Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners is adding spatial LABS, a metaverse and blockchain-based tech incubator, to its growing list of crypto investments, according to a report from Billboard. Founded by 24-year-old entrepreneur Iddris Sandu, next year, sLABS will launch its first product, “LNQ,” a blockchain-enabled hardware platform that helps onboard young creators to the metaverse, according to widely shared reports. “Iddris has a conscious world view and a youth-centric vision that is innovative and refreshing to witness,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “We share similar parallels in how we imagine impacting
BITCON 2021‘s virtual event kicks off this Wednesday and the conference will feature some of the Black community’s tech icons – from cryptocurrency to cybersecurity. Arlan Hamilton, Judy Smith, Sherell Dorsey, Simon T.Bailey, and Kanika Tolver are among the list of speakers lined up to give away gems to those keen on trailblazing in the industry. A total of 3% of workers at the top 75 technology companies identified as Black and Black founders received just 3% of all US venture capital in 2020. BITCON hopes to change these numbers. The
Yellow Card, an African Bitcoin exchange that recently announced a $15 million Series A funding, is one of the continent’s leading trailblazers in cryptocurrency. Its most recent round was led by Valar Ventures, Third Prime, and Castle Island Ventures. Square, Coinbase Ventures, and Blockchain.com Ventures. Now Yellow Card plans to use its funding to grow its team, launch new products, and expand to more African countries across the continent. According to Forbes, the announcement makes it the most considerable funding by a B2C crypto exchange in Africa. The firm was first launched in 2018 in Nigeria
Rappers Pusha-T and Nas have jumped the bandwagon and followed the likes of Jason Derulo by investing in a new streaming platform, Audius, which is looking to rival Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal. The free-to-use streaming platform built on blockchain technology launched in 2018 and also supports NFTs or non-fungible tokens. Last week the venture also announced a $5 million round of strategic funding. “I believe [blockchains] might be the most important technology to ever hit the music industry,” Nas said in a statement. “Everyone who uploads to Audius can be an owner. You can’t say that about any
TV personality Steve Harvey might have just helped cryptocurrency Solana increase its value in price, which started at $37 last month and is now up to $197 as of yesterday, without even realizing it. On Thursday, the comedian and presenter swapped out his old profile picture for a unique Solana Monkey Business NFT – the picture is part of a collection of cartoonish, pixelated monkeys generated randomly. An NFT provides ownership of almost every type of digital item and now profile picture collections are on the rise in the space.
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
El Salvador has become the first country to accept Bitcoin as a legal currency in a move that has got the world debating whether cryptocurrency should be used in this way. The country has reportedly already bought its first 400 bitcoins, worth an estimated $21 million based on bitcoin’s value at the time of the announcement, according to a series of tweets by the country’s President – Nayib Bukele. Millions of people are now expected to download the government’s new digital wallet app which gives away $30 in Bitcoin to every
From Memes, gifs, dances that go viral, and tweets—Black innovation and creativity have a significant impact on pop culture and mainstream trends. It’s Black creativity that sets cultural trends yet our innovation is constantly exploited. Earlier this month, Black Tiktokers went on strike refusing to make new dance content as their dances were ripped off and copied without recognition or compensation for their creativity. Can NFTs be the tech that enables the Black community to receive appropriate financial compensation for the work they create? This article will showcase how some Black
With the global pandemic confining many to their homes, it seemed like everyone was talking Crypto, GameStop, and Dogecoin. Many wondered, “am I the only one not getting rich?” Hello FOMO… The year indoors provided many with newfound disposable cash. The upside is a significant investment boom amongst Black millennials – with Black Americans investing in the stock market at three times the rate of their white counterparts. The investment gap This surge of activity by US Black millennials investors is closing the “investment gap”. According to an Ariel Investment and
The Fallout After The New York Times Exposes Black Workers’ Struggles at Coinbase? – Techish Podcast
Techish · Kevin Hart’s Clubhouse Drama, Salesforce Buys Slack, Dave Chapelle, Black Employees Expose Coinbase? Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss the NYT article exposing the fallout from the CEO of Coinbase who told employees to ‘leave concerns for issues like racial justice at the door.’ (0:17) They also break down: Do Tech companies need to engage with mainstream media? (4:04) Kevin Hart jumps into Clubhouse room over claims he isn’t funny anymore (7:44) Salesforce set to acquire Slack (17:57) The early days of startups and cultural biases
