Virtual trucking carrier CloudTrucks has secured a $115 million Series B funding round on a reported $850 million valuation, according to Forbes. The firm, which provides a tech platform that helps small trucking businesses manage their administrative duties, including scheduling, instant payments, expense tracking, was founded by Tobenna Arodiogbu, Jin Shieh, and George Ezenna back in 2019. Tiger Global led its Series B round with Menlo Ventures, Flexport, Michael Ovitz, and Opendoor CEO Eric Wu. The round also includes follow-on investments from Caffeinated Capital, Craft Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Abstract, BTV, and Kindred Ventures. This Series B comes
Gozem, a super app that provides a host of services — including transport, e-commerce, and financial services in Francophone Africa — has raised $5 million in Series A financing. The firm is present across 13 cities, having moved to Gabon and Cameroon with over 800,000 registered users and more than 5 million trips completed. The company, which is based in Togo and Singapore, raised funds from AAIC, Thunes (TransferTo), Momentum Ventures (SMRT), Innoport Ventures (Schulte Group), CMC Ventures (National Express), and Liil Ventures (Mobility ADO). Costamagna, in a statement, said
The Parent Company — a publicly traded U.S. cannabis organization backed by Jay-Z — has named Tiffany Mcbride the managing director of its social equity ventures. She will oversee The Parent Company’s Social Equity Ventures program and help identify more minority entrepreneurs working in the cannabis sector to offer them capital and mentorship. “This is an exciting time to join The Parent Company as the Managing Director of Social Equity Ventures to continue to ensure that minority communities have a seat at the table in the cannabis industry,” McBride said in a press
Hospitality and Outreach for Latin Americans, or HOLA, is donating $5,000 to create the “Dream Big Scholarship Fund” for Latino Students at the tech academy. Some of the students have financial needs but may not have access to state and federal aid. The funds for the donation came from the proceeds from the annual HOLA Festival last August. HOLA’s mission is to enhance cultural diversity and ensure the success of Latinos in the areas of education, health, safety, workforce, economic strength, and leadership ”Well we feel it’s important to grow
Afterpay is hiring! Check out their roles on pocitjobs.com Xin Ge has worked as Afterpay’s Chief Technology and Risk Officer for three and a half years. Throughout his career, Xin has learned the value of professional development in creating successful teams. In this interview, Xin talks about how his experience at big companies like eBay and PayPal prepared him for his role at Afterpay. He also shares what Afterpay is doing to develop diverse teams in the tech industry. Hey, Xin. Could you kindly explain what you do at Afterpay?
Greenwood, a mobile banking platform described as doing it for the culture, seeks to support the Black and brown community in their endeavors to generational wealth. Co-founded by former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, rapper-activist Michael “Killer Mike” Render, and Bounce TV founder Ryan Glover, Greenwood is not a bank itself; instead, it features banking services provided by Coastal Community Bank and will eventually provide financial management services. It reinvests in Black and Latino communities through monthly grants and recently launched a podcast group that specializes in financial literacy and investment
SaLisa Berrien, who recently received a $100,000 Black Founders Fund award from Google for Startups, is expanding COI Energy, a Tampa-based company, across the United States. Recognized by Jason A. Scott last year as one of 30 U.S. black founders to watch in 2021, Berrien was one of 50 companies to receive a $100,000 Black Founders Fund award from Google for Startups. She participated in Google Startups for Women, which she completed last December, and has raised $2 million-plus in funds. Now her goal is to make her firm a global company. With just
The organization, also known as ASC, said this is the largest single donation since its founding in 2013. The organization plans to use the grant award to scale its web development and leadership training programs for young minority men. ASC runs a free, six-week education program over the summer that’s supported by leading tech companies including Google and AT&T. Its “Summer Intensive” program – held in NYC and Pittsburgh – helps teach students about entrepreneurship, game design, computer science and web development over six weeks — for free. The donation
Tech companies are leaving in place disinformation in Spanish or failing to flag fake news on social media platforms after they remove or issue warnings about identical posts in English, according to lawmakers and anti-disinformation activists. On Wednesday – dozens of people joined in on discussions about the spread of online disinformation in Spanish and other languages brewing on major tech platforms. It comes months after NBC News first reported on a rise in Spanish-language disinformation online and on the radio amid the surge of the delta variant of Covid-19. It also follows
Cassie Betts was 19 years old when she became homeless – living from one place to the next and sleeping on bus stop benches and card boxes in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was at times also exposed to “questionable characters at night.” But her drive, love for tech, and supportive mentor helped her come out of that place and get back onto the ladder of success. Although she hasn’t spoken up recently on all she went through during this period of her life – it’s undeniable that she is inspiring dozens
