Kenyan insurtech startup Lami Technologies has acquired Bluewave Insurance Agency for an undisclosed amount as it seeks to make insurance covers accessible to more people across Africa. The deal has also opened up new markets for Lami, which states that its technology enables underwriters and businesses to streamline insurance via a single platform, in Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo where Bluewave already has operations. Bluewave insurance, also a Kenyan startup, was founded by Adelaide Odhiambo, who now joins Lami as the head of commercial partnerships. Since its inception, Bluewave has
This week, a new networking platform was launched to help Black tech workers make connections and grow their careers. Launched by Lekan Olawoye, founder and CEO of Black Professionals In Tech (BPTN), the Obsidi platform will serve as a conduit to opportunities for black professionals. The site allows users to upload resumes, build professional relationships, network, and leverage career development resources. His platform is a multi-sided marketplace focused on reducing the “network gap” in tech. Users can be invited to join the platform or may join themselves directly through the
Travel, by nature and at its core, is about celebrating diversity. The very idea of visiting a new destination, meeting new people, and discovering new cultures breaks down barriers and helps us find common ground. But unfortunately, not everyone gets the opportunity to experience a good, drama-free trip without casual racism or microaggressions whether from waiters, waitresses, or bar staff. Believe it or not, it’s been almost half a decade since I last traveled, and as I prepare for my trip to Italy this year with my fiance I started researching
As the Latinx community continues to represent a significant and growing percentage of both the US workforce and the country’s business owners, they are shaping up to be a major force in the future of the economy, according to reports. But over the past five years, tech and science jobs in the United States have outnumbered qualified workers by roughly 3 million. And according to a recent study – the next decade could see a global shortage of more than 85 million tech workers, representing $8.5 trillion in lost annual revenue. In
Law enforcement officials have said that six children are suspected of orchestrating a nationwide campaign of bomb threats against historically Black colleges. More than a dozen universities and places of worship have been targeted by hoax calls, which reportedly spiked on the first day of Black History Month on Tuesday, according to widespread media reports. According to law enforcement, the minors appear to be using sophisticated methods to disguise the source of the threats, which seem to have a racist motivation. “A bomb threat against the university is being investigated,”
Plug In South LA has announced its third tech accelerator program focused on Black and Latinx communities. The benefits of the tech accelerator will include potential grants of up to $40,000 and possible seed investments and pilot partnerships. Mentors in the program will include leaders and executives from the California Health Care Foundation, Courtside Ventures, RareBreed Ventures, and Zeal Capital Partners, among others. “We are keen to help Founders secure capital and investment plus help them leverage the LA start ecosystem to develop traction and momentum around their company,” notes Derek Smith, founder of
On Monday, the rapper took to Instagram to share with over 10 million followers that he will not be endorsing non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Instead, Kanye will continue to place his focus on his products, the “real world,” “real food,” “real clothes,” and “real shelter.” “STOP ASKING ME TO DO NFT’s I’M NOT FINNA CO-SIGN … FOR NOW I’M NOT ON THAT WAVE I MAKE MUSIC AND PRODUCTS IN THE REAL WORLD,” he wrote for his Instagram caption. At the end of Kanye’s note, he adds “ASK ME LATER.” So, perhaps
Dennis Cail started Dallas-based Zirtue, a fintech platform that helps people lend money to family or friends at 0 percent interest for terms of less than one year, or 5 percent for longer-term loans, in 2016. The app “helps keep the lights on, the car running,” Cail says. According to the Federal Reserve, in 2019 the typical White family in the U.S. had eight times the wealth of the typical Black family. “Less wealth means Black Americans are underrepresented in the market for financial products and services,” states a 2020 report from McKinsey. Here are four more Black
Casava, the self-described “Nigeria’s first 100% digital insurance company”, has raised a $4 million pre-seed round. It was first founded by Bode Pedro. Before starting Casava, Pedro ran VisaCover, an insurance brokerage company, in 2014. The idea for Casava came while VisaCover provided an alternative in the auto insurance market by allowing drivers of Uber, which was one of its partners, to make weekly insurance payments instead of quarterly or yearly payments insurance partners before it operated, according to TechCrunch. He left the VisaCover company in 2016 and Pedro brought on Olusegun
If you’re interested in supporting Black voices in the gaming industry, look no further than these three titles that are either out now or currently in development. Here POCIT has made a list of three Black developers who’ve created their own video games. Shawn Alexander Shawn is the game designer, animator, visual artist, writer, and founder of Nuchallenger, an independent games and culture studio. Before creating his game – Treachery in Beatdown City – Shawn worked for almost five years at Rockstar games, where he worked on GTA IV Complete,
