HBCUvc Publishes Book That Highlights Stories of Black Tech Founders. Cover art for HBCUvc’s premiere book “Black Founders at Work: Journeys to Innovation”. Photo: Courtesy of HBCUvc.
Like most of Black America, Black tech founders have faced additional obstacles on their journey to success. They’ve spent decades creating and scaling companies that solve problems many in their community face with less resources and support. And they’ve done it well.
Before the murder of George Floyd spurred a mainstream movement to support Black founders, Black tech founders were using their own talent, time and treasures to chart a course in, around and beyond Silicon Valley. For many years the intricacies of their stories have remained untold.
Until now. HBCUvc has published its inaugural book, “Black Founders at Work: Journeys to Innovation” which changes that.
According to an announcement on its blog, the book “captures a snapshot of the legacy of innovation, chronicling the stories of several entrepreneurs and investors as they traversed the realms of tech and business in and beyond Silicon Valley.”
Founders who are featured in the book include Streamlytics and NewMe founder Angela Benton; Co-founder and Managing Partner of Base Ventures Kirby Harris; PlayVS founder and CEO Delane Parnell; HBCUvc founder Hadiyah Mujhid; Pigeonly co-founder and CEO Frederick Hutson; Mahmee founder and CEO Melissa Hanna and others.
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“This book has been something I’ve had in my mind for a long time” Mujhid said in a statement. “As a Black founder, we often feel like we are the first and only, but in actuality, we are one of many. Our stories just haven’t been documented, much less collected — until now.”
The book is available for purchase at many major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. All proceeds will go towards helping HBCUvc advance its mission “to direct how capital is formed and distributed to increase opportunities for Black and Latinx innovators.”
On Twitter, HBCUvc said “The engagement around the book has been AMAZING!” It is planning a virtual book launch and asked that people stay tuned to its social media platforms for more updates.
