DrugStoc has raised $4.4 million in a Series A funding round led by Africa Healthcare Master Fund, Vested World, the German Development Bank and others. The investors will play a vital role in the sector’s continued growth. The firm plans to open more fulfillment centers and increase transit points and routes. It also hopes to provide more improved logistic alternatives for deliveries projected to be tardy. The founders plan to tap into more investment prospects in cold chain infrastructure with the hope of creating safer distribution for perishable items. To
The platform, launched in 2020, is designed to make Black candidates accessible to corporations, connect Black-owned start-ups with major brands, pair young tech employees with experienced workers for mentorship, and teach small-business owners how to raise capital. Launched by Leke Sholuade in September last year – it now has a global community of 208 plus mentors from multinational companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Uber, Facebook, Cisco, LEGO ventures, and SMEs. It reportedly has a three-phased approach to make sure the future of tech is an inclusive one for Black people.
At POCIT News, we’re always trying to make life simpler for our community, and that’s why we’ve created a list of Black Programmers and technologists who are inspiring the next generation of innovators. Let’s begin. Sofia Ongele She’s a 20-year-old coder, student, and activist. Back in 2016, she attended Kode with klossy, a summer program and organization dedicated to teaching girls aged 13-18 how to code. In turn, she learned the ins and outs of web development, and learning to code has since opened countless doors for her, taking her to
A few days ago, I got an email regarding a Black-led, Gen Z fintech startup providing income-constrained individuals with investment opportunities. The release said the company, run by a 22-year-old and 25-year-old duo, had just announced their Series A investment round. This – of course – immediately caught my attention because I’m eager to highlight the achievements of young people in tech, but I was even more ecstatic when I saw the figure – Sheridan Clayborne and Mitchell Jones had managed to raise a whopping $18million in their fundraising round.
A Black-led, Gen Z fintech startup providing income-constrained individuals investment opportunities has announced an $18M Series A investment round. The group of diverse investors rallying up to fund Lendtable’s future included SoftBank’s SB Opportunity Fund, Valor Equity Partners, and CEOs of Complex Networks and Social Finance, Inc. The fintech firm, run by founders under 30-years-old, has already disbursed over $2.4 million in match benefits to hundreds of employees in just a year, running the gamut from those employed by small consumer brand companies to Fortune 500 companies like Google, Microsoft,
Kela Ivonye is trying to solve the tech diversity issue through his new organization and micro fund, Protégé. After all, it was the connections he fostered as a founder, coupled with his determination and supportive network that led him to a successful exit from his innovative mailbox company Mailhaven Inc. in 2019. Now he’s using his experience, expertise, and knowledge to help Black entrepreneurs succeed by connecting them with Super founders for mentorship and investment. He co-founded the platform, a nonprofit and micro fund, to cultivate community among black founders in
A minority-owned platform that allows you to compare colleges, course options, and tuition fees all in one go has just managed to raise $1M  in a pre-seed round that will go towards improving its search and recommendation technology. Craydel was launched earlier this year by co-founders Manish Sardana, John Nguru, and Shayne Aman Premji. It was inspired by the lack of a reliable portal in Africa to guide the big decisions on which college and course selection students will take. The trio then decided to bring to life a platform that would eliminate this
MFS Africa, an inter-operability hub connecting mobile network operators across the continent through a single API,  has raised $100 million in a Series C round. That’s a pretty significant number for a Series C funding round, and it’s split between $70 million equity and $30 million debt. Private equity fund AfricInvest FIVE co-led the round with existing investors Goodwell Investments and LUN Partners Group. New investors CommerzVentures, Allan Gray Ventures, Endeavor Catalyst, and Endeavor Harvest joined in while ShoreCap III returned as an existing investor with other funds. For someone who spent more than
A Black-owned startup providing non-intrusive audio ads within mobile games has just raised $14M in its series A round. Makers Fund and Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round. Also participating in the fundraising was the Sequoia Scout Program and Google. The total investment for AudioMob to date is now at $16 million. From kicking off in 2020, founders Christian Facey, CEO, and Wilfrid Obeng, CTO, have seen recent client successes with artists including Ed Sheeran and Nas alongside brands like Intel, Jeep, and KitKat who all saw relative metric achievements
Like many industries, the tech sector still has some way to go in addressing diversity and bias issues and although there has been some progress with big companies like Google creating initatives specifically for minority communities – the work shouldn’t and doesn’t stop there. After diverse intake in companies – what roles are they being given, the salary disparity once in the role, the treatment among colleagues and the handling of racism allegations. We’ve heard countless of stories of Black employees and their allies being sidelined for speaking out against
