Founding President at Public Ventures, Zoey Dash McKenzie, has launched a $100 million impact fund to nurture the next generation of life science and climate tech startups emerging from academic research. TechCrunch reports that McKenzie is particularly keen to support Canada-based life science and clean tech startups that focus on improving health equity and supporting climate preparedness for underserved communities. Investing in climate equity According to UN Women, women and girls experience the most significant impacts of climate change, amplifying existing gender inequalities and posing unique threats to their livelihoods,
James DuBose, former General Manager of Fox Soul, is launching In The Black Network, an Advertising-Based Video on Demand (AVOD) platform dedicated to celebrating and amplifying Black culture. The platform will launch on October 2 of this year. “I love everything about our culture: our faith, our resilience, our rhythm, our minds, our love. These pillars are the focus of our curated content which honors and elevates black culture and cultivates pride within our community,” James DuBose told Deadline. In The Black Network The platform will be a streaming service highlighting Black voices
Founder and CEO of market investment firm Vista Equity Partners Robert Smith has announced plans to sell Apptio – a company that helps connect technology investments to business outcomes – to IBM for $4.6 billion. Having bought the software maker for $1.9 billion in 2019, the firm has now doubled its initial investment with a return of 142% on the initial payment to acquire the company. In a separate statement, IBM revealed that it would use cash on hand to fund the deal, which should be complete in the second half of 2023.
Left Fielder Media is the Black-owned media tech studio producing innovative & immersive stories at the intersection of film, blockchain, gaming, fashion, and future tech. We spoke with the creators behind the visionary company that recently signed a deal with Neon, the web3 game studio producing the highly anticipated shooter game Shrapnel. From childhood friends to co-founders Atlanta-based creators Dom Cole and Stephen Philms formed the media tech startup in 2020 to change how Black people view gaming and space for years to come. “Me and Stephen have known each other for a long time.
Rapper and entertainer turned entrepreneur Romeo Miller, has announced his partnership with Richard Patterson, the first Black person to own and operate an exotic car manufacturing company in the United States, Trion SuperCars. Their new venture, Trion and Shango, according to AfroTech, aims to make the tech and automotive landscape greener. “We aim to create a world where cutting-edge innovations harmonize with environmental consciousness, positively impacting our planet for generations to come,” said Miller, formerly known as Lil’ Romeo. Reports have recently found that Big Tech companies can also be significant contributors to emitting carbon dioxide
21-year-old Yemi Agesin is one of the few students from across the globe who was awarded Apple’s most prestigious award – the 2023 Swift Student Challenge. His baseball game explores the intricate and high-level strategies that go into a batter v. pitcher matchup, incorporating SpriteKit and SwiftUI following his lifelong passion for baseball. His Journey to the Game As a computer science student at Kennesaw State University, he had been coding for many years, beginning in middle school. “During our lunch break in middle school, a few others invited me to come with
The Fifteen Percent Pledge was launched three years ago by creative director, activist and fashion designer Aurora James to urge major retailers and corporations to commit 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. Since then, more than 625 Black-owned businesses have developed business relationships with 29 companies across three countries that have taken the pledge such as Ulta, Sephora, Vogue, Macy’s and Old Navy. According to Forbes, the Pledge’s work with its partners has created the potential to shift $14 billion to Black entrepreneurs and businesses. Now, to mark
A new report by Dropbox DocSend has shed light on the funding divide in the tech industry, particularly regarding race and gender disparities among founders. While 2021 witnessed record-breaking levels of VC funding and increased engagement with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, 2022 proved to be more challenging for historically underfunded founders. Turning tides In 2021, VC funding for early-stage founders experienced a significant boost, with record-breaking funding levels. Historically underrepresented founders also experienced a surge of investor interest driven by DEI-related investment initiatives in response to the murder
Co-founder and CEO at Heex Technologies, Bruno Mendes Da Silva, has announced that his startup has signed a public contract with US Authorities. We previously wrote about Heex’s smart data management platform helping carmakers sift through the sea of data required to put autonomous vehicles on the road. Now, this new partnership will see the team provide their software solution to process data from Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility operators as part of the Automated Driving System program in California. The data will foster safety standards and rulemaking of autonomous vehicles
This Juneteenth, we want to celebrate some Black startups that have set out to uplift and support the Black community. What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned that slavery had been abolished – two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The first Juneteenth was observed in 1866 and has been celebrated by Black Americans ever since. It is often referred to as the country’s second independence day and became an official
