Co-founded by Calvin Foster, a software engineer from Murfreesboro, The Black Codes help provide resources to increase representation in the Black tech community. According to the McKinsey Study for Black economic mobility analysis, as of 2021, only 4.5% of software developers in America are Black. It also reported that by 2030, about 6.7 million Black workers – 42% percent of the Black labor force – will be out of work due to automation. People in those roles will need to return to school to develop more marketable skills. While STEM degrees are required for many
The Black Founders Matter venture fund recently announced the introduction of the 25 by 25 Pledge, which encourages venture capitalists to commit to investing a quarter of their funds into BIPOC women founders by the year 2025. The pledge also requires VC firms to have 25% of their staff be BIPOC women, believing the increase in diversity behind the scenes will help pivot more deal flow into marginalized communities. Campaigners have been demanding greater diversity in tech for years and Crunchbase data published earlier this year revealed BIPOC women are
Nana Ghartey’s voice assistant software may have started out in his grandmother’s house, but it’s now being used by the thousands of older and visually-impaired people all over Ghana excluded by Western voice technology. How did he get into tech? Ghartey taught himself mobile app development and built desktop applications, websites, and eventually mobile games, none of which were part of his school curriculum, by reading the programming textbooks that an uncle visiting from the US had left behind. Here’s his story. In 2010, the wealthiest American tech companies had
Shonda Rhimes and Netflix are partnering on The Producers Inclusion Initiative and The Ladder. These are two new and paid programs to expand opportunities for emerging creatives in TV and film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Both initiatives are a part of Rhimes’ commitment to expanding the representation of those in front of and behind the camera and they are also underwritten in part by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity. According to a post from Netflix back in February, “the Fund has already committed $14.5 million toward programs that help
Brothers Raees and Ameer Cajee promised patrons they could make small fortunes off Bitcoin using their company, Africrypt. But in 2021, the brothers fled South Africa, claiming criminals had hacked the platform. According to angry investors, they fled with $3.6 billion in Bitcoin. The brothers were accused of carrying out the biggest Bitcoin heist in history. Local media, including Independent Online and ITWeb, were the first to report on the case. In 2019, Ameer Cajee and his younger brother, Raees Cajee, founded the crypto investment app Africrypt. The company claimed it used a trading
Justin Samuels, the CEO of Render Atlanta and qualified engineer, is on a mission to build on that influence by making Atlanta a true power player in the world of technology, essentially blending software engineering with culture. What does his company Render Atlanta do? It’s a software engineering experience; where tech meets culture, inclusion, and accessibility. RenderATL is a four-day software engineering conference & music festival featuring your next career opportunity with 50+ expert speakers in tech covering upcoming and current best software engineering practices, web3, engineering leadership, accessibility practices, and more.
Over in Los Angeles, Jonathan Moore, 25, left his Wall Street career to work as an analyst at TCG Capital Management. He pitched the idea for the firm to launch a crypto fund, believing the intersection of web3 and the creator economy could tap a generation of untapped talent. Since launching the fund in September 2021, he has closed over 20 deals and says the outlook for this year is equally promising. He’s not the only young person getting into the VC scene. Gen Zs are getting into the space
LifeTagger, a business with the aim of transforming an organization’s information, service, and experience delivery, has announced its partnership for the third consecutive year with NOLAvate Black’s 5th annual Black Tech NOLA conference, to provide attendees with exclusive content. Black Tech NOLA is the largest convening of tech creatives in the south celebrating the intersection of tech, art, and culture. It was first launched in 2018 but in 2020, Black Tech NOLA received over 1100 registrants and participants from around the globe for its first-ever virtual event with talks, panel discussions, virtual
Last year Google for Startups launched a $2 million grant fund to help tackle the racial inequality in the European tech industry. That Google for Startups Black Founders Fund ended up doubling to $4 million (£3 million), and now 40 Black-led tech startups across Europe will receive grants from the fund. Prior to the fund’s launch in 2021, less than 0.25% of venture capital (VC) funding went to Black-led startups in the UK. How does the fund work? Each startup will be given $100,000 in non-dilutive cash awards, up to
Small businesses are feeling the pressure of economic challenges, from navigating inflation to supply chain management and beyond, placing an increased need for financial relief. According to a survey conducted in January 2022, Black-owned businesses hit record levels of lower sales, with more than half reporting lower sales than in the previous year. To combat the issues experienced by their businesses, the Coalition to Back Black Businesses (CBBB) was established by American Express and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in September 2020 to support the long-term success and resilience
