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
As a Black medical student, Malone Mukwende was only taught to recognize clinical signs of disease on white skin. But many diseases look different on darker skin tones, leading to misdiagnosis, poor treatment, and even death. As a result, Mukwende launched BlackandBrownSkin. Through innovative tools like the Mind the Gap handbook, the Hutano app, and, most recently, the “Diagnosing Skin of Colour” digital quiz, Mukwende is revolutionizing care for Black and Brown patients. Red rashes, pale skin, blue lips “On arrival at medical school, I noticed a lack of teaching
Shepherd is the “world’s first Bible app that recommends verses based on your needs.” The Bible is the most widely read book in the world, but increasingly, Christians are opting for app-versions over the physical book. As YouVersion’s Bible App reaches the colossal milestone of 100 million downloads—joining major brands like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter—one Black-owned Bible app is growing in popularity. “It’s more like having a daily chat with a good friend, a friend who always knows the best part of the Bible to share with you.” Samuel Abaka-Wood, Shepherd founder Introducing Shepherd Shepherd,
London-based healthcare jobs marketplace platform, Nolea Health, has secured £1 million ($1.2 million) in seed funding to tackle mental healthcare staff shortages. The financing round was led by Frontline Ventures, with participation from Calm/Storm Ventures and other notable industry figures, including Anne Heraty, ex-CEO of CPL Resources, and Mahiben Maruthappu, CEO of Cera. Nolea Health’s platform matches mental healthcare clinicians with vacant jobs across different healthcare organizations, reducing the time taken to hire staff by up to 90% and the sourcing costs by up to 85%. Addressing the mental health crisis with
Wisdom is an audio-first social discovery app fostering deeper connections and lasting friendships between like-minded users. Founded by British computer science graduate Dayo Akinrinade, Wisdom leverages advanced AI with the power of social audio to make the world a little wiser. “Wisdom offers women a safe space to converse about topics that matter to them, such as women’s rights, domestic violence, leadership, and wellness,” Akinrinade told Apple. “Our users who don’t identify as women consider themselves allies, and provide support by participating in the conversations or simply listening.” On Wisdom, users
Inclusive early-stage venture firm Ada Ventures‘ second cohort of its operator angel program is committing £1 million ($1.2 million) to diverse angel investors. Ada Ventures selected 20 specialist operators and founders from underrepresented backgrounds across the UK, providing them with up to £50,000 ($61,000) each to invest. The angels come from sectors across climate, software development, economic empowerment, product, and healthcare & aging. Blind scoring process The cohort was selected through an open application process and scored blindly to reduce bias. The result is one of the most diverse angel cohorts
Every year, Forbes spotlights the under-30s blazing a trail in their respective fields. With the release of the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list, we’ve rounded up some of the Black and Brown tech founders recognized as powering a digital revolution. Lethabo Motsoaledi Co-Founder and CTO, Voyc Lethabo Motsoaledi is the co-founder and CTO of Voyc, which uses AI speech analytics software to monitor call center interactions and provide valuable insights. Motsoaledi and her co-founder moved their HQ from South Africa to the Netherlands in 2020 to take advantage of the
Google for Startups is accepting applications for its Black Founders Funds in the US, Europe, Africa, and Brazil, and its Latino Founders Fund in the US. This year also marks the first time Google for Startups has opened the US funds to the public. In previous years, Google reportedly selected US businesses solely through referrals. Less than 0.5% of funding goes to Black-led startups, even though 77% of them are revenue-generating and create an average of 5.4 jobs each. First announced in June 2020, the Black Founders Fund was launched as
Like many tech hubs worldwide, Germany has experienced challenges around diversity, especially within the tech space. Nakeema Stefflbauer is working to make the German tech scene more diverse and inclusive through her latest initiative, FrauenLoop. Through the program, the native New Yorker has spent the past couple of years in Berlin, helping women upscale their skills in tech. Stefflbauer opened up about her journey from New York to Berlin and the many challenges that led her to launch her initiative. The founder, who held many tech positions before her life in Berlin, is
