For almost six years, I’ve sat in on investor meetings and made deals with startup teams committed to disruption. I’ve seen entrepreneurship in its greatest form, and as an early-stage investor, I’ve been part of getting exciting ideas off the ground and into the marketplace. Uniquely, my career as a founder-turned-investor has been surrounded by nuanced advocacy for social equity and fair opportunities, driving me to relentlessly champion underrepresented voices and create a level playing field for all. Early in my career, I worked closely with the leadership gender gap
Black Black Friday is a new initiative in Seattle that encourages residents to spend money at local, Black-owned small businesses. Statistics show that 7.9% of Seatlle’s population is Black, with less than 1% of their businesses Black-owned. Five times as many of these businesses are closing down compared to white-owned companies. This is why Black Black Friday was created, empowering Seattle’s Black-owned businesses by bringing the entire community on board. Black Black Friday Black Black Friday is organized by Intentionalist – a company that helps people support local, diverse small businesses. Intentionalist
As part of the Signature Series, the Kinfolk Foundation is placing four new Augmented Reality (AR) monuments throughout New York to celebrate Black culture and identity throughout the city. AR technology creates interactive, immersive, experimental experiences where our real, physical world is digitally augmented. The Kinfolk Foundation Kinfolk Foundation is a non-profit digital and educational platform that uses art and emerging technologies such as AR to re-center the stories and lives of African-American figures. This aims to highlight the contributions and success of communities of color, uprooting systems and reimagining
YouTube has introduced an AI experiment exploring how technology can create deeper connections between artists, creators, and fans, including John Legend, T-Pain, and Papoose. The rise of AI-generated music has sparked excitement and concern within the music industry, from calls for legal action to taking advantage of opportunities to revolutionize music creation. The Dream Track The Dream Track experiment will feature YouTube Shorts and is powered by Google DeepMind’s most advanced music generation model, Lyria. Nine artists, John Legend, Papoose, T-Pain, Alec Benjamin, Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, Sia,
Leap Financial, a financial services tech company focused on Hispanic and Latin Americans, has launched Lola AI. The new AI assistant coaches recently arrived immigrants to the US, helping them fully integrate. Leap Financial The 2022 Census estimated more than 46 million immigrants live in the US, comprising about 13.9% of the population. Almost 80% of America’s unicorn companies have an immigrant founder or an immigrant in a crucial leadership role, such as CEO. Leap Financial is a team of engineers, designers, and software developers who create and launch innovative
As Black Friday approaches, consumers prepare for the year’s busiest shopping day. As Black-owned businesses gain recognition for innovation and creativity, we have compiled a list of Black-owned Amazon alternatives for your holiday shopping this year. HellaBlack HellaBlack began in 2019, founded by computer scientist Love-Leigh Trimiew and her cousins Layla Nielsen and Natalie Robinson. Together, they created a shopping experience connecting brands to a broader audience, becoming a site that encourages Black businesses to tell their stories. HellaBlack is committed to providing a best-in-class e-commerce experience with the most
Black digital media brand Black Enterprise has released its 40 under 40 2023 honorees. The list showcases Black visionaries and changemakers making their mark in their respective industries, including technology and STEM, business, media, finance, and many others. “Black Enterprise’s 40 Under 40 list is not just a celebration of individual success but a testament to the boundless potential within our community,” said Early Graves Jr., CEO of Black Enterprise. “This announcement serves a powerful reminder that Black excellence knows no bounds and that, collectively, we are charting an extraordinary
Dove has launched the world’s first and complete guide for coding natural hair in video games with Code My Crown. The guide was created by Black artists in partnership with the Open Source Afro Hair Library. Black Hair In Video Games Despite all the technological advancements in video games, depicting natural hair and protective styles is still limited, highly stereotypical, and not representative. According to Dove, 85% of Black gamers believe video games poorly represent textured hair. Data also shows that 91% of Black gamers are eager to see themselves
Tech Spark AI has raised $1.4 million to create a new generative AI platform, Spark Plug, which aims to create a more inclusive, personalized educational experience for students. The pre-seed funding round was led by TD Bank, with participation from Salesforce, Canada’s government, and NBA Canada. An educational ChatGPT alternative Tamar Huggins and her 13-year-old daughter Talia Grant founded the AI company eight years ago to improve the education experience of Black and brown students across North America. Tech Spark is Canada’s first tech and design school committed to empowering
Black Girls Code (BGC) has launched the Build a Beat Challenge with Ciara contest to inspire young coders nationwide. Founded in 2011, Black Girls Code is a nonprofit organization that engages African American girls and other youth of color with computer programming education. The organization offers computer programming, coding, website, robot, and mobile application building for girls and women of color ages 7 to 25. They also partner with schools, local organizations, and dedicated volunteers to get participants the resources they need to thrive. Build a Beat Challenge with Ciara
