I longed for a tech career as a stay-at-home mom with three academic degrees, including one from Yale. I attended my first hackathon over a decade ago and was immediately intrigued. Despite my impressive educational background, I found landing a tech role challenging. However, instead of giving up, I leaned into the affirming websites and platforms like POCIT that helped motivate me to pursue my dreams of a tech career. Read on to learn my story of perseverance and determination. How it All Started I gave birth to my daughter
TikTok is celebrating US Black History Month with its first-ever Visionary Voices list, as well as a range of in-app content and IRL events. #BlackTikTok This month, TikTok will be hosting a range of LIVE in-app events featuring inspiring Black creatives and innovators across several industries. The in-app #BlackTikTok hub will also feature stories from Black creators, Black-owned businesses, and non-profit organizations and the sounds page will feature special guests and album playlists showcasing Black talent across music genres. TikTok is also taking its celebrations offline with the third instalment
Miiriya has been flooded with messages of support after the online marketplace for Black-owned businesses announced its upcoming closure. The brainchild of Lamine Loco, Miiriya is a platform connecting Black-owned businesses with consumers – kind of like an Etsy or Amazon for Black businesses. The name comes from Loco’s native language, Bambara/Dioula, and means “thoughts” or “ideas.” Committed to the circulation of the Black dollar, Miiriya lets vendors sign up without transaction or listing fees. They also pay credit card and PayPal fees out of pocket, so vendors receive 100% of
Employers continued to make progress in addressing anti-Black racism last year, but Black Canadians worry that a recession could wipe out those gains, finds a new survey. In KPMG in Canada’s survey of more than 1,000 Black Canadians, 9 in 10 felt their employers had made progress on efforts to be more equitable and inclusive for Black employees in 2022. Most also said their companies had hired and promoted more Black people, and noted improvements in their own career and promotion prospects. Black Canadians also reported improvements in their workplace
Fintech companies in Nigeria are rapidly growing. In Q1 last year, funding for African startups hit a new record, with approximately 89% of all funding allocated to fintech startups in the region. Nigeria is one of many African countries working to make financial services accessible to everyone. As smartphone users grow and digital IDs become the norm – all eyes are on fintech startups to pave the way for financial inclusion in Nigeria. Nigeria’s mission to achieve financial inclusion A quick Google search will tell you that there are at least 150 fintech
Black Business Ventures Association (BBVA) has unveiled its inaugural Founding 50 list to spotlight top-performing Black founders in the tech industry to celebrate Black History Month. The list aims to highlight Black leaders, innovators, and trailblazers who have defied all odds by successfully launching technology initiatives. “At BBVA, every day is Black History Month. We invite you to join us in honoring the contributions of Black tech founders with the launch of the Founding 50 list,” said BBVA in a statement. “This ranked list recognizes the top Black founders who have significantly impacted their
Have you ever wanted to try a new hairstyle but can’t find the exact look or hairdresser you want? Growing Hands is the app that aims to streamline this process for all. Teacher turned tech entrepreneur JerDrema “Dreme” Flynt is on a mission to make managing Black hair a more enjoyable experience. Growing Hands allows users to personalize their hair mood to get the hairstyle they want. Once created, users can directly connect to different hairstylists to bring their vision to life. Growing Hands can be described as a mixture
According to Her Agenda, for the first time in Fortune’s 68-year history, women are leading more than 10% of Fortune 500 companies. A historical moment for women in business The report shows that this milestone was reached after five new women began their roles as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies – pushing the percentage balance to 10%. “Women as CEOs isn’t an oddity anymore,” said Jane Stevenson, global leader for the CEO succession practice at Korn Ferry. “It’s not the majority, but it’s not an oddity. So, 10% makes it more
Black-owned patient-driven digital platform, Free From Market (FFM), is one of a few food platforms working to empower individuals living with chronic health conditions. According to reports, African Americans are generally at higher risk of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza, and pneumonia. To tackle this issue, Emily Brown decided to launch Free from Market, an easy-to-use app to help give Black and brown people access to diet-specific foods that can help improve their overall health. After years of providing customers with personalized data to help
If you’ve been on TikTok lately, chances are you’ve come across food critic, Keith Lee. The MMA fighter-turned-food critic has dedicated his online platform to helping underrepresented Black-owned restaurants get the spotlight they deserve. In a recent video, popular TikToker Keith Lee revealed that he had helped a struggling Black business raise $30,000 in under 24 hours. Through his honest but rewarding TikTok reviews, struggling businesses have seen an enormous influx of customers, with many going from no customers to completely selling out. After making his way home, Lee spotted
