A new phone app is hoping to help close the racial wealth gap by empowering Black investors and helping build generational wealth. Trevor Rozier-Byrd, founder and CEO of Stackwell Capital, an early-stage startup on a mission to empower a new community of Black investors—specifically Black millennials and Gen Z, is ready for 2022. Launched early this year, the app combines pre-built portfolios based on risk, educational resources and behavioral nudges in order to address the pervasive underinvestment and unbanking of Black people in the US. It intends to drive black
Duplo, a Lagos-based fintech, is attempting to tackle these inefficiencies by digitizing payment flows for B2B companies, starting with those in this industry. It comes after the company secured a place in Y Combinator last November and is taking part in the accelerator’s current winter batch. The YC-backed startup has also raised a $1.3 million pre-seed round led by early-stage pan-African VC firm Oui Capital to further its growth. A mix of local and international investors such as MyAsia VC, Y Combinator, Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga “GB” Agboola and Mono CEO Abdul Hassan
Plug In South LA has announced its third tech accelerator program focused on Black and Latinx communities. The benefits of the tech accelerator will include potential grants of up to $40,000 and possible seed investments and pilot partnerships. Mentors in the program will include leaders and executives from the California Health Care Foundation, Courtside Ventures, RareBreed Ventures, and Zeal Capital Partners, among others. “We are keen to help Founders secure capital and investment plus help them leverage the LA start ecosystem to develop traction and momentum around their company,” notes Derek Smith, founder of
Bolt Plans To Sign-Up 200,000 New Drivers In Africa To Meet Growing Demand For Ride-Hailing Services
Bolt is planning to onboard an additional 200,000 drivers in Africa this year, as it kicks off an expansion to more cities within its existing markets while keeping up with the growing demand for e-hailing services across the continent. The news comes just days after it announced a fresh round of €628m (£52m) at a valuation of €7.4bn (£6.5bn). The round, led by Sequoia Capital and Fidelity Management and Research Company LLC, with participation from Whale Rock, Owl Rock, D1, G Squared, Tekne, Ghisallo, and others, brought the total raised
Starting a business isn’t easy – there’s a lot you have to manage, and there’s even more you have to learn if you want to stay ahead of the game and scale. Without bombarding you all with too much information – we’ve made a list of some of the basics that could get you started. What is an EVP? An EVP (Employee Value Proposition) is a unique set of rewards and benefits that an employer offers to current and future employees in return for their value to the organization. The
Tyson Clark, a general partner at Alphabet Inc.’s venture arm GV and one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent Black startup investors, has died at the age of 43. GV CEO David Krane just issued a statement about the team losing the father-of-three, writing, “With great sadness, we share the news that Tyson Clark, our friend, and GV general partner, passed away yesterday due to sudden complications from a health issue. We are stunned and shattered by this loss. “The GV team extends our deepest sympathies to Tyson’s family and loved ones.
Shuttlers, a “tech-enabled scheduled bus sharing” company, has raised $1.6 million in seed funding from several investors to blitz scale within and outside Nigeria. Via its ridesharing platform, the firm provides companies with better mobility options for their employees. It also offers a fully functional app that allows mobile professionals on its three plans to book rides. In addition, through the platform, commuters can book a seat on one bus that goes along predetermined and scheduled routes. The company said that some of its other features include live bus tracking, optimal routing
Meta4 Fund Management, a cryptocurrency-focused investment management company, today announced the launch of Meta4 NFT Fund I, LP, an investment vehicle that will buy rare specimens of non-fungible tokens. The Fund’s Managing Partners are Brandon Buchanan and Nabyl Charania. The new private investment fund has secured a lead investment from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) a venture capital firm that backs bold entrepreneurs building the future through technology. It comes at a time when NFTs have become the most interesting, entertaining, and lucrative subsection of the cryptocurrency asset class. The Fund will invest in digital
