Posts in Category

Data

UK-based Black woman-founded digital health startup SökerData, has been awarded a share of a £6.2 million ($7.8 million) grant from Innovate UK. SökerData Research has found that people of European genetic ancestry represent a disproportionate 80% of participants in genome-wide association studies (GWAS).  By contrast, only 2% of participants have African genetic ancestry. This imbalance has profound implications, especially in diseases like breast cancer, where outcomes vary significantly across ethnicities.  SökerData’s project focuses on building a diverse biomarker database, a critical resource in the realm of medical research. Biomarkers are

Prioritizing affordability, inclusivity, and leveraging technology, Black-owned insurance tech unicorn Marshmallow is challenging traditional insurance practices and extends coverage to underserved communities. Now, Marshmallow has landed a £15 million 3-year revolving credit facility from Triple Point Private Credit, one of the largest non-bank lenders in the UK, to expand its product offerings. “[We] are excited to be working with a management team that have successfully launched and scaled an insurance business so impressively,” said Triple Point’s Head of Structured Finance, Gavin Maitland Smith, per Tech Funding News. “More importantly, their

Data journalist Mona Chalabi has won a Pulitzer Prize for her “striking illustrations that combine statistical reporting with keen analysis to help readers understand the immense wealth and economic power of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.” The 36-year-old’s award-winning illustrations were published in a New York Times piece entitled “9 Ways To Imagine Jeff Bezos’ Wealth” last year. POCIT sat down with Chalabi back in 2015 for a candid discussion about her work as a data journalist. “A data journalist is one who uses data as much as they possibly can

Nigerian startup Stears has announced a $3.3 million seed round led by MaC Venture Capital which included Serena Ventures. What started as a written media publication by a group of Nigerian graduates is now a growing data insights company with its sights set on rivalling the likes of Bloomberg. Backed by Serena Ventures Serena Williams was playing in the US Open when the seed round for Stears came together. Nevertheless, according to Serena Ventures’ founding general partner, they were keen to invest and fought “tooth and nail” to get in.

National Security Agency (NSA) veteran Natalie Evans Harris has been announced as the Executive Director of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ new Black Wealth Data Center (BWDC).  The BWDC, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, works to increase generational wealth and address the systemic underinvestment within Black communities. As the Executive Director of the BWDC, Harris will lead a team tasked with harnessing data to support the creation of programs, policies, and strategies to measurably increase Black wealth. A wealth of experience Harris brings nearly 20 years of experience advancing the public sector’s strategic use of

Clark Atlanta University has received nearly $10 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help more underrepresented people get data science credentials.  The extra funding, which aims to help diversify the data science sector, is the first time any HBCU has received nearly $10 million from an NSF initiative. NSF’s donation marks a new era for HBCUs and equally marks their commitment to providing more Black people with the chance to succeed.  A recent NSF report has revealed only 5.56% of computer/information scientists in 2019 were Black or African American. Additionally,

Kinly has announced a new partnership with data aggregation platform MX, a financial data aggregation tool, to help the company build and enhance its custom-built financial tools. The Atlanta-based financial tech company, Kinly, is dedicated to helping Black Americans build generational wealth. The platform offers members a range of benefits, including a Visa debit card and early wage access. In addition, it gives members access to financial education to help them improve their economic outcomes. The partnership with MX will see the platform introduce a range of embeddable user interfaces

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can now track and identify cryptocurrency users using a new software program, Coinbase Tracker.  The software, offered on a subscription basis, allows the government and private sectors to trace incoming and outgoing funds made through various digital currencies, including Bitcoin, Ether, and Tether. Last year, Intercept revealed that Coinbase had sold its analytics software license to ICE for $29,000. The analytics program, which provides ICE with crypto users’ “historical geo-tracking data,” is one of several small contracts between Coinbase and the U.S. government. In April 2021,

ANJEL Tech, a Black-owned cloud-based application that turns any smartphone into your personal body cam, has announced a historic partnership with 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (1M4), an organization led by African American moms to address police brutality through legal action and legislative policy education. We previously interviewed the founder of ANJEL Tech, who told POCIT that he’d struggled to get attention from mainstream reporters and investors when it came to his app. The app in question has been described as an initiative that “could help protect minorities.” When activated, the

CarePoint, a Black-owned technology-driven healthcare startup that seeks to make healthcare accessible, has just raised a $10 million bridge round to accelerate its growth across Africa. How does it work? Patients are able to access care virtually through CarePoint’s MyCareMobile app, which links them to diverse services through teleconferencing, including consultations with their doctors, test results, and 24-hour emergency response. The funding round was led by TRB Advisors and brings the total funding raised by CarePoint to $30 million. It follows an $18 million Series A round announced in November last year.

1 2 3 4 Page 1 of 4