If any of you are unfamiliar with the lyrical genius of Craig David, please click the link and make your self-isolation a better place. (and this blog post makes sense!) “Got the information on Mondaaaaaay” Purely through chance, I sent my monthly investor update on Monday 9th March, on the eve of the Week of Realisation about the Coronavirus crisis. I signed off my usual SUPPORT section with a simple question: Almost immediately, several investors responded with variations on the following; So I paused all planned work for the day
Women founders of color deserve recognition — and money. It’s time to replace the window-dressing with real representation. On International Women’s Day, we should focus on the numbers and the right numbers. International Women’s Day (#IWD2020) was designed to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of all women — while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality. So instead of letting this day pass as yet another PR opportunity to highlight a company or firm’s gender diversity with one specific racial background, let’s take a
In honor of Black History Month, a group of Black founders, VCs, and tech professionals put together the most comprehensive list of US-based venture-backed Black founders ever. In honor of Black History Month ✊🏾, a group of Black founders, VCs, and tech professionals put together the most comprehensive list of US-based venture-backed Black founders ever. We hope this will be an inspiration to a generation and serve as a running historical record of Black founders, both past and present. The release of Jessica Livingston’s book “Founders At Work” has inspired
TL;DR We don’t have a diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) tech industry. We need one to serve the market better, take the money that’s being left on the table, and produce outsized returns for all. There’s a lack of dollars going to underestimated founders and companies addressing underserved communities, and a lack of diverse check writers. How can we make it a DEI tech industry? Approaches can include, but are not limited to: Increasing the number of underestimated tech talent (also promote, sponsor, and pay well) Increasing the dollars going
What a whirlwind of a weekend! On Saturday, Feb 1, 2020, the first day of Black History Month, ✊🏾 if you opened your Apple App Store, you would’ve been greeted with some unapologetic Black Girl Magic ✨. That’s me. I never thought of myself as a techie up until just a few years ago, but here I was this weekend on millions of screens as the “Meet the Developer” spotlight. This experience has taught me so much about the expectations I set for myself and the authenticity I choose to share with others.
RIIIICKYYYYYYYYYYY. That moment the red saloon cruised towards the alleyway, as the window slowly came down to reveal a shotgun-wielding menace to society (who upon writing this I’ve come to learn wasn’t, in fact, Chris Tucker), his eyes gazing with the worst of all intentions towards our lovable Ricky, is etched into movie Folklore. Poor Ricky. Singleton’s acclaimed masterpiece introduced mainstream cinema and the wider world to the life and times in South Central LA, where life for those living in it was akin to living in a warzone; where
Kerry Schrader is woman, Black, and a Baby Boomer. She overcame the odds to make her tech company, Mixtroz, big news. Kerry Schrader was the 37th Black woman to raise $1 million for a startup. Her daughter and business partner in their company, Mixtroz, Ashlee Ammons, was number 38. Schrader is proud of her achievement but admits, “Each time I say it, I become more disenchanted with it.” Why? She has a hunch that if she and her daughter could have presented Mixtroz anonymously, it would be valued at a quarter
This article captures the pain-staking yet exhilarating fundraising journey of the TRIM-IT App founders Darren Tenkorang, Nathan Maalo, Nana Darko and Peter Lloyd. TRIM-IT is a mobile barbershop service that via an app offers a subscription service for men to get their hair cut [sans the hassle of traveling or long queues]. On the brink of shutting down their companyy, the universe threw a life jacket of $250,000! Based on this viral twitter thread, CEO Darren shows us that resilience is key when it comes to fundraising! For those that
My birthday is in exactly six weeks. I wake up every night thinking about telling this story. So I am telling it now. Six months ago, I was living in New York and flew back home (San Francisco Bay Area, Redwood City) for a board meeting and to be part of an entrepreneur video series profile of me. Before the board meeting, I asked for an aspirin. I had a weird headache but I thought it was the travel. My board meetings are never stressful because I have great board
Every year around 0.2% of business funding goes to Black women so last year when Joycelyn and I set out to raise £360k ($450k) whilst I had a very visible baby bump, we knew we’d have a serious fight on our hands… At this years London Tech Week, I was flicking through my notes and saw that a year ago we didn’t know the difference between VC and angel investment. Under a year after attending events to learn about investment, in an environment where young black women aren’t funded, we
