Chpter, an AI-powered conversational commerce platform, recently secured $1.2 million in pre-seed funding to drive the growth of its business. Chpter’s platform helps businesses sell more efficiently on popular social platforms such as WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram by automating conversations, marketing, and payments. Making social media sales easier As social commerce continues to grow in Africa—where e-commerce is projected to reach $46 billion by 2025—many businesses face challenges managing customer interactions and conversions, according to Chpter. To address these challenges, Mesongo Sibuti (CTO), Kuria Kevin (CPO), Mark Kiarie (COO) and Tesh Mbaabu (CEO) partnered to build Chpter. Chpter’s
A beauty pageant controversy has ignited a cross-border feud between Nigeria and South Africa, with ride-hailing apps Uber and Bolt becoming the unlikely battlegrounds. The Miss South Africa controversy Last month, Chidimma Adetshina was forced to withdraw from the Miss South Africa contest after becoming a finalist due to xenophobic backlash. The 23-year-old law student says she was born in Soweto, South Africa to a Nigerian father and South African mother with Mozambican roots. After withdrawing from Miss South Africa, Adetshina later accepted an invitation to participate in Miss Universe
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is intensifying its efforts to combat the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) by law enforcement in California, Maryland, and Minnesota. This move comes amidst growing concerns over racial bias and wrongful arrests, particularly among Black communities. Facial Recognition: A Threat to Civil Liberties? In recent years, facial recognition technology has been embraced by police departments across the United States, described as a powerful tool for identifying suspects. However, the technology has also come under fire due to its potential for racial bias and
Black male enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has plummeted to a historic low, falling below the previous record set in 1976. Recent data reveals that this decline, marked by a 25% drop since 2010, underscores a growing crisis within the Black male academic pipeline and poses a threat to the future of these institutions. Sharp Decline in Black Male Enrollment While HBCUs overall have seen an 11% decrease in enrollment since 2010, the situation is far more severe for Black male students. This 25% drop in Black
Nvidia, a global leader in AI, has announced a strategic partnership with California Black Media (CBM) aimed at supporting Black-owned newspapers across California. This collaboration will create a resource that uses AI to preserve nearly a century of journalism by Black journalists in the state. Training AI on a Century of Black Journalism The partnership will see Nvidia train a large language model (LLM) on nearly a century of journalism produced by Black journalists within the state. This effort will not only preserve the rich history of Black journalism but
Google has reintroduced its Gemini AI software following widespread criticism of the tool’s initial release, which produced problematic and historically inaccurate images. The tech giant’s image-generating feature was initially paused after it generated offensive depictions, including images of Black Nazis and diverse renditions of America’s Founding Fathers, which sparked backlash. New Features and Safeguards Implemented In response to the controversy, Google has announced significant updates to Gemini’s image generation capabilities. The company revealed that an early access version of the tool will be made available to subscribers of Gemini Advanced,
In a revelation, Sean “Diddy” Combs has been identified as one of the investors in X Corp, the company owned by Elon Musk that acquired the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The disclosure came as part of a federal court ruling, unsealing a list of shareholders connected to Musk’s $44 billion purchase of the platform in 2022. Court Order Unseals X Corp’s Investors The court-ordered disclosure revealed nearly 100 investors, including high-profile names like Bill Ackman, Larry Ellison, and Marc Andreessen. Among them, Sean Combs Capital, one of
Mirriad, a leader in virtual product placement technology, has launched The Diverse Media Alliance, bringing together content companies like Bomesi, Canela Media, LatiNation, Ntertain’s Neon16, and The Shade Room. This alliance aims to create a more equitable media landscape by helping brands better invest in and track their diverse media campaigns. Addressing the Gap in Diverse Media Investment Despite the surge of pledges in 2020 to invest more in diverse media, actual spending in this area remains disappointingly low. The Diverse Media Alliance aims to address this gap by helping
New York Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux has been named a venture partner in The Collectiv, a new $20 million venture capital fund focused on early-stage sports tech companies and emerging leagues. Strategic Investment for Life After Football Thibodeaux’s partnership with The Collectiv reflects his broader ambition to establish a strong business presence while still actively competing in the NFL, as first reported by Spotico. The fund, which aims to raise $20 million over the next six months, includes a consortium of athletes, sports executives, and industry leaders from major
The California Court of Appeals has upheld a deal between Sony Music Group and the estate of Michael Jackson, allowing the music giant to acquire a substantial portion of the late artist’s catalog for $600 million. According to Billboard, the court’s decision, finalized on August 21, 2024, permits the sale of half of Jackson’s publishing and recorded masters catalog, despite objections from his mother, Katherine Jackson. Court Ruling Dismisses Katherine Jackson’s Objections The legal dispute centered around whether the estate’s executors, John Branca and John McClain, violated the terms of
