American clothing company, Old Navy, will donate $500,000 to the Fifteen Percent Pledge to support the growth of Black creative entrepreneurs. The collaboration, an expansion of the Old Navy’s Project WE series, marks the first product collaboration for the Pledge to support diverse artists as they enter the retail industry on a national level. Project WE, launched in 2021, has helped create a space for diverse and talented artists to gain visibility and equitable access. “Old Navy is proud to amplify and celebrate diverse voices through our Project WE initiative
Leading alcohol e-commerce shop, Drizly, has announced the launch of its ‘Sip with Purpose’ program, dedicated to supporting and driving BIPOC-, LGBTQIA-, and woman-owned brands in the alcohol industry. The platform’s ‘Sip with Purpose’ Brand Accelerator Program is now open for applications. The initiative, which will be highly beneficial for underrepresented founders, aims to provide businesses with a $4 million media commitment to raise awareness and drive support for these brands. Drizly, founded in 2012, is one of North America’s largest online alcohol marketplaces. The platform, which offers a variety
Minneapolis-based e-commerce app, GoodCarts, has partnered with Shopify and Operation HOPE to help build Black-owned online businesses through the 1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB) initiative. Black-owned financial, educational platform, Operation HOPE, is a leading global provider of financial dignity education and economic empowerment programs for low-income or moderate-income youth. The organization founded by John Hope Bryant aims to create a whole new approach to community upliftment. Its 1MBB initiative, in partnership with Shopify, will help millions of Black businesses start, grow, and scale over the next decade to ensure the racial
Black-owned startup, thirdweb, has raised $24 million in investment funding. The funding round led by Haun Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Shopify, and Polygon, also included Shrug VC, Joseph Lacob, and others. The ground-breaking tech startup founded by Steven Bartlett and Furqan Rydhan aims to provide developers with a Web3 development kit to help reduce the time and cost of building and launching applications. The developer tool assists programmers in building NFTs, marketplaces, DAOs, and more. “Web3 is the most important technological shift I’ve witnessed in my lifetime,” said Steven Bartlett, co-founder
SquadTrip, an automated payment solution for large and small group trips, has launched its new online platform. Travel organizers can create booking pages, accept payments efficiently, and manage communication and financials in one place. SquadTrip is the first travel platform targeting millennials with flexible payment installments, Apple Pay checkout, and promo codes. The new software as a service (or SaaS) platform is a time-saving tool that eliminates the need for tracking payments using spreadsheets or sending multiple text/email messages. Travel professionals can build customized trip pages and travel packages and
Black women are 84% more likely to be abused on social media than white women, according to a 2018 Amnesty International study. By 2020, further research by Glitch, a UK charity committed to ending the abuse of women and marginalized people online, found that online abuse against women disproportionately impacts Black women, non-binary people, and women from minoritized communities, all of whom were more likely to feel like their complaints to social media companies were not adequately addressed. Black women in the public eye bear the brunt of online trolling. Seyi Akiwowo, the
According to Insider Intelligence, there are currently over 2 million podcasts and 424.2 million podcast listeners worldwide in 2022, a 10.6% increase from the previous year. As of 2020, the global podcasting market size was valued at $11.46 billion. It grew to $13.785 billion in 2021 and is expected to be a massive $153.07 billion in 2030, according to Acumen Research and Consulting. This growth has been spurred by a number of factors – from the proliferation of new celebrity shows, investments from companies like Spotify, and the increased affordability and availability of tech such as smartphones
Black Girls CODE board member Heather Hiles is breaking their silence regarding allegations made against them from Black Girls CODE founder Kimberly Bryant. Hiles’ comments are the latest in a still developing fight between Black Girls CODE’s board and the nonprofit’s recently ousted founder Kimberly Bryant. Earlier this month, Black Girls CODE announced that they have officially removed Bryant from the organization. The announcement follows Bryant’s own move to take ownership of the narrative. The Business Insider reports that Bryant has filed a suit in federal court against Black Girls CODE, alleging that she was
Black Business Month isn’t over just yet! Amazon has announced that they are testing a new badge that aims to help boost the exposure of Black-owned businesses that buy and sell products through its online store. The initiative, which comes just after the anniversary of the app’s first Black Business Accelerator program, will highlight to customers when a Black-owned business sells a featured offer product. That way, customers can discover, shop, buy and support Black-owned businesses, ultimately helping small business owners expand their clientele and reach a broader demographic. “As part of
Angeles Investors have announced the winners of this year’s Estrellas award. The line-up features a collection of the top 40 funders and venture capital firms investing in Hispanic and Latinx startups. This year’s cohort exemplifies leadership in investing in top startups and Hispanic and Latinx founders, among the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. economy. “It’s exciting to see the number of top funders and venture capital groups investing in Latino startups grow,” said Adele Cepeda, Angeles Investors Board Chair and Director at BMO Financial Corporation. “In 2020, we started
