The Folklore, a platform known for connecting global consumers with African brands and diasporic fashion, has secured a substantial $3.4 million seed funding. This round was spearheaded by Benchstrength Ventures, with contributions from Techstars, Black Tech Nation Ventures, and Slauson and Co. Connecting brands with Major Retailers In 2022, Folklore underwent a transformation. Originally a shopping platform showcasing primarly African brands, it now aims to enhance how emerging brands integrate into the retail landscape. “[Brands] would come to me for advice on how to expand their footprint, how to get a loan or how
10Pearls, a global, purpose-driven digital technology partner, is launching a “Women in Tech” program for Latin American women in Costa Rica on February 10th. Founded by brothers Imran and Zeeshan Aftab, 10Pearls partners with clients to imagine, design, build, and deliver innovative mobile and digital products. The company has a diverse clientele that includes Global 1000 enterprises and high-growth startups and has offices in the US, Costa Rice, Colombia, the UK, Pakistan, and Peru. Women in Tech Program The Women in Tech launch event in Costa Rice will consist of a series of
New York-based fintech startup Comun is redefining the bank experience for Latine immigrant communities in the US and reimaging local banking for the digital world. Founded in 2021 by Andres Santos, CEO, and Abiel Gutierrez, CTO, both of whom experienced financial exclusion upon migrating to the US, Comun has secured $9 million in funding to date. Banking Disparities in the Latine Community The Latine population contributes a staggering $3.2 trillion to the US GDP. This makes it the world’s fifth-largest economy, more than the GDPs of India, the UK, and
A new report from the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and Shorelight Education has found that students from African nations and the Global South are more likely to have visas rejected. What did the report find? The data from the report was collected through public records requests and found that visa denials to study in the U.S. rose significantly from 2015-2022, especially for Global South countries. African students faced a visa rejection rate of over 50% in 2022, up nearly 10% since 2015. The report stated that in 2015,
This article was first published by Ruben D Galvan on Medium. Creating Socavon was a deeply meaningful experience for me. It allowed me to create something truly unique while incorporating my roots and passion for storytelling. Play Socavon here <<<<<<<< Socavon A few months back, I listened to the song VOLVIÓ A LATIR — Milena Warthon x Chila Jatun, and a world of opportunity opened up. Milena Warthon and Chila Jatun have created a masterpiece by modernizing iconic sounds from the Andes. The song hits a special chord with me because I grew
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
Female and Latinx-founded fintech company, Mendoza Ventures, has taken a massive step in its move to invest in underrepresented startups. Bank of America’s Investment Mendoza recently achieved a first close on its third $100M fund to further their work to support startups founded by diverse founders. The fund, led by Bank of America (BofA), included Grasshopper Bank alongside multiple other investors. The anchor funding comes from BofA’s commitment to making capital much more accessible to founders often overlooked by investors. “Mendoza Ventures is at the forefront of supporting innovation and
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Tampa Bay Wave have come together to launch the city’s first-ever tech accelerator for Latin Americans. What is the LatinTech accelerator program? Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Tampa Bay Wave has secured funding to launch the city’s first-ever tech accelerator for Latin Americans. The program aims to provide minority-owned companies with the support they need to scale successfully and remove the barriers against them. “Since the launch of the new Chamber [in 2019], it was our goal to produce a Latin tech accelerator. We thank Congresswoman Kathy Castor for
J Balvin, also known as the Prince of Reggaeton, has made a wholesome move to create an open discussion around mental health struggles by launching OYE, a bilingual wellness app. The app, currently available for download on the app store, was built by Latin creators in Spanish and English. It provides users with emotional check-ins and goal-setting exercises and promotes the idea of achieving a balance between emotional wellness, physical health, and interpersonal relationships. “After the pandemic, global youth – really everyone – is extremely burnt-out. Anxiety, depression, and feelings of being
Brazil-based startup, Gen-t, is an organization at the forefront of medical evolution. The startup, founded by Lygia da Veiga Pereira in 2021, is a company built on advancing science and medical technology. Gen-t’s mission is to diversify global genomic data to help fasten medical breakthroughs and make novel discoveries based on different phenotypes. Despite being new, the organization has managed to raise $2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Eduardo Mufarej. “The field keeps saying that we need diversity, but most of the diversity in the world is in countries with
