Facebook has announced a $100-million commitment to a program that supports small businesses owned by women and minorities by buying up their outstanding invoices. This means that small businesses, who otherwise could have had to go months without getting paid by their customers, will be able to pay off their staff or bills. The tech media giant’s ‘Invoice Fast Track program’ is its latest effort to build its relationship with small businesses, which use its social media platform for business and advertising. Although the program isn’t necessarily new because it
TV personality Steve Harvey might have just helped cryptocurrency Solana increase its value in price, which started at $37 last month and is now up to $197 as of yesterday, without even realizing it. On Thursday, the comedian and presenter swapped out his old profile picture for a unique Solana Monkey Business NFT – the picture is part of a collection of cartoonish, pixelated monkeys generated randomly. An NFT provides ownership of almost every type of digital item and now profile picture collections are on the rise in the space.
Jessica Clemons, also known as the ‘culture’s psychiatrist,’ has just landed a podcast deal with Audible Original, where she’ll talk about everything from anxiety, bipolar disorder to substance use disorders and how to know when to seek treatment. She described the achievement as a “long time coming” and revealed to her Instagram followers that her interactions with them inspired the podcast. Ms. Clemons, who has developed a reputation for being the bridge between the Black community and mental wellness, also thanked them for trusting her with their own mental health journeys.
A group of tech and diversity pioneers is calling for robust action to be taken as Facebook’s facial recognition software mistakenly labeled a video featuring Black men as “about primates.” Marcel Hedman, the founder of A. I group Nural Research, a company that explores how artificial intelligence is tackling global challenges, described the long-standing issue as a “multi-layered” problem that can “definitely be solved.” Mr. Hedman, 22, based in London, said: “There was definitely no shock when I heard about the Facebook incident, and I think the reason why is
Startup investing in Africa has come a long way, partly due to the work that angel investors do in helping startups take off. Angel investors are the individuals who provide early-stage financing for startups, helping them get off the ground, and hopefully attract bigger investments. Because they invest at the very early stages of a startup’s life, the chances of failure are really high, yet many startups may never get started without the money they invest. We spoke to Biola Alabi, an angel investor and the founder of Biola Alabi Media,
Following the first detection of the coronavirus in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has reached pandemic proportions, affecting students and schooling at all levels. In a March 2021 press release, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) claimed that the temporary closure of educational institutions affected over 168 million children worldwide who stayed home as countries worked to flatten the curve. Consequently, schools transited to online learning. International human rights organization, Amnesty International, reported that students were cut off from schools when the COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africa, leaving hundreds and
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss Rihanna joining the billy club, as Forbes reports she is worth $1.7B and what it means to be a billionaire nowadays (0:15) They also break down: Square acquires Afterpay for $30B and the risks of buy now pay later companies (7:53) Instagram makes changes for under 16’s but is it too little too late? (15:20) Fleets is no more, the unofficial ‘mega block’ and not being afraid to kill projects (23:23) Why smaller active wear brands are beating big brands like Nike
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss why Facebook is looking to target churches and commercialize religious services on the app —is this another step too far for the social platform? They also break down: Freedom day, mask mandates and vaccines passports Chinese tech stocks crash due to China imposing tighter regulations on publicly traded companies Simone Biles putting health before glory and why Gen Z prioritize their mental health Sponsors FreeWill is hiring a Engineering Manager. Check out the role here Podia is hiring a Support Agent. Check
In 2020, despite a global pandemic, a total of 89 companies gained unicorn status globally. According to CB Insights and as of January 2021, there are 537 unicorns worldwide with a total value of $1.6 billion. 2020 was a record year for investment into the African startup ecosystem. The African Tech Startups Funding Report 2020 highlights that 397 African startups have raised a fund equivalent to $701.5 million USD. Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa stand out as the main destinations of capital, with 89.2% of the total amount of funds
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss fashion designer Virgil Abloh selling a majority stake in Off-White to LVMH but what is the cost of losing its Black-owned status? (21:58) They also break down: Twitter’s new dislike button (1:03) Bezos vs Branson’s space flight (5:30) Clubhouse is open to the public but is it too late? (9:32) Why Black employees prefer to work remotely and the Netflix employees that were caught slipping on Slack (12:20) Sponsors Get your ticket for Inbound 2021! Speakers include Oprah Winfrey, Tristan Walker, and
