Aphonzo Terrell, who was laid off from Twitter last year, confirmed that his app Spill, which gained popularity within the Black community, has recently raised a $2M extension round and had celebrity investments. The Spill App Terrell and DeVaris Brown – CEO and CTO of Spill – are both former Twitter – now known as X – employees. The two met on their first day working at Twitter after noticing they were the only Black guys on their team. However, when Elon Musk bought Twitter, Terrell was laid off from
Shero Comics, a LA-based multimedia company, is raising funds to bring video games to life that feature women and girls of color. Shero Comics LA-based Shero Comics aims to help women and girls of color find their superpowers in geekdom by building diverse IPs leveraged with technology. The company was founded in 2016 by award-winning writer, creator, and Shero CEO Shequeta L. Smith. After witnessing the lack of Black women and girls in comics and comic book movies, Smith launched Shero Comics, intending to create a renaissance of Black standalone
MM, a dating app that merges technology with real-life experiences, has raised £600K ($750K) in seed funding. The Dating App MM MM, launched in 2019, is a dating and events technology app merging AI with real-life events designed to help singles connect both in the app and in person. The company hosts events and experiences tailored for members to meet and network in person while doing the things they enjoy. MM is available to and has members from all races and genders but considers key cultural nuances within African, Caribbean,
Neon Money Club has partnered with American Express (Amex) to launch the Neon Money Club Cream American Express Card, making it the first Black-owned company to establish an American Express Card. Neon Money Club, co-founded by Luke Bailey and Jackie Liao, is an invite-only money club that aims to create an environment that allows users to become financially empowered while bypassing hurdles often faced. Members get access to invest in the US stock market, hyper-relevant financial content, and now their new Cream Card. The Cream Card Neon Money Club designed
Founder and former CEO of Black Girls Code (BGC) Kimberly Bryant has announced the amicable resolution of a legal dispute between herself and the board of BGC. BGC is a nonprofit organization that focuses on engaging African American girls and other youth of color with computer programming education to nurture their careers in tech. The organization, founded by Bryant in 2011, offers computer programming, coding, website robots, and mobile application building, with the goal of placing one million girls in tech by 2040. Bryant’s History With BGC Kimberly Bryant was
Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free’s pgLang – a multidisciplinary creative services company specializing in music and visual media production – is moving into the tech space. pgLang, short for program language, was founded by Kamar and Free in March 2020, who has partnered with tech company Light to launch the limited-release Light Phone II. The Light Phone II The Light Phone II is an unlocked, 4G LTE mobile phone with a few essential tools aimed to be a less-distracting alternative to the modern cell phone. It is billed to be
Black women have long contributed to British history, culture, and life, but, like their American sisters, they do so in the face of racism and sexism. Black women’s experiences of microaggressions and discrimination mean they are more likely to experience mental health disorders than white women. They also have negative experiences of mental health care. Their treatment often involves law enforcement for Black women, with fewer opportunities for talking therapies. Black women are also over four times more likely to be involuntarily detained compared to other racial groups in Britain.
As he retires from the NBA, former professional basketball player Andre Iguodala is set to lead Mosaic, his venture capital (VC) fund. Iguodala had an established reputation for nearly two decades as one of the NBA’s most versatile players, an All-Star, and an Olympic gold medalist. He has now announced his retirement from pro basketball to DealBook to focus on his other career as a startup investor. “It’s been a blessing to play for that long,” he told DealBook. Mosaic Mosaic is Iguodala’s $200 million venture capital fund raised with
Black-owned beauty-tech company Myavana is using AI to provide personalized insights and hair regimens that work for women of color. Myavana is the brainchild of computer scientist Candace Mitchell Harris. Her natural hair journey led her to seek data-driven, intelligent hair care solutions everywhere, from the lab to the Metaverse. The Science of Hair Data reveals that Black consumers drive the global hair-care market, spending nine times more on hair-care products than other racial groups. Black women, in particular, spend about $1.7 billion annually on hair-care products. While studying computer
Black-owned tech startup Slinger has raised £500,000 ($600,000) in pre-seed funding to shake up the hospitality industry’s hiring process. Brexit and COVID-19 have left the UK’s hospitality industry struggling with staff vacancies – industry vacancies are still 72% higher than pre-pandemic levels. As a result, the industry is having to turn away £25 billion ($30.3 billion) worth of business in the UK. Slinger aims to change this. Group Chat To Google-backed Founded by Theo-Lee Houston, Slinger aims to make hospitality hiring processes easier and fairer, connecting talent with businesses in
