For the first time in history, the FDA has approved a device that allows people to screen for cervical cancer from home. Teal Health launched the Teal Wand, a prescription device that lets patients self-collect samples and mail them to labs to receive the same testing that they would receive from a professional doctor. In January, it was announced that Serena Ventures, Williams’ VC firm, participated in a $10 million seed funding round for Teal Health. How will the kit work? Once a user requests a kit, a vetting process to confirm eligibility is
Aruwa Capital Management, a Nigerian investment firm, has raised $35 million towards its $40 million target for its second fund. The firm is set to reach its final close of $50 million, with a hard cap of $60 million within the year. The total fund exceeds Aruawa Capital’s first fund, which closed in 2022 at just over $20 million. The second fund includes new and returning investors such as the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund (MFAGF), Visa Foundation, global family offices and HNIs, and new LPs such as the Bank
Growth Warrior Capital recently raised $26 million for its first fund from investors like Bank of America, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and Pivotal Ventures, the investment firm founded by Melinda French Gates. Promise Phelon launched Growth Warrior in 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina to support underrepresented and overlooked entrepreneurs. Since then, the firm has written checks up to $3 million and has a portfolio of 11 companies. These include Capitan, an AI insurance claim platform that raised $104 million, and ForceMetrics, an AI platform for first responders. Supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs Growth
Topicals founder and CEO Olamide Olowe and its president Sochi Mbadugha have acquired Bread Beauty Supply through their holding company, Cost of Doing Business (CODB), which they launched in 2024. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. According to Business of Fashion, CODB plans to grow Bread Beauty Supply’s retail presence in the US, beginning with an expansion into more Sephora stores. Topicals and Bread: Two Visionary Black-Owned Brands Topicals is a Black-owned skincare brand founded by Olowe in 2020. It has gained prominence for its products that
H&M has ended its partnership with the non-profit Buy From A Black Woman (BFABW) and paid the $83,000 it owed the organization almost a month after it was due, as reported by ADWEEK. BFABW was founded by Nikki Porcher in 2016. It provides Black women with educational programs, an online guide to hundreds of female-owned Black businesses, and funding to help Black women business owners achieve success. In 2021, H&M partnered with BFABW, hosting special events, and participating in its business accelerator, and organizing activities and donations tailored to Black-owned businesses.
The Nigerian parliament recently passed a resolution banning pornographic websites with immediate effect. The decision follows a motion presented by lawmaker Dalhatu Tafoki, who raised concerns about the accessibility of explicit content and its perceived impact on societal values, particularly among youth. Concerns over moral decline According to Peoples Gazette, Tafoki highlighted the psychological and social risks he believes are linked to exposure to pornography, citing global research by psychologists and sociologists. “Renowned psychologists and sociologists worldwide have issued strong warnings about the psychological, sociological, and mental consequences of consuming pornographic content,”
Rocket scientist Aisha Bowe will bring plant samples from Winston-Salem State University to the first Blue Origin all-female mission to space in the spring. Odyssey, WSSU’s space science and operations firm, will launch an innovative suborbital space experiment aboard Blue Origin’s All-Female Mission, NS-31, according to a press release. This is the HBCU’s first suborbital spaceflight experiment for the WSSU’s Astrobotany research program, which is part of the Department of Biological Sciences. Experiment for the Future of Space Agriculture and Food Security Students will analyze crop plants’ early molecular stress
Meghan Markle has announced her new podcast about female founders. It will debut on April 8, exploring her journey as an entrepreneur and conversations with other female founders, as stated by People Magazine. The podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, produced by Lemonada Media, follows Meghan’s Netflix series With Love, Meghan and the launch of her lifestyle brand, As Ever. Meghan Markle’s new podcast “I’m so proud of what we’re creating, and the candid conversations that I’m able to have with other female founders as we unpack the twists and
The non-profit We Are Enough (WAE) is hosting a new initiative, the 3.3.3 Challenge, which aims to inspire three million women to invest $3 billion over three years. The movement was created with a “gender lens” to help women expand their wealth, match their values, and build a world they want to see, as stated in a press release. What is We Are Enough? Founded by venture capitalist Tracy Gray, WAE educates women about investing, regardless of economic background. Gray is also the founder and managing partner of The 22 Fund, a
It’s difficult for Black female founders to get their foot in the door, especially when it comes to raising capital for their business. However, billionaire businessman Mark Cuban told ESSENCE that Black women shouldn’t necessarily be looking for funding. Instead, he believes they should take a different approach, one that he has personally followed in his own journey. Why should founders stop looking for funding? The Shark Tank investor spoke with ESSENCE at SXSW in Austin, Texas, ahead of his panel discussion on entrepreneurship with Tabitha Brown and entrepreneur Justin Fenchel.
