A Google Technical Program Manager, Terysa Ridgeway, is launching Alilo the Explorer, an educational toy robot that teaches children how to code. Meet Terysa Ridgeway Ridgeway has been a Tech Program Manager at Google for almost two years. She is also the author of The Terysa Solves It book series that introduces young girls to Computer Science. The child of two teachers, Ridgeway’s fascination with technology began early. One day, her mother brought home a computer, and Ridgeway was intrigued by the data processor that allowed the keyboard’s letters to
San Francisco-based startup Writer Inc., a generative AI platform for corporate content, has raised $100 million. Using AI to write content Writer is a generative AI startup that uses its large language models (LLMS) to let enterprises and their employees write and edit content. This may include emails, documents, and ads adhering to a company’s editorial guidelines. With the name “Writer”, the startup only produces text, removing the operation of visual content such as images and videos. Founders May Habib from Lebanon and Wassem Alshikh from Syria used their personal
Tech-based startup Remoteli connects African professionals with companies seeking to build a more diverse, skilled workforce. According to their CEO, Samuel Brooksworth, “Africa’s most educated generation has emerged from schools and universities.” Despite this, over one-third of the continent’s 420 million 15-35-year-olds are unemployed. According to Forbes Africa, the market for remote workplace services is set to grow from $20.1 billion in 2022 to $58.5 billion by 2027. Founding Remoteli London-born Ghanaian Samuel Brooksworth saw a gap in the market for a platform that could connect businesses with individuals from
As Black-owned businesses face increasing financial pressures during and after the startup stage, many of them have sadly had to close their doors. The state of Black entrepreneurship Black Americans are among the most entrepreneurial groups in the nation, with 1 in 5 Black people in the US starting their own business. From 2017 to 2020, the nation witnessed a remarkable 13.64% surge in the number of Black-owned businesses. Black-owned firms brought in an estimated $141.1 billion in gross revenue in 2020 – an impressive 11% increase since 2017. In
Black tech entrepreneur Dedren Snead has soft-launched Subsume Studios in an Atlanta downtown hub, Underground Atlanta. According to Black Enterprise, Snead’s vision is to build a ‘Black Pixar’, revitalizing tourist attraction to promote art, culture, and technological advancement within the city. Naming the studio as “the world’s first Afrofuturism lab,” his mission with this space is to build “a template for the solutions of tomorrow.” Dedren Snead Snead is a writer, artist, game developer, creative consultant, emerging technologist and futurist from Atlanta, Georgia. He uses graphic novels, animation, gaming and
This Hispanic Heritage Month we are spotlighting the Hispanic and Latine people shaping the tech world. What is Hispanic Heritage Month? National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15, and it celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The celebration started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was extended to 30 days in 1988. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of
ELSA, the tech company that teaches English through speech recognition and machine learning, has raised $23 million in a Series C fund. ELSA ELSA – English Language Speech Assistant – is an engaging app to help users improve their English pronunciation. It started when Vu Van, CEO and co-founder of ELSA, left Vietnam to pursue an MBA and Master’s in Education at Stanford University. According to ELSA’s website, Vu was confident in her English vocabulary but knew she had a strong Vietnamese accent. Her professors and classmates could not always
This article was first published by Lindsey Redd on Medium. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been meeting with current and hopeful founders who want to become Y Combinator founders. They’re applying to the Winter 2024 batch, and naturally have a ton of questions about our experience applying and being accepted to YC. One of the main questions I get is “What was your interview experience like?” Of course, before there was the interview, there was the application. This is a story in and of itself that I’ll save for
Okra Solar, a technology startup working with local utilities to transform communities, has closed its Series A funding round. Mesh grid technology With 770 million people living without clean, reliable access to power, the tech startup aims to transform off-grid communities with mesh grids. Mesh grids are the fastest-growing technology solution for electrifying off-grid households. With a mesh grid, neighbors are connected, sharing renewable energy 24/7, which allows them to consume more than they would on their own. Each house contains a solar panel, battery and an Okra Pod, ensuring
Black entrepreneur Chriss Rogers has created the first ever protective mouth grill through her company Ease. Houston-born Rogers launched Ease in 2021 after closing her eight-year-old online boutique shop Chriss Zoe the year before. To date, Rogers has primarily self-funded her venture, and her social media has played a huge role as clips of her products have gone viral, leading to increased sales. Mouth Grills Rogers told AFROTECH she wanted to attach herself to a product she could be proud of, which is why she invented the new protective mouth
