NASA’s latest class of astronauts, including two notable Black graduates, Andre Douglas and Christopher Williams, marks a milestone for the agency: it has enlisted 20 Black astronauts since the beginning. A Milestone For Black Astronauts NASA’s recent ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston celebrated the graduation of 10 astronauts, now eligible for various flight assignments. This diverse group is set to participate in future missions, ranging from the International Space Station to the Moon and eventually to Mars. The graduates were selected from an impressive pool of over 12,000 applicants, demonstrating exceptional talent
Jalon Hall, Google’s only Black Deaf employee, has claimed mistreatment and discrimination at the company and has filed a lawsuit. Hall’s Story As reported by the WIRED, in 2020, Hall, an enthusiastic criminal justice master’s graduate, was surprised to receive a LinkedIn message about a job opportunity at Google. Despite her initial skepticism, the offer was genuine, and Hall was soon hired to join Wolverine, a new in-house team tasked with moderating YouTube videos. Her journey to this role was untraditional, as her previous job was at a law firm, where she delved
A recent leak of data from SoundThinking, the company behind ShotSpotter, has shed light on its disproportionate impact on Black and Latine communities. This revelation comes from a detailed WIRED analysis of a leaked document, which reveals the locations of 25,580 ShotSpotter microphones globally, including in the United States. ShotSpotter’s Impact On Black And Latine Communities The data, which was obtained anonymously, marks the first exposure of SoundThinking’s extensive surveillance network. It shows that microphones have been placed in over a thousand elementary and high schools, hospitals, public housing complexes, and significant government buildings, including
Altro, a leading credit-building and financial literacy platform, has raised $4 million in a strategic funding round, gaining support from figures such as Tinashe, Quavo, Marshawn Lynch, and Chris Paul. Altro Founded in 2019 by Michael Broughton and initially known as Perch, Altro has been instrumental in helping users enhance their credit scores. It ingeniously integrates everyday payments and subscriptions into its credit-building mechanism, including Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, and Starz. Beyond this, Altro extends educational resources to all its members, even those with a baseline free membership. These resources encompass Altro’s Convo, featuring short
Tennis star Venus Williams has brought her design talents to Palazzo, a generative AI-based interior design platform bridging the gap between design and personalization. The service, co-founded by Williams, Raffi Holzer, and Edward Lando, allows users to reimagine their living spaces with the help of advanced technology. Palazzo Palazzo introduces a new approach to interior design, blending the ease of technology with design expertise. Users can upload photos of their rooms and, through a conversation with an AI chatbot, witness a convincing transformation of their space. Palazzo, currently in beta, holds vast
RuPaul, the iconic multifaceted celebrity, has embarked on an innovative venture with the launch of Allstora, an online book marketplace. Allstora This 100% author-owned platform empowers and showcases storytellers from underrepresented communities, including LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and people of color. Allstora, co-founded by RuPaul alongside bestselling author Eric Cervini and his partner, Adam Powell, hosts an impressive selection of over 10 million titles. Before Allstora, Cervini, and Powell were involved with ShopQueer.co, a precursor to this new initiative. As the chief creative officer, RuPaul will also spearhead RuPaul’s Book Club, focusing
Lanny Smoot, a Disney Research Fellow and a Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development member, has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. This recognition marks him as the first Disney Imagineer to receive this honor and only the second individual from The Walt Disney Company to be inducted. Lanny Smoot Smoot’s induction into the Hall of Fame is a personal triumph and testament to his nearly three decades of relentless innovation and creativity at Disney. “I was honored and humbled at being inducted into the National Inventors
Lucy Guo, a self-made millionaire and co-founder of the $7 billion-valued unicorn Scale AI, is making headlines again with her platform Passes, according to Fortune. Lucy Guo And Passes At 29, Guo has secured $40 million in Series A funding for her new venture, Passes, a creator monetization platform. Passes, previously used by Black Chyna, aims to revolutionize how content creators earn money. The $40 million round was led by the San Francisco-based Bond, spearheaded by Kleiner Perkins alums Mary Meeker and Mood Rowghani. Skims co-founders Emma and Jens Grede
Recent data from Crunchbase reveals that there has been a disproportionate decline in venture funding for Black-founded startups in the United States. A Fall Below The $1B Threshold Last year, these startups secured only $705 million in funding, marking the first time since 2016 that the figure fell below the $1 billion threshold. This sharp decline of 71% in funding to Black-founded companies starkly contrasts with the 37% decrease in overall U.S. startup funding, highlighting a widening gap in investment allocation. This drop signifies a declining share of Black-founded startups
John Henry, a 31-year-old Dominican-American entrepreneur, is revolutionizing the auto insurance market with his innovative company, LOOP. The B Corp car insurance firm uses predictive models and real-time driving data to create more equitable rates, particularly for underserved communities. LOOP Established in 2020, LOOP has made remarkable strides in a short period. By 2023, the company boasted over 10,000 members and reported $26.7 million in Direct Written Premiums, reflecting a staggering 230% growth yearly. This success has been marked by over $30 million in venture capital from notable investors like
