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BlackTech

BlackTech

Nike Acquires TraceMe, A Seattle Startup Founded By Russell Wilson And Backed By Jeff Bezos

Nike has acquired digital media startup TraceMe and its fan engagement platform Tally, co-founded by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and backed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Here’s Where And How Black Investors Are Placing Their Bets

It’s true that the actual numbers remain scant: Just 3 percent of venture capitalists are Black, according to a recent estimate. That’s up, at least, from CB Insights’ estimate of 1 percent in 2010. But over the last year or so, there’s been a steady accrual of Black investors’ visibility, influence, and most important, financial impact helping to re-shape the industry’s perception of who innovators are, where they come from, and why they’re worth investing in.

10 Things To Know About Delane Parnell

Delane Parnell is changing the game when it comes to esports. He is a young tech founder, having started the company PlayVS (pronounced “Play Versus”), which is now the official league for high school esports.

I Interviewed 25 Startup Founders Who Raised Capital. Here’s Their Advice

We asked both veteran and emerging founders to spill their secrets on everything from finding your dream VC to knowing when to make the ask –– and how to slay your pitch. Regardless of where you are in the process, we’ve uncovered some excellent –– and sometimes unexpected –– advice to help you master your raise.

Malawi Introduces Tax On Mobile Money. Critics Say This Threatens Financial Inclusion

Malawi has introduced a 1 percent tax on mobile money transactions and more than 7 million mobile money users could be affected.

BlackTechTwitter Emerges As Prolific Online Community Connecting Black Technologists To Jobs, Education And Community

Pariss Athena was earning just under $50,000 a year working as a wax specialist in Boston after dreams of making it as a young actress in Los Angeles went south. Today, she’s making over $80,000 as a front-end developer at a Boston-based digital agency and leading the quickly growing #BlackTechTwitter online community

Issa Rae Acquires Stake In Streamlytics, Angela Benton’s New Streaming Data Analytics Company

Digital-first writer, director, actor and producer Issa Rae has acquired a minority stake for an undisclosed amount in Streamlytics, Angela Benton’s new tech company focused on streaming data.

Independent Black Beauty Brands Gain Clout, Sales Fueled by Instagram Influencer Culture

As the old adage states, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but for cosmetic brands, beauty resides in the hands of the Instagram user. Recently dubbed as the “new shopping mall” of the internet, Instagram continues to establish its foothold as the premier outlet to shop and discover new brands. At the same time, Black beauty brands are using the app to rise to prominence through cultural means in an industry where they’ve traditionally been shut out.

Zebras vs Unicorns: Aniyia Williams Built Black And Brown Founders Out Of Lessons Learned From A Failed Startup

Williams uses her talents to change lives. A graduate of Penn State University with a degree in music, she’s a former fundraiser for a music program, former CEO of a jewelry tech company and now she helps other founders understand funding while juggling the work of wife and mother.

Spelman College Awarded $2M Grant From Defense Department To Aid STEM Education

The women’s college has received a $2-million grant from the Department of Defense to support its continued growth in STEM education. According to the school, the grant money will be used to establish The Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, which will serve as the hub for all STEM undergraduate research and training activities at the college.

Chrissa McFarlane On Keys To Building A Blockchain Startup

Blockchain technology has its origins as the infrastructure that would handle transactions of bitcoin. As the conversation around Bitcoin has grown over the past 10 years since its release, the viability of blockchain as a solution for securely managing data. A number of startups are trying to build businesses using this technology. 

The Founder Of Vendorspace Is Using Event Tech To Change Perceptions Of A Stressful Industry

There’s a lot of competition in this massive industry. Business-to-business events generated more than $1.07 trillion of direct spending in 2017 and attracted 1.5 billion participants globally.

San Francisco-Based Fintech Firm Expands To Nigeria, Partners With Paystack

Chipper Cash, a Ugandan mobile money payment firm based in Silicon Valley, has partnered with Paystack, a Nigerian fintech startup providing payment tools to businesses across Africa, to expand into Nigeria.

Monica Wheat Goes Hard For Venture Capital In Detroit

She led the launch of Backstage Capital in Detroit, and now works as Detroit managing director of Arlan Hamilton‘s venture capital firm, whose mission is to invest in founders that identify as women, people of color, or LGBT.

How A Media Entrepreneur Built Subscribers By Being Hyper-Focused On Hip-Hop Business And Strategy

In the middle of a busy airport, Dan Runcie is waiting for his flight to Miami for the National Association of Black Journalists’ conference. He’s scheduled to participate in a panel discussion in South Florida at the annual event. The topic is “Building a Paid Subscription News Business.” Runcie will be talking with QuHarrison Terry from Inevitable Human, Web Smith from 2 PM Inc and moderator Sherrell Dorsey from The Plug.

Can Atlanta’s Black Tech Founders Avoid Silicon Valley’s Mistakes?

Atlanta is attracting the majority of migrants in a “reverse Great Migration,” where Black Americans are leaving expensive northern cities for the same Southern cities many of their ancestors fled.

Her Road To Harvard And Amazon: ‘I’m A Black Woman From Detroit And I Use That As A Resource’

High crime rates and urban blight once topped the headlines about Detroit and African Americans felt the brunt of the Motor City’s awful reputation. But the city has seen a comeback since filing for bankruptcy in 2013. New downtown construction dots the skyline with the promise of economic growth from city leaders.

Is Society Putting Too Much Pressure On Black People To Succeed In STEM?

Since sixth-grade, McKenzie, who just finished her freshman year of high school, has been coding. She learned it through STEAM:CODERS, a Pasadena, California nonprofit that has been teaching coding and other computer-related skills to underserved communities since 2014.

Drinks On Her: Why One Woman Was Happy To Leave Behind A Law Career To Launch An App

Happy Hour is magic hour for bars restaurants as well as for their patrons. Happy Hour, which usually happens between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., helps U.S. bars and restaurants generate 60.5 percent of their average weekly revenue, according to Nielsen.

How Dr. Roshawnna Novellus Is Changing The Stats On Funding For Black Women Founders At EnrichHER

Women build businesses at a faster rate than men, and businesses run by Black women are the No. 1 new business category. Yet less than 8 percent of all venture-capital dollars go to companies with women-led founders, and the numbers are worse for Black women — less than 1 percent.