“The money’s out there, we make it easy to find.” Scholarship app Scholly is the brainchild of Christoper Gray, who won $1.3 million in scholarships after hours of searching in the library. He eventually received scholarships from organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation to study finance and entrepreneurship at Drexel University. However, after realizing how broken and time-consuming the scholarship-searching process was, he created Scholly to make things easier for students. Private student lending company Sallie Mae acquired Scholly in August 2023. This
Many of us find ourselves drawn to the allure of the tech industry, seeking a path that promises fulfilment and stability. For Nigeria-born data professional Ifeoma Igwe, who first moved to the UK seven years ago to study, this journey led her through unexpected twists and turns. In a candid interview with POCIT, Ifeoma shared her experiences of entering the tech industry, facing layoffs, and discovering her unique path that blends literature with tech with her text-to-speech app, Easy Edit. Joining the Tech Industry Igwe studied Economics and Management as
The Washington Post has sparked controversy after publishing an article based on an “interview” with an AI Harriet Tubman. While seen by the creators as an innovative way to engage with history, many have labeled the move unethical and exploitative. AI Article Writer Gillian Brokell interviewed an AI version of American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman using the online educator Khan Academy’s new AI learning tool Khanmigo. Khanmigo uses Chat4 technology to enable live chats with multiple simulated historical figures, such as Winston Churchill. “I was curious to see what would
Left Fielder Media is the Black-owned media tech studio producing innovative & immersive stories at the intersection of film, blockchain, gaming, fashion, and future tech. We spoke with the creators behind the visionary company that recently signed a deal with Neon, the web3 game studio producing the highly anticipated shooter game Shrapnel. From childhood friends to co-founders Atlanta-based creators Dom Cole and Stephen Philms formed the media tech startup in 2020 to change how Black people view gaming and space for years to come. “Me and Stephen have known each other for a long time.
This article was first published by Chuma Okoro on Medium. This one is for you, fellow engineer. Folks in other career verticals, just observe. Seeing the recent news about layoffs and hiring freezes at top tech companies like Meta and Twitter; anyone who works in tech must have their eyebrows raised. You did all that struggling to get your job as a software engineer and now the idea of losing that job, due to reasons out of your control, is real. In most employment contracts, they indicate that you’re an
This year has been a rollercoaster for the tech industry, from the rise in Black VCs investing in Black & brown tech founders to the unexpected tech layoffs that shook the industry. As we subtly adjust to the “new normal,” it is safe to say that this year has been a drastic year of change for everybody. No matter how good or bad your year has been, here are some of our favorite interviews with Black game changers in the tech space that have reshaped our definition of success. So
At POCIT, we’re remaining optimistic that things will surely get better this year, and the main reason we believe that is because there is an abundance of amazing Black, Asian and Latinx trailblazers already making an undeniable impact across the globe – whether that’s as software engineers, 3D artists, venture capitalists or founders. While we’re still in the first few weeks of the year – I thought it would be good to do a round-up of our best and most inspiring interviews that I think you should definitely check out.
Kave Bulambo, who grew up in South Africa before moving to Berlin, noticed the lack of diversity in tech in the European nation when she first landed a role in the sector. But it was when she realized that she also had just one Black engineer at her own start-up that she decided action seriously needed to be taken. That’s when she launched “Black in Tech Berlin,” a network surpassing more than 600 Black people in the tech and business sector – from founders, software engineers to designers. Before the
Congratulations on getting into YC and being the first non-profit. Yeah. We’re about one of 15 non-profits, so I think USA Today called us out as the first diversity non-profit. It’s still a very early program for non-profits in there, they’re still adjusting to it. Why did you start /dev/color? And what has it been like thus far? I started it just seeing my friends and people that I had been connected to, as I discovered tips and secrets that were novel to me, I would share them with people
Founder of 20/20 Shift www.2020shift.com How did you get involved with General Assembly? I’ve been here [General Assembly] for about a year now. I was always familiar with them since their inception, but my background is in recruiting and talent acquisition. I had gone to an event maybe about a year or so ago. One of the guys, now a former colleague, worked there. We met. When my role became available, he reached out to me, and he said, “This sounds a dope role for you. Would you
