It’s not easy being a Black founder – there are many hurdles you have to climb before getting to the top, and one example includes the funding and investment process. Just 1% of Venture Capital (VC) firms financially back founders from the Black community in the US – while in the UK, that number sits at a ridiculously low 0.24%. According to BLCK VC, a nonprofit organization that equips Black investors to accelerate their careers in VC, more than 80 percent of venture firms in America don’t even have a single Black
Nigerian automotive tech company Autochek has announced the acquisition of Cheki Uganda and Kenya from Ringier One Africa Media in what has been described as a “milestone” move. Cheki, which first launched a decade ago in Kenya, has grown into a well-known car dealer site – spearheading the industry with 700,000 users and over 12,000 vehicle lists monthly. The start-up eventually expanded its operations to Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania before ROAM was acquired in 2017. But now, according to a statement on ROAM’s website, the business where people can
Following the first detection of the coronavirus in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has reached pandemic proportions, affecting students and schooling at all levels. In a March 2021 press release, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) claimed that the temporary closure of educational institutions affected over 168 million children worldwide who stayed home as countries worked to flatten the curve. Consequently, schools transited to online learning. International human rights organization, Amnesty International, reported that students were cut off from schools when the COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africa, leaving hundreds and
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss Rihanna joining the billy club, as Forbes reports she is worth $1.7B and what it means to be a billionaire nowadays (0:15) They also break down: Square acquires Afterpay for $30B and the risks of buy now pay later companies (7:53) Instagram makes changes for under 16’s but is it too little too late? (15:20) Fleets is no more, the unofficial ‘mega block’ and not being afraid to kill projects (23:23) Why smaller active wear brands are beating big brands like Nike
Radancy is hiring on pocitjobs.com Eboney Robinson’s journey to tech began in 2012 when her mother picked up a flyer. It was for the SLICE Program, which provides employment and educational opportunities to young people from low-income backgrounds. Today, Eboney works at Radancy, an enterprise SaaS talent acquisition platform, as a Senior Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer and is the first in her family to be employed in the technology industry. In this interview, she discusses her job at Radancy, what initially sparked her interest in technology, and how she’s giving
In 2020, despite a global pandemic, a total of 89 companies gained unicorn status globally. According to CB Insights and as of January 2021, there are 537 unicorns worldwide with a total value of $1.6 billion. 2020 was a record year for investment into the African startup ecosystem. The African Tech Startups Funding Report 2020 highlights that 397 African startups have raised a fund equivalent to $701.5 million USD. Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa stand out as the main destinations of capital, with 89.2% of the total amount of funds
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss fashion designer Virgil Abloh selling a majority stake in Off-White to LVMH but what is the cost of losing its Black-owned status? (21:58) They also break down: Twitter’s new dislike button (1:03) Bezos vs Branson’s space flight (5:30) Clubhouse is open to the public but is it too late? (9:32) Why Black employees prefer to work remotely and the Netflix employees that were caught slipping on Slack (12:20) Sponsors Get your ticket for Inbound 2021! Speakers include Oprah Winfrey, Tristan Walker, and
More new Black-owned companies were formed in 2020 than at any time in the last 25 years. However, we do know the significant challenges Black and Brown founders face trying to gain much-needed venture capital and investment for their businesses. Despite a bleak outlook, some minority entrepreneurs have found ways to attract investment during a chaotic pandemic year. In fact, Black founders are raising record amounts of venture capital funds in 2021. How are founders finding investment? Lockdowns theoretically made investors easier to reach. Many founders are now more accessible virtually through Zoom and
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss the Black footballers who faced online racial abuse from fans and how do we stop this from happening on social media? (1:10) They also break down: Trump tries to return to social media and the politics of ‘cancel culture’ (8:16) Richard Branson joins the space race and why all the investment into space? (15:05) Netflix dominates the Emmy’s (24:00) Amazon marketplace and conscious consumerism (28:05) What’s the cause of Uber’s price surge? (32:42) Sponsors Get your ticket for Inbound 2021! Speakers include
Earlier this month, social media was buzzing as Black TikTokers purported to go on strike from the popular social platform. The hashtag #Blacktiktokersonstrike and the slogan ‘They can’t do it without us’ were used to support the Black creators who refused to choreograph new dances on the app. This was in protest against the appropriation of their content by white users. With the controversies that plague social media platforms: the appropriation of Black culture, the disrespect and hate, the erasure, and the lack of financial compensation, has it come time
