The winner of the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic Startup Pitch Competition has finally been announced. Out of 200 startups who applied to participate in the competition, only one has made it to the finishing line. Child-friendly music app, Healthy Hip Hop, has officially been crowned the winner of the startup pitch competition. The platform, founded in 2019 by Roy Scott, is an educational app aimed at children, infusing hip-hop culture with innovative technology. Last year, Michael B. Jordan announced that the Invesco QQQ startup pitch competition had returned for its second year in partnership
According to a new survey from Shopify, Black businesses contribute significantly to the company, yet they still struggle to get funding. The barriers Black-owned businesses face Black-owned businesses face many barriers that limit their growth, including a need for more access to capital funding and investments. Not only does this make it harder for them to succeed, but it also limits their growth potential. Despite racial and social justice movements catalyzing public support for Black businesses over recent years, minority founders have been left with unfulfilled promises of investments from banks,
Alexis Williams is an engineering student using her coding skills to design a platform that makes it easier for the Black community to incorporate social justice into their everyday routines. Alexis Williams founded PB-Resources in 2020 during the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests. Despite not knowing exactly what to do at the time, Williams decided to put her coding skills to use by building a platform in honor of George Floyd. “I was itching to get involved but didn’t know how I could do anything impactful from my living
How educational companies like Teachers Pay Teachers and Pearson are using tech to help tackle racial inequalities in education. Historically, the tech world has often failed to fix the systemic racial inequalities faced by people of color. Because the tech sector has become a significant driver of economic advancement and social equity, advocacy groups have begun to inquire about its contribution to racial equity on a large scale. At the height of the pandemic, individuals and businesses heavily relied on the influence of technology to overcome the challenges presented by
To celebrate Black history month, financial tech platform Creative Juice has launched the Black Creator Incubator to help uplift Black content creators. The program, which aims to uplift Black creators’ voices and provide them with the education needed to grow, will commit to investing $25,000 in Black creators. Creative Juice will pick five Black creators to receive funding and participate in critical educational sessions on creativity and finance. “Helping creators grow means increasing our support of underrepresented communities,” Creative Juice said. “Announcing the Black Creator Incubator – our inaugural program designed to
Earlier this week, Beyoncé shut down the internet after announcing she would release tickets for her long-awaited world tour. However, many fans were disappointed to discover that the tickets would be released in partnership with Ticketmaster. The singer and songwriter – who yesterday made history as the most awarded artist in Grammy history – is set to embark on her most in-demand tour yet for her most recent album, Renaissance. The demand for tickets was reportedly 800% higher than the supply, leading to Ticketmaster’s platform unexpectedly shutting down – putting
To commemorate Black History Month, we are spotlighting the pioneers in tech who have paved the way for up-and-coming Black technologists. You can check out part one here! From completely revolutionizing the technology world to creating the everyday tech items we can’t live without today. As a collective, this group has helped inspire a whole generation of Black professionals in tech. So, let’s meet them. Lonnie G. Johnson One thing summer always brings out is water guns. Thanks to Lonnie Johnson, our most iconic childhood memories include playing outside with our
24-year-old content creator, Shevon Salmon, is one of a few people turning their passion for tech into a sustainable income. Before picking up his camera for thousands of viewers, Salmon first discovered his love for videography after the birth of his little sister, who he spent most of his time recording. The love he developed for technology – which started as a simple hobby – has sparked the growth of his career on social media. Salmon’s YouTube covers various topics, including new tech drops, gaming videos, lifestyle and testing out
It’s time for all journalists to get into their bag. Black-owned digital media and tech company, Hero Media, has launched Goodfeed, a social wellness platform for women from diverse backgrounds. On Goodfeed, in-house journalists get paid royalties for their work using money generated from ad rolls. The online platform – which has built a community for Black and brown women – has been described as another version of YouTube where users can share their editorial content, written articles, audio, and videos. Through Goodfeed, Black women can connect and share fitness,
Internships are one of the best ways for students and recent graduates to get a glimpse into professional life. The opportunities available are as diverse and far-reaching as the tech industry, ranging from systems engineering to sales and marketing. As well as developing real-world tech skills and professional experience, internships help newbie techies make industry connections to land jobs in the future. And thankfully, many tech companies have continued to prioritize internships, despite, well, everything. So here are some of the tech internships you should apply for on POCIT! Engineering
