Geek Ventures announced its first immigrant-focused fund, Geek Ventures Fund I, LP, to support pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups. Geek Ventures Ihar Mahaniok, an immigrant engineering leader with over 20 years of experience building code and machine-learning models for startups, founded Greek Ventures in 2021. He saw immigrant entrepreneurs’ difficulties when raising capital and making connections within the U.S. venture capital ecosystem. They aim to invest in bold, innovative, and brilliant immigrant entrepreneurs worldwide and believe the challenges immigrants face when coming to a new environment nurture resilience and determination.
Climate-tech VC Satgana has appointed Anil Maguru, who is among the less than 10% of Black fund managers worldwide, as its newest partner. Satgana Satgana is a climate tech venture capital firm on a mission to invest in the future of Earth by investing in technology solutions. The firm aims to use business as a force for good by investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs to build a more sustainable, fair and regenerative future. They invest in European and African pre-seed and seed stage Climate Tech startups from €30K
Nonprofit BITE-CON Foundation and 4Geeks Academy, the national technology bootcamp, are collaborating to provide Black and brown people with training for tech jobs. BITE-CON Foundation and 4Geeks Academy The BITE-CON Foundation is committed to bridging the technological divide for Black and Brown communities. They engage and inspire through technology through their Annual Web3 Technology Conference, nationwide pop-up events, and community-based STEAM and sports activities. They aim to impact a pipeline of one million BIPOC and women technologists over the next five years through strategic partnerships, workforce development and thought leadership.
South Africa’s Competition Commission released a report that alleged that Google and tech companies were hindering fair market competition and the growth of South Africa’s digital economy. The watchdog claimed that Alphabet Inc. -owned Google’s search dominance “distorts platform competition” in favor of prominent market players. In addition, the report recommends several remedies focused on improving visibility for smaller South African companies in search results to address the issue. What did the report find? According to the commission’s report, Google’s model disadvantages new, small and underfunded South African businesses. The
Melonie D. Parker, Google’s Chief Diversity Officer, has been appointed to Kanarys, Inc., Board of Directors. Google’s Chief Diversity Officer, Melonie D. Parker As Google’s CDO for over four years, Parker aims for innovative change and advances Google’s employee engagement strategy across Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. With years of experience in similar roles, Parker was Vice President of Human Resources and Communications for Sandia National Laboratories and became the first Blak woman to serve. She also spent eighteen years at Lockheed Martin, an American aerospace, arms, defence, information security, and
An American Association of Advertising Agencies (The 4A’s) report has found unsolved issues in the advertising industry. A step in the wrong direction for diversity While 2021 witnessed a surge in diversity and inclusion efforts, momentum seemingly dwindled in 2022. At the time, numerous corporations embraced more diverse hiring practices and over 200 tech firms committed to change. However, over the last year, these efforts have begun to decrease, including the media industry losing four Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) leaders in two weeks. Furthermore, the 4A’s report indicated a
According to experts, Black women are often hired or promoted to leadership roles during a crisis, often referred to as the “glass cliff”. The Glass Cliff The term “glass cliff” was coined by a social and organizational psychologist, Michelle Ryan, at the University of Exeter. It describes a situation where a woman or person of color gets promoted to a senior leadership role during a difficult time and when the risk of failure is high. The “glass cliff” is essentially the opposite of the “glass ceiling” – a term that
Seattle-based Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) hosts programmes for diverse young women, including their Y-WE Tech program. Young Women Empowered Y-WE is a youth development organization founded ten years ago in Seattle. Their mission is to cultivate the power of diverse young women, non-binary and gender-expansive youth ages 13-26 to be creative leaders and changemakers through their community programs. They held their first program in 2010, a seven-month pilot leadership program, which led to the organization offering year-round programs for girls and women. They are an intersectional feminist organization for all racial identities,
Black founder Katara McCarty launched her app, EXHALE, in 2020 after struggling to find an app suited to Black women’s wellbeing. Exhale App EXHALE is the first emotional well-being app designed for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC). EXHALE was born from the idea that the Black and Brown community is holding its breath, waiting for the next video of police brutality, the next micro-aggression, or the following adverse health impact statistic. “It’s time to exhale – to breathe out all that isn’t serving BIWOC and breathe in healing, energy and
U.S. Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX Over Alleged Discrimination In Hiring Practices
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, for allegedly discriminating against asylees and refugees in hiring. Musk’s SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The Lawsuit The lawsuit alleges that from September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying. It also states the company refused to hire or consider them because of their citizenship status, violating the Immigration and Nationality Act. In job postings over several years, the rocket company wrongly claimed that under federal regulations known as
