Airtel Africa Foundation has announced the launch of its ‘Tech For Her’ Program, an initiative giving young women across Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya skills in tech. The philanthropic arm of Airtel Africa plc will help women gain the necessary knowledge to thrive in industries such as Linux Administration, Cybersecurity, and Data Analytics. Those eligible to take part in the program will complete over 100 hours of intensive training through a flexible learning model that includes weekend classes for working professionals and weekday sessions for non-working participants. The initiative aligns with
Career growth doesn’t end in your 30s or even in your 40s. While it’s easy to assume that major professional milestones are reserved for the young, the reality tells a different story. This year’s Forbes 50 Over 50 list is a testament to that, spotlighting leaders and entrepreneurs who have reached new heights later in life. Among them are Black women who have not only broken barriers but have remained at the top of their game more than 25 years into their careers. Here are four Black women who made
NAACP Image Award-nominated author Sabrina Lamb has launched Wekeza, an app that allows users to receive financial education in different languages. Users will be able to access US stocks in languages including English, French, Swahili, Hausa, Wolof, Zulu, and Haitian Creole, serving communities in the African diaspora across the US. “We learn to invest better when education speaks our language and honors our culture, Lamb says in a press release. Wekeza connects deeply with the African Diaspora experience, breaking down barriers to generational wealth,” she adds. Investing in your mother tongue
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content: https://www.patreon.com/techish This week, Techish host Michael Berhane teams up with TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis to break down why Silicon Valley is leaning into the intense 996 work culture. They also dive into Black beauty brands like Ami Colé struggling to stay afloat. Flo’s privacy trial, and Mira Murati’s $2 billion seed round. And for the Patreon subscribers: why the Tea app is in hot water and the dark side of tech’s H-1B visas. Chapters 00:43 Silicon Valley Embraces Controversial 996 Workweek07:11 Black-Owned
Rachel Allen, Ebony Cochran, and Jessie Hayes are creating a business school to close the racial wealth gap that hinders Black female entrepreneurs. Detroit has one of the highest concentrations of Black women–owned businesses in the US, but these women will often struggle to access the same financial capital as their white peers. Allen, Cochran, and Hayes are all successful Black entrepreneurs, but they don’t want to leave other Black people behind. “We’ve waited long enough to be invited to spaces that weren’t built with us in mind,” Cochran said.
The Black Founders Matter Fund is eyeing a second fund after fully deploying capital from its first. Launched in 2019, the early-stage fund invests in Black and other underrepresented founders building solutions in sectors such as health, wealth, and economic mobility. Managing Director Himalaya Rao-Potlapally says the experience has offered critical insights, not just for the fund’s strategy, but for how the venture ecosystem can better serve founders long term. Investing in Black startups Black Founders Matter began to gain traction in 2020, coinciding with the resurgence of the Black
Willa’s Books and Vinyl, one of the oldest-operating Black-owned bookstores in Missouri, is about to get a makeover thanks to The Kansas City Defender. The bookstore will transform into a public archive and the new headquarters of KC Defender, a nonprofit digital startup that produces news, digital tools, and public services for Black people across the Midwest. Willa’s struggled with financial troubles, asking for help from supporters across Kansas City so it could remain open. Nina Kerrs, a Mutual Aid organizer with The Kansas City Defender and other team members, started
Loula, a Y Combinator-backed startup, has officially launched with a mission to expand access to doula care by helping providers accept health insurance. The software platform and national doula network also manages credentialing, contracting, and billing, streamlining operations so doulas can focus on patient care. Since its launch in February, the company has expanded from 30 to 135 doulas, served 400 families, and facilitated over 2,000 doula visits. It is experiencing growth of over 50% month-over-month, according to its founder, Lindsey Redd. Supporting Doulas Doulas are trained professionals who give
Ami Colé, a Black-owned beauty line founded by Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, will shut down in September. N’Diaye-Mbaye, who is one of the few Black women to raise more than $1 million in venture capital, wrote about her decision in The Cut, explaining that maintaining the business in this current market wasn’t sustainable. “We made operational decisions that felt necessary at the time — like scaling up production to meet potential demand — without truly knowing how the market would respond,” N’Diaye-Mbaye said. Ami Colé’s history The brand, which launched in 2021,
Velveteen Ventures, a Midwest-based firm founded by Native American entrepreneur Betsy Fore, is one of the few US venture firms led by a Native American woman. As reported by TechCrunch, its institutionally backed first fund plans to invest $500,000 to $4 million in 15 to 20 seed and Series A startups focused on e-healthcare, climate, consumer, and community. Lack of Native American female founders The number of native American founders in the US is extremely low. TechCrunch attempted to find funding statistics for Native American founders, but the figures were
