Throughout history, engineering was almost entirely the domain of white men, for example, it was in 1892 that The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had its first African-American graduate, Robert R. Taylor. It was only 25 years later, in 1917, that the university gave its first civil engineering diploma to an African-American. Although we’re in 2022 – the pictures are still relatively similar – white men still dominate the industry. The UK has one of the most male-dominated engineering sectors, Male academic scientists outnumber their female counterparts by two to one
The technology industry has long been criticized for overlooking Black and Latino founders, but it seems that since George Floyd’s death some companies and investors have taken action. Black and Hispanic tech startup funding ticked up in Florida and Georgia this year, following an influx of investors jumping on the bandwagon of supporting diverse communities. Data from Crunchbase compiled for Reuters showed startups with a Black or Hispanic founder got 3.5% of the record $311 billion U.S. venture funding in the year to Dec. 16, up from an average of 2.5%
Hundreds of Black women in Georgia will receive a guaranteed monthly income of $850 to improve their mental health and address the racial wealth gap. This money has no conditions attached, meaning they could use it towards their startup costs. The In Her Hands program will grant 650 Black women below the federal poverty line the cash with no conditions attached for two years. Launching early next year and distributing more than $13 million, it is poised to be one of the US’s largest guaranteed income pilot programs. The median Black family in the U.S.
Two-year-old startup uLesson has just announced that it closed a $15 million Series B round. The startup first launched by providing a product pack of SD cards and dongles with pre-recorded videos for K-12 students. They can either access lessons via streaming or use the SD cards to download and store the content. But uLesson has introduced new features for an all-encompassing edtech play for this demographic. It added quizzes and a homework help feature to connect students with tutors from universities. It also launched a one-to-many live class feature with polls and leaderboards
Spelman senior Inglish Hills has won the grand prize at BearWay Capital’s HBCU New Venture Challenge for her recycling system startup, Save Cycle. The start-up will undercut waste management services and pick up recyclables for businesses at a lower price. Businesses can use the Save Cycle app to schedule pick-ups and rent dumpsters. They can also track their environmental impact, making them eligible for tax advantages. Individuals will use the Save Cycle app to locate deposit boxes. Then, after disposing of their recyclables, they can scan a QR code and
A total of 4.55 billion people worldwide now use social media, with 400 million new users having just come online within the last 12 months. In other words – social media apps like Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok have an undeniable impact on today’s world, and they can either be used for good or for bad. As we know already, the tech industry lacks serious diversity, especially when it comes to minorities, and that’s why we always take the time to celebrate those who are doing something about it. This Friday, we’re spotlighting
The Black community has long played a profound role in shaping the world as we know it today and although they haven’t always been rewarded for it – they have been in this business for a long time. For example – did you know that more than 90 percent of the microphones used today, including those in phones and cameras, use technology co-invented by Dr. James E. West? Microphones Mr. West, a Black man who was also was appointed president-elect of the Acoustical Society of America in 1997, started his long
At POCIT News, we’re always trying to make life simpler for our community, and that’s why we’ve created a list of Black Programmers and technologists who are inspiring the next generation of innovators. Let’s begin. Sofia Ongele She’s a 20-year-old coder, student, and activist. Back in 2016, she attended Kode with klossy, a summer program and organization dedicated to teaching girls aged 13-18 how to code. In turn, she learned the ins and outs of web development, and learning to code has since opened countless doors for her, taking her to
A Black-led, Gen Z fintech startup providing income-constrained individuals investment opportunities has announced an $18M Series A investment round. The group of diverse investors rallying up to fund Lendtable’s future included SoftBank’s SB Opportunity Fund, Valor Equity Partners, and CEOs of Complex Networks and Social Finance, Inc. The fintech firm, run by founders under 30-years-old, has already disbursed over $2.4 million in match benefits to hundreds of employees in just a year, running the gamut from those employed by small consumer brand companies to Fortune 500 companies like Google, Microsoft,
Nzingah Oniwosan first created her 365zing App, which centralizes features found on individual apps into one location to help Black women get on track with their health goals, when she realized she struggled with her own self-care. Ms. Oniwason, the daughter of parents who immigrated from Haiti, found difficulty with staying on track with her self-care for 19 years, trying anything and everything to keep on track when it came to her mental, physical, and spiritual health. She found things that helped in one area but not overall, and that’s
