The dating app for Black singles, BLK, has introduced its new Father’s Day campaign “BLK DAD ENERGY.” The campaign aims to become the epicenter of Black fatherhood. It gives single fathers a community to talk, share stories, and spread love through its digital hub. BLK DAD ENERGY includes multiple sections for members to utilize, such as “Girl Dads” for fathers who want to better their relationships with their daughters and “Dating Dads,” a segment for rebuilding Black love in one’s life. For example, ”Girl Dads” features segments and videos with
This week, US east coast cities such as New York were hit with hazardous smog and smoke caused by Canadian wildfires, as the cities dealt with some of the worst air quality seen in recent history. Since Friday, over 400 wildfires have blazed through Canada, with 200 still considered out of control, said the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire. Environmental justice activists have told CNN the air is only exacerbating health risks in vulnerable Black and brown communities. Studies have shown Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans are exposed to more pollution
Helium Health, a Lagos-headquartered healthtech startup, has secured $30 million in Series B funding in the second-largest series B round for any African health tech company. Digitizing Healthcare Across Africa Founded in 2016 by Tito Ovia, Adegoke Olubusi, and Dimeji Sofowora, Helium Health has been a pioneer in is revolutionizing Africa’s healthcare sector through technology, finance, and data. The company’s suite of digital solutions includes electronic medical records, hospital management systems, insurance and billing software, and analytics tools. The company currently operates in eight countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Liberia, Kenya,
Black Tech Week, an inclusive tech conference focused on empowering entrepreneurs of color, is set to return to Cincinnati from July 18–20. “There isn’t a single DEI talk at Black Tech Week. That’s by design,” Brian Brackeen shared on Twitter. “‘No DEI talks’ are something that we are proud of.” Brian Brackeen is the founder of facial recognition software company Kairos and managing partner at Cincinnati-based venture capital fund Lightship Capital, which invests in companies led by underepresented founders. He is also the organizer of Black Tech Week. “Black Tech
Prioritizing affordability, inclusivity, and leveraging technology, Black-owned insurance tech unicorn Marshmallow is challenging traditional insurance practices and extends coverage to underserved communities. Now, Marshmallow has landed a £15 million 3-year revolving credit facility from Triple Point Private Credit, one of the largest non-bank lenders in the UK, to expand its product offerings. “[We] are excited to be working with a management team that have successfully launched and scaled an insurance business so impressively,” said Triple Point’s Head of Structured Finance, Gavin Maitland Smith, per Tech Funding News. “More importantly, their
Following Rihanna’s iconic Super Bowl LVII halftime performance, anotherblock‘s non-fungible token (NFT) collection of the track sold out in minutes. Now, the Stockholm-based web3 music startup has secured €4 million ($4.3 million) in funding to continue its work of redefining music ownership. Achieving triple platinum status upon its release, BBHMM gained new virality after Rihanna performed the track at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. Jamil “Deputy” Pierre, a co-producer on Rihanna’s BBHMM, linked up with anotherblock to sell 0.99% of his streaming royalty rights to the song as 300 NFTs
Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has recently announced the launch of its second fund under the Opportunity Growth Fund, now rebranded as the Open Opportunity Fund (OOF). The fund aims to raise and invest $150 million in startups led by Black and Latine entrepreneurs. New name, chairman, & access Taking the reins as chairman of the fund is serial entrepreneur and investor Paul Judge, who previously served as a founding investment committee member. Alongside SoftBank and select affiliates, Judge and others have agreed to acquire an ownership stake in the OOF. The
Tade Oyerinde is empowering students to complete their first two years of college without taking on any debt through his community college startup Campus. As per Forbes, Campus has secured $29 million in a Series A funding round led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Discord founder Jason Citron to expand the college. Other investors in the round include Figma founder Dylan Field; former head of Stripe Lachy Groom; Bloomberg Beta; Founders Fund; Rethink Education; Reach Capital and Precursor Ventures. Students and professors are struggling In 2018, Oyerinde conceived the
Akash Nigam, the co-founder and CEO of leading avatar company Genies, is spearheading the adoption of ChatGPT within his organization. According to Business Insider, Nigam is spending $2,400 a month on ChatGPT Plus accounts for his 120 employees to cut costs and unlock new levels of productivity. “I’m a pretty frugal, stingy person,” Nigam told the Business Insider. “But in my mind, this is for the health and growth of the company.” By automating monotonous tasks, such as answering coding queries, creating technical roadmaps, and generating creative briefs, Nigam says
True, one of the largest executive search firms in the world, has announced it is acquiring Jopwell, a hiring platform focused on advancing the careers of Black, Latinx and Native American students and early-to-mid-career professionals. According to a press release, Jopwell will complement the executive-focused DEI efforts of True Search and AboveBoard, an inclusive executive platform and community). Jopwell co-founders and execs Ryan Williams and Porter Braswell will continue to build Jopwell as a business unit within True. The story behind Jopwell Williams and Braswell started Jopwell after meeting at Goldman
