Every.io has announced it’s coming out of stealth alongside $9.5 million in seed funding. Every is the first all-in-one finance and HR suite that combines Banking, Cards, Bill Payments, Corporate Treasury, Bookkeeping, Tax, HR, Payroll, and Benefits in one platform. It was founded by Rajeev Behera, who previously raised $100 million in his last venture, Reflektive. The inspiration came from Behara’s experience as the founding CEO at Reflektive. “When I started my last company, I made a lot of costly errors setting up my back office. Founders just want to
Kenyan Startup Secures $4M To Bridge Africa’s Environmental Data Gap Through AI And Satellite Tech
Kenya-based climate-tech startup Amini has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund. Solving Africa’s Environmental Data Gap Amini focuses on solving Africa’s environmental data gap through AI and satellite technology. Founded by Kate Kallot, Amini has developed a holistic solution. It utilizes AI and space technologies at scale to drive systemic change and promote economic inclusivity for farmers and supply chain resilience across Africa. By fixing Africa’s data gap, they want to make it a more prosperous, equitable, and safe
Media and ad tech company Hero Media has launched the first-ever machine learning-powered, Black-owned demand-side platform (DSP). DSPs are automated ad-buying platforms where advertisers and agencies go to purchase digital ad inventory. Hero One, powered by AdTheorent, enables advertisers to leverage AI and machine learning to put brand messages in front of the right consumer at the right time in a contextually relevant way. Is Advertising Representative? While 2021 witnessed a surge in diversity and inclusion efforts, momentum seemingly dwindled the following year. In 2022, the advertising sector remained largely white-dominated, comprising 64.63% white professionals. Platforms
Black-owned fintech startup Mozaic has raised a $20 million Series A round to make it easier for creators to split payments with each other and get paid for their work. Helping creators get paid Marcus Cobb, CEO, and Rachel Knepp, SVP of Growth, founded Mozaic (previously Jammber) in 2015. The platform initially aimed to make it easy to handle different parts of the music business from your mobile phone – from songwriting credits and rights to ticketing and touring. However, Mozaic decided to pivot away from the B2B side of
Albantsho, the first screenwriting tool created by African screenwriters for African screenwriters, has launched its first feature – The Scriptwriter. Albantsho Julie Ako and Nikita Mokgware from Nigeria and Botswana founded Albantsho in 2020. Their goal is to showcase the potential of African storytelling, foster authentic content representative of Africa, and empower creatives. With growing global investment in motion pictures in Africa, a higher demand is placed on authentic stories from diverse voices. Albantsho is a movement, and they’ve charged themselves with finding bold new narratives of Africa by Africans
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,
