Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Tampa Bay Wave have come together to launch the city’s first-ever tech accelerator for Latin Americans. What is the LatinTech accelerator program? Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Tampa Bay Wave has secured funding to launch the city’s first-ever tech accelerator for Latin Americans. The program aims to provide minority-owned companies with the support they need to scale successfully and remove the barriers against them. “Since the launch of the new Chamber [in 2019], it was our goal to produce a Latin tech accelerator. We thank Congresswoman Kathy Castor for
Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a $30 million pre-seed and seed matching fund program to help early-stage startup companies. The funding for the program will come from the State Small Business Credit Initiative to provide extra support to small businesses owned by historically marginalized individuals, including Black and brown entrepreneurs and traditionally disadvantaged individuals. The initiative, part of New York’s $500 million federal investment, aims to help small businesses recover from the pandemic and rebuild local economies. As a part of the program, Governor Hochul will offer early-stage startup companies
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the biggest federal climate deal in history and is great news for Black-owned carbon transformation startup Twelve. According to reports, the IRA contains $500 billion in funding to boost clean energy, reduce healthcare costs, and increase tax revenues. The Act follows negotiations on President Biden’s Build Back Better Act and is welcome news for climate startups like Twelve. “The Inflation Reduction Act, that’s been really amazing. We’re so excited about that,” said Twelve co-founder Ethosa Cave in an interview. “There’s so many provisions in there:
What a year! Many of you who have been following our tech coverage closely have embarked on a journey that has been both stimulating and inspiring. Over the past year, we’ve ventured into a world of immersive technology that has seen a popular AI platform takeover of the internet and new life formed on the metaverse. It is hard to predict what 2023 has in store for the world of technology, but it is bound to be a rollercoaster – so get strapped in! To commemorate the end of this
American cloud-based software company, Braze, has announced that they will be accepting applications to their Founders Program at the start of 2023. What is Braze’s Black Founders Program? Braze’s Black Founders program, which the company first launched in 2020, has made excelling simpler for Black founders. Since launching in 2020, the platform has provided 22 companies free access to its comprehensive customer engagement platform. Fast forward to today, more than 20 Black-owned startups are participating in the program and have greatly benefited from the platform’s technology. To build on the success of
Sheryl E. Ponds is working to ensure Black people are not left behind as the world moves towards electric vehicles. She is the entrepreneur behind Black-owned startup Dai Technologies Corp, which designs and builds electric vehicle charging stations. Electric Vehicle Charging Deserts DaiTechCorp describes itself as an ‘EV Adoption expert’ working to bring electric vehicles into the Black community. After successfully building electric vehicle charging stations, Ponds realized that many of her clientele were affluent and white, so she decided to rebuild her business model to reach the Black community. According to reports, about 2%
Are we leaving Twitter or not? That’s the question many Black Twitter users have been asking themselves for months now. The only problem is, where exactly will we be leaving to go? What is Spill? Enter: Spill. The social media app, designed by former Twitter employees, Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell and DeVaris Brown, is slowly becoming the chosen alternative for many. The pair who met on their first day working at Twitter made friends after noticing they were the only Black guys. Their friendship has since blossomed into a partnership that led
Accelerator program 1000 Black Voices is committed to breaking down the barriers many Black tech founders face. As a part of this mission, 1000 Black Voices gave thirteen Black-owned startups from its accelerator program the opportunity to participate in New York’s Trade Mission. What is the Trade Mission? The Trade Mission aims to tackle the issues Black and brown founders face in the industry by providing founders with a step-by-step process for scaling and accessing capital. The trade mission, which ran from December 5 -7, took place in partnership with
Sam Ayeni is the entrepreneur behind afriKare Life, a Black-owned company providing life insurance and financial solutions to the African diaspora and POC across America. Africare Life, whichSam Ayeni co-founded alongside his partners Maureen Marcus and Andrew Fyneboy, has quickly grown to become an innovative and modern life insurance platform that helps uplift individuals, families, and different tribes in the “land of opportunity.” Black Americans are buying more life insurance Black people are buying life insurance packages at higher rates than other racial groups. The 2021 LIMRA Barometer study found
Black-owned fiber and material science firm Aja Labs has raised $2.5 million to commercialize its first product, hair extensions made from plant material. The seed funding round, led by Impact America Fund, included Better Ventures, SOSV’s IndieBi, and a range of leaders across different sectors, including public health, cosmetics, business, and beauty. Aja Labs, co-founded by Osahon Ojeaga and Mary Moore, is an innovative company is working to build a better-for-you and better-for-the-planet product focusing on sustainability and human wellness. Their patent-pending hair extensions will be sold under the consumer brand Nourie and will include
