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
Amazon Catalytic Capital, launched in 2022, has announced four new venture capital funds, bringing its total portfolio to eight. Amazon Catalytic Capital Amazon Catalytic Capital was launched as a $150 million commitment focused on investing in Black, Latine, Indigenous, women and LGBTQIA+ builders in tech. Specifically, the initiative provides capital to funds, venture studios, accelerators, or incubators that back startups led by underrepresented founders. Recipients also receive 1:1 mentorship from Amazon executives and unique business opportunities for partnerships, technical support, and scaling resources. Amazon Catalytic Capital has announced its investment
Copenhagen-based Unconventional Ventures has announced the second close of its €30 million fund ($32 million), dedicated to investing in diverse founding teams and founders. Unconventional Ventures According to Tech Funding News, Unconventional Ventures (UV) is the only European fund with a diversity impact at its heart. It is an impact-focused investment firm investing in early-stage startups led by underrepresented founders in Europe. Launched by Thea Messel and Nora Barvey in 2018, UV has a VC structure and invests across the Nordics in healthcare, women’s health, diversity tech, sustainable fashion, food
With the increase of Black-owned businesses, there have been concerns about Black companies being sold or taken over by white firms. From 2017 to 2020, the number of Black-owned businesses across the country increased by 13.64%, and Black-owned firms brought in an estimated $141.1 billion in gross revenue in 2020 – an 11% increase since 2017. However, according to Forbes, there has been a trend where Black-owned businesses are being sold to or acquired by white-led companies. They raised the question of whether the business acquisition is a sign of
UK-based bladder health startup Jude has closed a $4.24 million seed round to expand into the U.S. Bladder Health: Jude Jude is a healthcare and wellness brand with a mission to bring bladder care to the forefront. 2.3 billion globally suffer from bladder issues, whether overactive bladder, leaving or incontinence and Jude is on a mission to help change that. Jude’s initial focus is on women’s health, as founder Peony Li said she wants to establish the business as a category leader in a space that’s been overlooked and hasn’t
Geek Ventures announced its first immigrant-focused fund, Geek Ventures Fund I, LP, to support pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups. Geek Ventures Ihar Mahaniok, an immigrant engineering leader with over 20 years of experience building code and machine-learning models for startups, founded Greek Ventures in 2021. He saw immigrant entrepreneurs’ difficulties when raising capital and making connections within the U.S. venture capital ecosystem. They aim to invest in bold, innovative, and brilliant immigrant entrepreneurs worldwide and believe the challenges immigrants face when coming to a new environment nurture resilience and determination.
