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This article was first published by Rumbi Makanga on Medium. I was asked to give a talk by a London-based company for Black History Month in October 2022. Initially, I was going to title my talk Your Silence Will Not Protect You after the eponymous collection of essays by Audre Lorde and to honour the many silences I have nursed over the years and the vast silences I know countless Black people are forced into in their professional lives. It took a bout of illness in the last days of 2020 to

UK-based engineers Jonathan Nwosu, Min Sang Kim, and Dakshesh Dharmadhikary have teamed up to launch Radiant AI, a new platform that helps lenders track the impact of their sustainable investments. Sustainability-linked loans (SLLs) have revolutionized global lending by linking interest rates to borrowers’ sustainability performance. Real estate financing has been a frontrunner in adopting SLLs, recognizing the value of energy-efficient buildings and contributing to a low-carbon economy. However, the rapid growth of SLLs has also introduced risks like inaccurate reporting and greenwashing. That’s where Radiant AI comes in. Radiant AI

Black Tech Week, an inclusive tech conference focused on empowering entrepreneurs of color, is set to return to Cincinnati from July 18–20. “There isn’t a single DEI talk at Black Tech Week. That’s by design,” Brian Brackeen shared on Twitter. “‘No DEI talks’ are something that we are proud of.” Brian Brackeen is the founder of facial recognition software company Kairos and managing partner at Cincinnati-based venture capital fund Lightship Capital, which invests in companies led by underepresented founders. He is also the organizer of Black Tech Week. “Black Tech

Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, who had been evading process servers for months, was served with two complaints during a game between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics at the Kaseya Center—formerly named the FTX Arena. The complaints are related to his involvement with the now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX and second NFT venture with his son. The process server, who O’Neal later kicked out of the venue, captured the event on film to eliminate any ambiguity, attorney Adam Moskowitz told PEOPLE. FTX Class Action Lawsuit One of the complaints against O’Neal

Cornerstone VC has completed a pre-seed investment into Storia, the guided journaling app created by five-times bestselling author Elizabeth Uviebinené, to help people unleash their inner voice. The Power of storytelling Elizabeth Uviebinené, known for her bestselling book “Slay in Your Lane,” co-authored with Yomi Adegoke, has been at the forefront of literature catered to young Black women. Inspired by the impact storytelling had on her own life, Uviebinené developed the idea of Storia to help people uncover the stories that shape their lives. The journaling app combines AI-guided prompts,

Following Rihanna’s iconic Super Bowl LVII halftime performance, anotherblock‘s non-fungible token (NFT) collection of the track sold out in minutes. Now, the Stockholm-based web3 music startup has secured €4 million ($4.3 million) in funding to continue its work of redefining music ownership. Achieving triple platinum status upon its release, BBHMM gained new virality after Rihanna performed the track at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. Jamil “Deputy” Pierre, a co-producer on Rihanna’s BBHMM, linked up with anotherblock to sell 0.99% of his streaming royalty rights to the song as 300 NFTs

Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has recently announced the launch of its second fund under the Opportunity Growth Fund, now rebranded as the Open Opportunity Fund (OOF). The fund aims to raise and invest $150 million in startups led by Black and Latine entrepreneurs. New name, chairman, & access Taking the reins as chairman of the fund is serial entrepreneur and investor Paul Judge, who previously served as a founding investment committee member. Alongside SoftBank and select affiliates, Judge and others have agreed to acquire an ownership stake in the OOF. The

Dr Rashae Barnes, the founder and CEO of Evals Equity Women’s Fund, has announced that September 30 will mark the first-ever National Black Funding Day. The national holiday was registered through National Day Archives. It aims to recognize and honor the accomplishments of Black entrepreneurs in the funding industry, while highlighting the disparities in venture capital grants, and educational resources for underserved communities. Funding for Black founders Black founders have long faced challenges in securing funding for their businesses, and the current economic climate hasn’t helped. Following George Floyd’s murder,

Kiddie Kredit, a Miami-based startup founded by Evan Leaphart, has raised $1.4 million in funding to expand the reach of its financial literacy app. Investors include Nueterra Capital, Plain Sight Capital, Fuerza Ventures, Verve Capital, and former pro athletes Dwyane Wade and Baron Davis. “I was drawn to what Evan and team are working on with Kiddie Kredit. It’s important to give kids a head start and especially on the topic of credit,” said Dwyane Wade, according to Refresh Miami. teaching credit through chores The mobile app teaches kids aged

Massachusetts-based Black-led startups are getting a $100 million boost from MassMutual’s second MM Catalyst Fund (MMCF). MassMutual announced that it is adding $100 million to its MMCF. The fund will continue to make investments in startups led by Black and historically overlooked founded-companies in the company’s home state of Massachusetts.  MMCF will also invest selectively with fund managers in MassMutual’s First Fund Initiative, which focuses on first-time fund managers from Black, Latine, and Indigenous backgrounds. Building on past success The MMCF has backed 16 companies across various industries since its

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