Kenyan HR tech startup, Workpay, has successfully raised $5 million in a Series A funding round, spearheaded by Norrsken22. This new investment will bolster Workpay’s expansion across Africa, enhance its AI-driven performance management tools, and stabilize its financial services, TechCrunch first reported. The funding follows a $2.7 million pre-Series A round in 2023. Strategic Funding to Accelerate Growth Founded in 2019 by Paul Kimani and Jackson Kungu, Workpay has quickly positioned itself as a leading workforce management platform in Africa. The cloud-based solution offers a suite of HR services, including
Rapper and Atlanta native Gunna is launching a $500,000 guaranteed income program aimed at helping families in his hometown, as first reported by Billboard. Set to kick off on September 18, the Gunna x BMAC 30349 Guaranteed Income Program will provide 30 families in the 30349 zip code with $1,000 monthly stipends for a year. Addressing Economic Challenges Head-On In a move to tackle economic inequality, Gunna has teamed up with the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) to create a program that offers direct financial support to those who need
Black and underserved farmers in Georgia now have access to a program offering free training and technology to boost farm profitability. TEAM Tilley, launching this fall, provides hands-on financial management education and customized tech tools designed to enhance decision-making and increase productivity across farms in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Unlocking Profitability Through Data-Driven Decisions TEAM Tilley’s program utilizes farm-specific data to teach participants how to make informed financial decisions. Farmers can run real-time risk scenarios, receive financial scorecards, and generate loan documents tailored to their operations. The initiative, funded
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is investing $200 million CAD ($140 million USD) in Indigenous and Black-led businesses to promote inclusive economic growth. The government-owned bank is also launching a $50 million ($36 million USD) financing and training program for women, Indigenous, and Black entrepreneurs. Investing in Indigenous and Black entrepreneurs This investment is part of the BDC’s strategy to address longstanding barriers faced by underrepresented entrepreneurs and to promote a more diverse and resilient entrepreneurial landscape in Canada. The $200 million CAD investment will be channeled through two
Shaquille O’Neal, the basketball star turned business mogul, is at the center of a class-action lawsuit linked to the Astrals NFT project. The case, which has captured public and legal attention, has recently moved forward following a ruling from the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The court’s decision granted partial progress for the plaintiffs, while dismissing other claims. Lawsuit Moves Forward with Mixed Results The core of the lawsuit revolves around O’Neal’s promotion of Astrals, a project featuring 10,000 3D NFT avatars and a decentralized autonomous
Democrats are leveraging AI to strengthen their outreach to Latine and Black voters as the 2024 election looms, according to The Guardian. Facing a challenging electoral landscape, progressive organizations and Latine and Black-led Democratic groups are adopting novel AI-driven tools to connect with voters on platforms they frequent, such as Discord and WhatsApp. These efforts are particularly focused on younger voters, who are often harder to reach through traditional methods. AI-Powered Outreach: Engaging Voters Where They Are One tool being used is Vote-E, an AI-powered chatbot developed by NextGen America,
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently revealed a significant drop in the percentage of Black students in its incoming class of 2028, following the Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious admissions. Decline in Black and Hispanic Enrollment According to Bloomberg, the most striking impact of the Supreme Court ruling is evident in MIT’s latest admissions data. Black students make up just 5% of the class of 2028, a decline from the 13% average in recent years. Similarly, the proportion of Hispanic students has dropped from 15% to 11%. This reduction
Instagram has failed to remove 93% of abusive comments flagged for targeting women politicians, a recent report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found. Disproportionate Abuse Faced by Women of Color Politicians Among the politicians studied, Vice President Kamala Harris, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jasmine Crockett were subject to abuse. Comments ranged from overtly racist slurs to sexually explicit threats, many of which Instagram left unaddressed, despite these posts being clear violations of its community guidelines. In the 2020 US Congressional race, it was found that women of
Social media giant X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced the immediate closure of its office in Brazil. This decision comes amid an intensifying legal conflict with Brazil’s Supreme Court, specifically targeting Justice Alexandre de Moraes, according to Reuters. The platform, owned by Elon Musk, is embroiled in a dispute over alleged censorship orders that threaten both freedom of expression and the safety of its employees. Legal Battle and Alleged Censorship The closure of X’s Brazilian office follows a secret order issued by Justice de Moraes, demanding the removal of
X has come under scrutiny for running advertisements alongside content from five UK accounts that allegedly spread hate and misinformation during recent racist and Islamophobic riots. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) revealed that these accounts, which were verified and promoted false claims following the Southport attack, garnered 260 million views in just one week. X—formerly Twitter—placed ads for prominent brands like GlaxoSmithKline and the International Olympic Committee near these posts, generating revenue from harmful content. Hate Speech and Misinformation Fuel UK Riots The controversy centers on five high-profile
