social platform. The hashtag #Blacktiktokersonstrike and the slogan ‘They can’t do it without us’ were used to support the Black creators who refused to choreograph new dances on the app. This was in protest against the appropriation of their content by white users. With the controversies that plague social media platforms: the appropriation of Black culture, the disrespect and hate, the erasure, and the lack of financial compensation, has it come time
We rounded up a list of talented, passionate, and hardworking tech entrepreneurs who are inspiring business innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Here is a short intro on four AfroLatinX who are making waves in the industry and are ones sure to watch! The Founder Providing Capital to Underrepresented Entrepreneurs A first-generation Afro-LatinX immigrant is undoubtedly making a name for himself in the startup world, using his talents to create a space for more people like him in tech. Luis Martinez is the founder of We Tha Plug, an incubator designed to help
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss Instagram’s new feature will let online shops identify as Black-owned to better attract users wanting to show support. (28:00) They also break down: Bezos steps down and Amazon strives to be Earth’s best employer (0:20) Is it the end of an era for innovation for Big Tech companies? (5:00) Sha’Carri Richardson’s ban from the Tokoyo Olympics, cannabis, and the politics of sport (8:55) The pros and cons of Robinhood going public (16:48) The online scam taking money from your bank transfers (23:40)
