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
Black women remain the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, more than doubling in number since August 2019, according to a new report by GoDaddy Venture Forward. GoDaddy Venture Forward is a research initiative that quantifies the impact of over 20 million microbusinesses on their local economies and provides a unique view into these entrepreneurs’ attitudes, demographics, and needs. In August 2023, Venture Forward completed its 10th national survey with responses from over 6,000 small business owners across the US and UK. Black microbusiness ownership Most of the businesses surveyed were microbusinesses,
Waspito, a Cameroonian health startup, has secured a $2.5 million seed extension, helping its growth in Francophone African regions. Waspito Waspito is a health-focused social network that aims to integrate the whole health ecosystem into a single platform. Instead of building a platform involving pre-registration and booking consultation meetings, founder Jean Lobe Lobe opted for one where users could instantly connect with doctors. Lobe founded the startup in 2020, just before the COVID pandemic became a global health emergency, aiming to make healthcare accessible. “Going online to book an appointment
Nigerian venture capital firm Aduna Capital has announced the launch of a $20 million fund to invest in Northern Nigeria startups and Africa. Aduna Capital Aduna Capital is a registered investment advisor startup with a new wealth management advisor experience. The firm provides investment management services where clients can utilize discretion in managing their accounts. This includes advice with various asset classes, including equity, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, fixed-income instruments, and options. Specifically, the client grants the firm full power to direct, manage, and change the investment and reinvestment of
Female Founders Fund has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise $75 million for its fourth fund. Female Founders Fund Female Founders Fund was created in 2014, becoming the leading source of institutional capital for female, women of color, and LGBTQ+ founders, raising seed capital with over $3 billion in enterprise value. Anu Duggal, founding partner of the fund, has been praised for her impact in diversifying venture capital over the last decade. A serial entrepreneur, Duggal began her tech career as a co-founder of Exclusively.In,
Anu Hariharan, who led Y Combinator (YC) Continuity, has partnered with two former colleagues and former Brex executive Lucas Fox to launch a new fund, Avra. Helping founders scale their companies YC Continuity was an investment fund supporting founders as they scaled their companies. But this year, it scaled back growth stage investment and cut nearly 20% of its staff before being discontinued. According to TechCrunch, Hariharan finalized plans for launching Avra two months after YC shut the Continuity fund. She draws on her years of experience supporting founders as
Tech Spark AI has raised $1.4 million to create a new generative AI platform, Spark Plug, which aims to create a more inclusive, personalized educational experience for students. The pre-seed funding round was led by TD Bank, with participation from Salesforce, Canada’s government, and NBA Canada. An educational ChatGPT alternative Tamar Huggins and her 13-year-old daughter Talia Grant founded the AI company eight years ago to improve the education experience of Black and brown students across North America. Tech Spark is Canada’s first tech and design school committed to empowering
UpSurge Baltimore has named Kory Bailey its new CEO. Founded in 2021, UpSurge Baltimore is an ecosystem builder focused on making Baltimore the country’s first Equitech city and a launching pad for founders of all backgrounds. Bailey will be the first Black person to lead the company. Meet Kory Bailey Bailey is a noteworthy leader in the startup and tech community that focuses on developing relationships locally and nationally with founders, investors, and startup support organizations. Bailey, from Durham, NC, grew up loving sports and technology and went on to
A Black birthing review app, Irth, is making its way into hospitals to improve Black families’ experiences. The Irth App Irth is a mobile app that collects and shares healthcare reviews from parents of color. The name comes from the word birth, with the ‘b’ dropped for bias. The app helps Black and brown women and birthing people have a safer and more empowered pregnancy experience by allowing users to see how other parents of color experience care from a doctor or at a hospital. The app enables Black birthing
Issac Hayes III’s social media platform Fanbase has announced its current equity crowdfunding round has crossed $4.50M. Fanbase Platform Fanbase, launched by Hayes, is a social media platform designed to enable Black creators to cultivate their audiences and monetize their contributions effectively. According to a 2021 study by The Influencer League involving US-based creators, the pay gap between white influencers and influencers of color is 29%. When narrowed further between white and Black influencers, the margin rises to 35%. Fanbase differentiates from other platforms that need brand partnerships or ad
