NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, has partnered with Black-owned educational tech company Rhymes with Reason to help 250 students in Cleveland build their literacy and vocabulary skills through popular music. By the age of three, children with professional parents get vocabulary exposure that is two times larger than working-class children. As working-class children comprise the majority of American kids, the word gap persists through primary education, creating a reality where 65% of all students read below the level in 4th grade. Rhymes With Reason was designed to change this narrative
People of color are well-represented in Canada’s tech sector, a new report by the Tech and People Network (TAP Network) has found. However, Indigenous Canadians and women remain underrepresented among tech employees. TAP Network’s Diversity in Tech report provides an annual benchmark for Canada’s tech sector to track its progress in increasing the representation and inclusion of equity-deserving groups within the industry over time. Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Data from nearly 200 employers showed positive trends in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) policies and practices at tech organizations.
Every.io has announced it’s coming out of stealth alongside $9.5 million in seed funding. Every is the first all-in-one finance and HR suite that combines Banking, Cards, Bill Payments, Corporate Treasury, Bookkeeping, Tax, HR, Payroll, and Benefits in one platform. It was founded by Rajeev Behera, who previously raised $100 million in his last venture, Reflektive. The inspiration came from Behara’s experience as the founding CEO at Reflektive. “When I started my last company, I made a lot of costly errors setting up my back office. Founders just want to
Code Black Indy (CBI) has plans to expand its programs as it receives a $30,000 economic mobility graant from the Bank of America. What Is Cody Black Indy? CBI seeks to reintegrate the “The Village” principle back into the community. The non-profit serves Hoosiers who are underrepresented in the tech field, like people of color, women, individuals with disabilities, and those from low-income backgrounds. Through collaborations such as hands-on training, mentorship, and job placement support, they seek to redefine how one learns through applying technical skills. After working in corporate
Greenwood, the digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals, has launched their new app, Greenwood Invest. Greenwood is a financial technology company used through a mobile platform inspired by the early 1900s Greenwood District, where the recirculation of Black wealth occurred all day. According to recent reports, Black households held just 4% of total household wealth in the US in 2020 despite making up over 13% of the population. Additionally, only 33% of Black households and 24% of Hispanic households owned stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) compared to 61% of white households.
Fuse Media has turned to AI dubbing for a Spanish-language version of its FAST channel Backstage. Fuse Media is a Latino-owned, global entertainment company, leading in the creation and distribution of inclusive, purpose-driven stories and experiences for and with culturally diverse young adults. Some of the shows have won awards such as the Peabody, Emmys, Critics Choice, and Candian Screen Awards as well as their diversity awards from NAACP, Imagen, GLAAD, the Gracies, and NAMIC. The Latino-owned platform has now teamed with UK-based AI dubbing company Papercup to launch Backstage
Media and ad tech company Hero Media has launched the first-ever machine learning-powered, Black-owned demand-side platform (DSP). DSPs are automated ad-buying platforms where advertisers and agencies go to purchase digital ad inventory. Hero One, powered by AdTheorent, enables advertisers to leverage AI and machine learning to put brand messages in front of the right consumer at the right time in a contextually relevant way. Is Advertising Representative? While 2021 witnessed a surge in diversity and inclusion efforts, momentum seemingly dwindled the following year. In 2022, the advertising sector remained largely white-dominated, comprising 64.63% white professionals. Platforms
Black-owned fintech startup Mozaic has raised a $20 million Series A round to make it easier for creators to split payments with each other and get paid for their work. Helping creators get paid Marcus Cobb, CEO, and Rachel Knepp, SVP of Growth, founded Mozaic (previously Jammber) in 2015. The platform initially aimed to make it easy to handle different parts of the music business from your mobile phone – from songwriting credits and rights to ticketing and touring. However, Mozaic decided to pivot away from the B2B side of
Albantsho, the first screenwriting tool created by African screenwriters for African screenwriters, has launched its first feature – The Scriptwriter. Albantsho Julie Ako and Nikita Mokgware from Nigeria and Botswana founded Albantsho in 2020. Their goal is to showcase the potential of African storytelling, foster authentic content representative of Africa, and empower creatives. With growing global investment in motion pictures in Africa, a higher demand is placed on authentic stories from diverse voices. Albantsho is a movement, and they’ve charged themselves with finding bold new narratives of Africa by Africans
Every year, Forbes releases their long-awaited list of young innovators shaping today’s world. This year marks Forbes 30 Under 30’s 13th annual list of entrepreneurs. The list featured a handful of Black people innovating in tech, from tackling toxic language online to working on the first crewed space mission to Mars. So, let’s meet some of them. Tony Morino, Co-Founder of Wiseday Morino co-founded Wiseday in 2021 to help Canadian homeowners get the best and cheapest mortgage rates. Morina co-founded the company with his friends and long-time acquaintances in 2021
