HERide, a rideshare platform focused on women’s safety, has become the first Black-owned company to secure a contract with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Co-founded in 2019 by Jillian Anderson and DeVynne Starks, HERide conducts thorough background checks on drivers and integrates in-ride security features to ensure passenger safety. Focused on women’s safety Anderson’s experience as a rideshare driver highlighted many women’s discomfort using traditional services like Uber and Lyft, especially at night. “There were a lot of women that were hesitant with riding with men at night using Uber and Lyft,” Anderson told AFROTECH. “I
The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE), a pivotal hub for Black entrepreneurs in Atlanta, announced a $2 million grant from Truist Foundation and two Truist Trusteed Foundations. RICE positions itself as Atlanta’s home for Black entrepreneurs and an economic mobility engine for the community. Its stakeholders have created hundreds of jobs, generated over $100 million in revenue, and spurred $450 million in total economic activity. This financial endorsement by Truist comes at a critical time. It is set to accelerate RICE’s expansion efforts and elevate the stature of Atlanta-based Black entrepreneurs within and
Inuit Mailchimp has given Atlanta-based Black women’s artist collective TILA Studios $100,000 in unrestricted funding. Mailchimp Atlanta-based tech company Inuit Mailchimp is an email and marketing automation platform for growing businesses. They aim to empower customers worldwide to start and grow their businesses with world-class marketing technology. The platform makes data-backed recommendations for businesses automatically and with the help of AI. In 2021, Mailchimp was acquired by Intuit, an American business software company specializing in financial software. Recently, Inuit Mailchimp announced a pledge of $1 million to increase and help
ISACA and Blacks In Technology (BIT) are collaborating to prepare underserved communities in Atlanta for emerging tech careers, through ISACA’s Digital Trust-Workforce Inclusion Program (DT-WIP) and One In Tech Foundation. ISACA And Blacks In Technology ISACA is a global professional association and learning organization of nearly 170,000 professionals in 188 countries. Their members work in digital trust fields such as information security, governance, assurance, risk, privacy and quality. Through its foundation, One In Tech, ISACA supports IT education and career pathways for underresourced and underrepresented populations. “Enterprises across all industries need qualified professionals
A recent survey has revealed that many Atlanta job seekers actively miss out on their dream job out of fear and intimidation. The Be The Light tour, a Black-led mobile career event, hopes to change that. Atlanta Job-Seekers Need Support Research by Atlanta-based Insight Global found that Atlanta metro area job seekers often found themselves up against job search barriers, from a lack of confidence to a lack of resources. The survey, conducted earlier this month among over 1,000 Atlanta job seekers, highlighted the issue of individuals no longer choosing to follow
Black-owned food waste startup, Goodr, has closed $8 million in their latest round of financing. The funding round, led by venture capital firm, Precursor Ventures, included investment firm Collab Capital, Emerson Collective, Backstage Capital, Innovations for Impact, Kimbal, Telus Pollinator Fund, and a series of other private angel investors. This round brings Goodr’s total funding to $9.4 million. The Atlanta-based startup, founded by Jasmine Crowe in 2017, works to feed people who may experience food insecurity. The community first focused on helping feed a small number of people experiencing homelessness
Melissa Pegus has been chosen as the Managing Director for Techstars Atlanta Powered by J.P. Morgan, the latest accelerator to open up in the city. The new program, backed by an $80 million investment by J.P. Morgan, will support diverse entrepreneurs across the country. While the program is open to founders of all backgrounds, it is designed to provide equitable access to funding and support for Black, Hispanic and Latino, Indigenous American, and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs. In the first half of 2021, Black entrepreneurs received just 1.2 percent of U.S. venture capital funding. Additional data show
