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
Young people are the future, and one woman, 23-year-old Dazayah Walker, is the epitome of not letting age hold you back. Walker is one of the youngest female venture capitalists, thanks to the impressive investment portfolio she manages and maintains for one of Atlanta’s most prominent entertainment labels, Quality Control. What is Quality Control? Quality Control Music is an American hip hop record label founded by Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas in March 2013. it’s responsible for groundbreaking acts that include Migos, Lil Baby, City Girls, Lil Yachty, and a
According to Inc, Black founders reportedly raised nearly $1.8 billion in the first half of 2021, more than four times the capital raised the same time last year. And stats released by Crunbase showed that Black startup owners raised $400 million in the first six months of 2020 and are already exceeding full-year funding totals for 2020 and 2019 when they raised $1 billion and $1.4 billion. Founders from the community are said to have raised “record amounts of venture capital” in 2021. Still, if we dig a bit deeper, the
Platforms created by Black founders for communities of color continue to blossom. They are providing culturally competent care — acknowledging a patient’s heritage, beliefs, and values during treatment – in ways that other providers aren’t. Racial discrimination in healthcare disadvantages Black and other minority ethnic groups with unequal access to quality healthcare resources. Inspired by their own experiences, these Black entrepreneurs are launching startups that aim to close the cultural gap in health care with technology, create profitable businesses and tackle racism. R.grid Dr. Amber Michelle Hill is considered a force in the
Compton rapper YG is giving more underprivileged communities access to mental health resources and medical care by expanding his 5G TeleHealth Vans program. The news comes days after The West Coast emcee, his TeleHealth program with Todd Gurly and Dion Rambo, and the City of Hawthorne came together to celebrate the addition of three 5G-enabled vans. The vehicles transport internet-connected telecommunications, teleconferencing, and video-conferencing devices and services/computer applications” to underserved areas, allowing virtual meetups between physicians and those in need. “TeleHealth Van is a service that we created for the people in
In June last year, in the midst of violence and a pandemic ravaging the streets of US cities – Justin Shaw built Black Money Builder, a fundraising platform to “empower your community and empower yourself.” Its ultimate goal is to help Black communities rebound from the virus by providing financial relief and bring awareness to current issues that affect the communities worldwide and provide a sense of urgency with potential solutions. The crowdfunding platform also provides Black entrepreneurs a space to build capital and help seed Black visionaries from artists,
Dominican American YouTube star Krystal Lora, with her 323,000 subscribers, is among the most popular technology reviewers, and she’s going from strength to strength as she uses her platform to break down the latest Apple and Google products for growing Latino YouTube audiences. It’s clear that Latinos across the US are shaking things up – whether as founders, investors, tech reviewers, or engineers. Although there’s still a long way to improve diversity in the industry and ensure the community is getting enough support and investment – this Friday POCIT is celebrating
Sabi, a spinoff from the African energy company Rensource, has raised a $6 million bridge round led by pan-African VC firm CRE Venture Capital. A bridge round of financing is exactly what it sounds like – a small round of funding to tide a startup over until its next larger round of fundraising. The money has come a year after it closed a $2 million seed round from CRE Venture Capital, Janngo Capital, Atlantica Ventures, and Waarde Capital. Ademola Adesina, the founder and CEO of Rensource and Anu Adasolum its COO launched the company back
A Black-owned music NFT platform, powered by Trapchain, Inc, has collaborated with indie music artist and native Chicagoan Willie Taylor, to drop his first NFT for his music project, “Write My Wrongs.” Taylor first gained notoriety as a contestant from MTV’s “Making the Band 4”, where Sean Combs chose him (P-Diddy) to be a member and one of the main vocalists for the band Day26 on August 26. 360NFT’s launch and debut NFT release commemorate the band’s popularity and success. Its streamlined ecosystem reportedly makes it easy for users to thrive on the blockchain without
A damning report has found that inflation is hurting the wallets of everyday citizens as it hits a 30-year-high in the US and people of color and rural households are the most affected. Researchers from the Bank Of America have reported that those with less income and wealth are less likely to have savings to buffer the current “inflation shock,” and because of this, their spending power is greater. But lower-income families are also more “exposed” to the goods with the most inflation, researchers wrote in a report released last week. The
