Growth Warrior Capital recently raised $26 million for its first fund from investors like Bank of America, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and Pivotal Ventures, the investment firm founded by Melinda French Gates. Promise Phelon launched Growth Warrior in 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina to support underrepresented and overlooked entrepreneurs. Since then, the firm has written checks up to $3 million and has a portfolio of 11 companies. These include Capitan, an AI insurance claim platform that raised $104 million, and ForceMetrics, an AI platform for first responders. Supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs Growth
Yale juniors Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow have raised $3.1 million in pre-seed funding for their social network platform, Series, which helps users connect with others who offer mutual value. Series, still just a few months old, secured the funding in only 14 days after a trailer posted by Johnson on LinkedIn went viral in the college entrepreneurial community. The buzz attracted strong investor interest, including from former a16z investor Anne Lee Skates, who went on to lead the pre-seed round through her venture fund Parable. Changing the way we
Campus, an online community college, has announced a $46 million Series B investment, bringing its total amount raised to over $100 million. The community college offers students live classes with highly regarded professors who have backgrounds from colleges and universities such as Stanford, UCLA, and Howard. Additionally, students receive wraparound support such as on-demand tutoring and personal success coaching, as stated in a press release. Who founded Campus? Before there was Campus, there was Campuswire, an online learning software Tade Oyerinde founded in 2016. In 2018, Oyerinde conceived the idea for Campus
Nigeria is preparing to set up a $40 million fund to back early-stage technology startups, strengthening its support for entrepreneurs who have typically relied on private investors. Semafor reported that the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japanese government’s overseas development assistance arm, is investing half of the fund. The remainder will be matched by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), as Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, head of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), stated. $40 Million Fund to support startups in Nigeria The fund is part of Nigeria’s broader commitment
Michael Seibel, one of Silicon Valley’s most influential Black entrepreneurs and investors, announced on Wednesday that he is transitioning to a “partner emeritus” role at Y Combinator (YC) after more than 12 years with the startup accelerator. “This role allows me to continue to do office hours with the 1000+ companies I’ve worked with in the past decade while giving me the free time to explore new adventures,” he shared on X. “It also means that the W25 batch was my last batch funding new YC companies.” Garry Tan, CEO
It’s difficult for Black female founders to get their foot in the door, especially when it comes to raising capital for their business. However, billionaire businessman Mark Cuban told ESSENCE that Black women shouldn’t necessarily be looking for funding. Instead, he believes they should take a different approach, one that he has personally followed in his own journey. Why should founders stop looking for funding? The Shark Tank investor spoke with ESSENCE at SXSW in Austin, Texas, ahead of his panel discussion on entrepreneurship with Tabitha Brown and entrepreneur Justin Fenchel.
This article is sponsored by Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab. Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab (MSISVL) provides early-stage startups with access to capital and resources to help them develop and scale. Its mission is to foster a more equitable and sustainable investment landscape. Applications to join the 2025 MSISVL cohort are open now through March 14. Inclusivity meets sustainability One example of MSISVL’s impact is Sortile, a tech startup transforming textile recycling. Constanza Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Sortile, highlighted the value of the experience. “Incredible
A San Francisco startup, Waterlily, is using AI to simplify long-term care planning and costs. Founded in 2021 by Lily Vittayarukskul, the company was born out of personal hardship—her aunt’s terminal colon cancer diagnosis left the family struggling with overwhelming medical costs. “It wiped us out financially,” Vittayarukskul, a former NASA data scientist, told TechCrunch. At the time, she was studying aerospace engineering, but the emotional and financial toll of her aunt’s illness led her to pivot to genetic and data science, ultimately inspiring Waterlily’s mission. How does Waterlily help individuals
Nigerian fintech unicorn Moniepoint has received a “strategic investment” from Visa, according to Techcrunch. The funding aims to propel financial inclusion and support the expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Africa. Moniepoint’s Series C Sources close to the deal say Moniepoint received over $10 million from Visa after securing a $110 million Series C round last October. Now, its Series C surpasses $120 million, and the company is allegedly speaking to other investors and could potentially attract more funding in the coming months while continuing its billion-dollar valuation.
Robin AI, a Black-owned legal AI startup, has won second place on the Startups 100 index. The startup uses AI to automate contract reviews, slashing costs and freeing up legal teams. Last year, it raised $25 million in a unique extension of its Series B funding round. The company was founded in 2019 by former Clifford Chance lawyer Richard Robinson and machine learning researcher James Clough. “Robin AI are truly ground breaking in their innovation, aiming to cut down legal processing times. Despite the challenges, the UK is still a
