The price of Bitcoin is surging. A new all time high for BTC reaching above $50K this month has everyone talking, bitcoin, crypto and investing. Major institutional investors, celebrity endorsements and payments firms like Mastercard and PayPal are investing in the cryptocurrency. Since the creation of Bitcoin 11 years ago, a growing number of people are turning to a new monetary system, one that is not controlled by any single authority. Cryptocurrency is a decentralized system run by a network of computers. In what some call a financial revolution, the rise in popularity of
Nigeria, often dubbed ‘Africa’s Silicon Valley,’ is making a name for itself. Meet the talented Nigerians on the continent and the diaspora leading tech companies, building multi-million [and even billion] dollar businesses, investing in their community, and taking their talents globally. Tope Awotona | Founder, Calendly Awotona spent his early years as the second youngest in seven in a lower class neighborhood of Lagos, Nigeria. Yet, Awotona is the mastermind and founder behind a rarity – a Black-owned unicorn, the scheduling powerhouse, ‘Calendly.’ In an interview with Fortune, Tope talks
What we know for so far Colin Kaepernick intends to raise $250 million through a SPAC, a blank-check company. Named ‘Mission Advancement’ it will target a $1billion US company that has a social mission. The SPAC board is made up entirely of Black, Indigenous and people of color and majority women. Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who took a knee during the national anthem to protest systemic racism and police brutality —is now searching for a $1 billion company with a social purpose. Kaepernick known for his
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss some of the downfalls of unconscious bias training in corporate settings that are leading to diversity setbacks. They also break down: Bumbles CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd files IPO Will Smith and Janet Hubert burying the hatchet Finding the right career paths in tech (employee, founder, or VC?) Starbucks ties executive compensation to diversity goals Extras: Techish on PatreonAdvertise with TechishPlease rate and review the Techish podcast Follow Techish on IG & Twitter Subscribe To The Techish Podcast On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, And Other Platforms.
The number of Black-owned businesses has risen dramatically. Research shows, since 2007, the number of firms owned by African-American women has grown by 164%. Yet despite the knowledge, innovation, and let’s face it – the hustle, minority entrepreneurs, are being shut out when it comes to access to capital. However, many Black and Brown celebrities are growing their investment portfolios and flexing their VC muscle. Not only are they investing in startups and hooking up founders with serious capital, but they are also using their platform and wealth to empower
Cummins is hiring on pocitjobs.com “I realize that I am one of the highest-ranking African Americans in a Fortune 200 company across all of North America,” David Ojo confesses. “That is a very scary proposition for me.” As Cummins’ Director of Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, David shares his career journey, the important guidance and mentorship he’s received to rise through the ranks, and his next initiatives to improve the company’s pipeline for Black hires. He understands his important role in not only affirming the self-beliefs of many Black employees and
Update: Meet Five Black-Led Startups That Have Achieved Unicorn Status The term unicorn in the tech space is synonymous with hugely successful tech companies (think Uber, Airbnb, Stripe, Pinterest, & DropBox). Its a term given to a private company with a $1 billion valuation. Although still very much a rarity, the number of unicorn startups is higher than ever. According to recent stats, there are 506 tech unicorns globally. So how does a company founded by a POC reach unicorn status? There is no definitive recipe for success. When less than
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss this year’s biggest tech stories, including the Black founders, companies and social movements who won big in 2020! They also break down: The companies that successfully pivoted in 2020 (0:52) Smart business moves by Black founders (5:07) #BlackLivesMatter and #ENDSARS movements (6:19) The rise of Black content creators (8:05) Quibi, Kanye & virtual influencers take the L (9:55) How should we prepare for 2021? (24:40) Extras: Techish on PatreonAdvertise with TechishPlease rate and review the Techish podcast Subscribe To The Techish Podcast On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, And Other
Damilola Olokesusi is the Co-founder and CEO of Shuttlers, a tech transport startup. In 2015, Olokesusi and her friends — Damilola Quadry and Busola Majekodunmi — were frustrated by the stress of commuting in Lagos, Nigeria. And following some nasty experiences, they decided to start Shuttlers. “One of my sisters got into a one-chance bus (a commercial bus used for robbing passengers), and it was a traumatic experience for me. She was taken to another destination where they were abducted and robbed. Having had our different bus experiences, we realised it was a collective pain point for us.
The news rippled across the Internet of Google’s sudden firing of prominent AI ethics researcher Dr. Timnit Gebru. Renowned for her groundbreaking work in making AI more equitable and exposing its potential for racial and gender bias – Gebru was recently highlighted in our article: the Black women fixing AI. In a series of tweets, Timnit announced the tech giant had fired her [via email] after she expressed frustration internally about Google’s lackluster diversity initiatives. Timnit explains via Twitter that she was previously asked to retract a research paper she co-authored that highlighted potential pitfalls
