In an initiative to empower Black creatives, Apple has partnered with the Propel Center to launch an arts and entertainment industry accelerator program. This program provides 50 students from 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) opportunities to enhance their creative skills and explore new career pathways. Program Overview: Empowering Future Creatives The accelerator program, which is part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), commenced on June 10 at Tennessee State University and will conclude at Clark Atlanta University. “Creativity is central to everything we do at Apple,
Brand new Techish! In this episode, host Michael Berhane is joined by TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis to break down: HBO’s Movie Pass, Movie Crash (0:35) Will Smith was never cancelled (7:05) Edward Blum’s anti-DEI lawsuit against Fearless Fund (10:50) Listen on Spotify or Apple podcast also. Watch On YouTube Extra Reading & Resources Fearless Fund: Appeals Court Rules Against Grants For Black Women [POCIT] Conservative Activists Behind Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision Sues VC Fund For WOC [POCIT] Pre-Seed Round Investing For Black Founders. [Michael Berhane] Plus you can connect with Dom on social media
Sara Wahedi is the founder and CEO of Ehtesab, Afghanistan’s first civic-technology startup. Ehtesab’s mobile app is designed to crowdsource and verify emergency event information, sending real-time alerts to users across Afghanistan. Refugee turned tech pioneer After fleeing Afghanistan as a child, Wahedi lived in Germany, the United States, and Canada. Her passion for her homeland drove her back to Afghanistan, where she worked a life-changing in 2018. On May 9, 2018, three explosions rocked Sara Wahedi’s Kabul neighborhood. As residents were left in the dark without any real-time information from
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has joined the board of SpreeAI, a new startup seeking to transform the shopping experience with AI. Founded and led by John Imah, SpreeAI lets each shopper become a model through its photorealistic try-on tool. SpreeAI SpreeAI allows shoppers to upload a single photo of themselves to see a photorealistic version of trying on outfits, with their size reportedly detected at a 99% accuracy rate. The product integrates into new and existing websites or mobile apps, offering retailers a hassle-free way to elevate user interaction and supercharge
Pretty Lux Co, the first Black-owned and woman-owned candle-making studio in Middle Georgia, is igniting a love for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) through the art of making luxury products. Pretty Lux Co. Pretty Lux Co. was founded in July 2023 by Anikitia Abram to offer candles, skin, and hair products that are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and created with minimal ingredients. Abram told Macon that the idea of Pretty Lux Co. was sparked by a personal journey of seeking solace and understanding during moments of anxiety. This search led
Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has been running ads on the search results for least 20 racist and antisemitic hashtags, according to a review by NBC News. The ad placements allowed X to monetize the hateful content more than 18 months after Elon Musk said that he would demonetize such posts on the platform. X Runs Racist Ads NBC News found the advertisements by searching several hashtags used to promote racism and antisemitism and by searching X accounts known for racial or religious hatred. The hashtags found varied from #whitepride
Loop Health has raised over $120,000 in funding as 21-year-old co-founders Joshua Obasohan and Neto Nwogbo set themselves up for a seed round this summer. The Story Of Loop Health According to TechCrunch, founders Obasohan and Nwogbo were college students brainstorming business venture ideas. After having initial plans of starting companies in Nigeria that came with barriers, they pivoted their idea to a market they were already familiar with, the university healthcare space. Then, the duo, both 21, launched Loop Health, a telehealth startup that aims to improve primary healthcare
Food critic and TikToker Keith Lee, also known as “The People’s Champ,” has partnered with Microsoft to amplify Black restaurants further. Lee’s viral food reviews continue to highlight Black and African-American-owned restaurants, and he uses his platform to connect with worldwide food lovers. Striving to place community at the center of his partnership, he is teaming up with Microsoft to help restaurants future proof their businesses with their AI-powered tool Copilot. Lee Partners With Microsoft Lee has partnered with Microsoft to provide restaurateurs with AI tools to help their businesses
Prósperos has successfully raised $3 million in seed funding to advance its mission of empowering Latine communities through innovative financial solutions. This funding round saw investments from FEBE Ventures, BAT VC, Tekton Ventures, and Courtyard Ventures, among others. Revolutionizing Financial Services For Latine Communities Founded in 2023 by Vinay Pai and Salvador Chavez, Prósperos aims to transform the financial landscape for Latine communities in the USA and Latin America. The Prósperos platform provides two bank accounts and cards: one for the account holder in the USA and another for their
South African startup Vambo AI is empowering users to use advanced AI in their native tongues. In April 2023, Chido Dzinotyiwei and Isheanesu Misi founded Vambo AI to create AI that “understands the languages of people in the rest of the world”. Its platform currently supports 11 African languages. “The reason why most of the world has not used AI – or explored its revolutionary power for education, economic empowerment, and more – is because it is not built in languages they understand,” Dzinotyiwei said, according to Disrupt Africa. A
