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GloRilla has paid it forward to her former high school. The Memphis, TN, rapper, born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, made an appearance at Melrose High School on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. She graduated from the school in 2017 and has returned as a Grammy-nominated artist with hit songs such as “Yeah Glo!” and “Tomorrow 2.” During her visit, she donated $25,000 to the school, which will be used to build a media center, Commercial Appeal reports. “The fact that I have the ability to do it now warms my heart,” she expressed, according to the outlet. The center will “offer students the chance to engage with technology that enhances their learning, provide a comfortable, safe space to study with flexible seating, and promote literacy for both Melrose High School and the surrounding Orange Mound community.” The outlet also shared that the space will be named the Gloria H. Woods Media Center in her honor, pointing to “GloRilla’s representation as a Golden Wildcat alumna and her continued...
Black Ops Ventures, a Black-owned VC fund, has announced that it has closed its first fund with investments totaling $13 million. And, thanks to this fund closing, the company has announced its intent to exclusively back outstanding Black tech founders in the United States and Canada. According to a press release, “In securing investments for this initial close, Black Ops relied upon long-standing relationships with some of the most respected names in the tech industry.” Some of those names include Blavity, Inc. CEO Morgan DeBaun, Drew Houston, Jacob Gibson, Ben Horowitz, Union Square Ventures and Jeff Bussgang. Bank of America and Northwestern Mutual led the fundraising round, according to the press release. “We are part of this community of Black founders, with better access to deal flow than other venture investors, regardless of their cultural background,” said James Norman , partner, in the press release. Norman is also the founder of Pilotly and co-founder of Transparent...
When Black Women Talk Tech announced that Peggy Alford — the EVP of sales at PayPal — would be hosting a fireside chat at the Roadmap to Billions conference, attendees couldn’t have been more excited. But, perhaps, no one was more excited than Alford herself. “You know, I have to say this was a long time coming,” she told AfroTech. “It’s nice to see that, more and more, Black women are taking charge of their own careers, especially in the tech sector, and to see them come together in such a way to let everyone know that they’re here? I couldn’t be happier.” Photo Credit: Road Map To Billions The Roadmap to Billions is a conference built from the perspective of Black women that Black Women Talk Tech organizes. The organization empowers Black women who are driving innovation worldwide within untapped markets that can unlock billion-dollar opportunities. Roadmap to Billions is the only tech conference created by Black female founders for Black female founders and supporters of the...
In today’s world, it’s no secret that social media is only a small reflection of what our reality truly looks like. From MySpace days to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more, most modern social media platforms have been treated as highlight reels of our lives. But is this a realistic portrayal of the human experience? Artist and tech startup founder Ziarekenya Smith would say, not at all, considering most platforms today do not allow space for people to be fully transparent about both the good and bad events that happen in their lives. This is why he set out to change this with his platform Inpathy. Inpathy is described as a “first-of-its-kind online space designed to deliver the human experience to millions of people worldwide by encouraging transparency, normalizing moods and showing people, it’s okay to express yourself.” Per Smith, the goal of the platform is to “recreate the human experience” to foster a more balanced environment for interactions between people online. Prior...
The nation’s largest Historically Black College and University (HBCU) just set an all-time record for fundraising. According to NPR, North Carolina A&T State University (N.C. A&T) has raised $88 million since its fiscal year began last summer, which is nearly six times what the university normally fundraises annually, and it’s not even over yet. The university’s new fundraising brings its total to $181.4 million, completing its eight-year campaign, according to an announcement from administrators. Including its endowment, N.C. A&T’s assets are also now listed at $153 million, making it the most of any public HBCU ever. “There has not been a year like that ever in our history,” Todd Simmons — N.C. A&T’s associate vice chancellor for university relations — told the NPR. “Nor has there been a year like that in the history of nearly any other public HBCU in America.” The outlet reports that the uptick in donations and support from both private donors and large corporations came as a...
Audiomack, a youth-driven music streaming platform, has announced a historic donation to the Slum2School initiative. In a press release announcement (via Business Insider), it was revealed that the company has partnered with the Slum2School initiative in Africa founded by Otto Orondaam. The Slum2School initiative is a volunteer-driven development organization that helps students in remote locations across Africa gain access to such things as quality education, entrepreneurial skills, and psychosocial support. Audiomack donated $5,000 worth of tablets and headsets to the organization, which turned out to be 40 learning sets for students. These sets will go to students in Nigeria, who were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and who otherwise didn’t have access to the learning materials necessary to get the education they needed from home. “While the Coronavirus pandemic has impacted all aspects of our lives including the education sector, we recognize the increased gap on children...
As it pushes to support more Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs in innovation and technology, New Jersey-based digitalundivided launched a new fellowship program, according to a news release. The social impact nonprofit is hosting the Do You Fellowship as a 12-month program to boost 12 Black and Latinx women founders with coaching support, $5,000 in funding and other professional development resources. The inaugural cohort will also receive access to digitalundivided’s newly formed Mentorship Council which is a growing network of CEOs, investors, industry leaders and other supports looking to help guide minority women founders. “We launched the Do You Fellowship to better position these diverse founders to lead, raise capital, become profitable, and scale,” Lauren Maillian, CEO of digitalundivided, said in a release. “The Do You Fellowship received incredible support from corporate, foundation, and accelerator partners, all eager to invest in this first, powerhouse cohort of...
In honor of International Women’s Day, we here at AfroTech thought it was only fitting to recognize the work of 31 Black women in tech. Too often, Black women’s accomplishments, especially in the technology field, are overlooked or overshadowed. We encourage you not only to check out these women’s profiles and businesses but also to help shine a light on other Black women in tech this month and throughout the rest of the year. Check out the list of 31 Black women in the tech sector below: Asmau Ahmed, CEO of Plum Perfect, an app that helps women find beauty products in line with their skin tone Sheena Allen, Founder and CEO of CapWay, which works to service the underbanked Shellye Archambeau, Current Board member of numerous tech companies, former President of Blockbuster.com, and CEO of MetricStream Angela Benton, Founder and CEO of Streamlytics, which helps make transparent what users are consuming on streaming services Jean Brownhill, Founder and CEO of Sweeten, which helps to...
Science, and facts, have returned to the White House — and not a moment too soon. Award-winning researcher Dr. Alondra Nelson was appointed one of the key members of President Biden’s science team, according to the Institute for Advanced Study. Dr. Nelson joins other luminaries like Narda Jones and Dr. Frances H. Arnold on the seven-person team. “Science, at its core, is a social phenomenon. It’s a reflection of people, our relationships, and our institutions. There is an incredible window of opportunity ahead of us to approach our science and technology policy in ways that are accountable, inclusive, and trustworthy,” Dr. Nelson said in a statement. “I am honored to be entrusted with this important role in public service at this critical time in this nation’s history.” As part of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) — as Biden’s “science team” is officially called — Dr. Nelson will be tasked with the responsibility of delivering “accurate, relevant, and timely...
Brittany Rhodes — founder of the Black Girl MATHgic movement — is proving that Black girls love math too. According to Black Enterprise, in a partnership with IFundWomen of Color, American Express surprised 100 Black women entrepreneurs with grants of $25,000 along with 100 days of resources as part of the “100 for 100” program. Rhodes decided she would use her proceeds from the grant to continue the movement she designed to equip Black girls — who face math anxiety — with basic math confidence needed to break the stigma. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Math Confidence in a Box (@blackgirlmathgic) This win is huge for Rhodes although she’s been winning grants and pitch contests from the beginning of her math confident initiatives — even winning her first pitch contest back in 2019 when Black Girl MATHgic was just an idea. Fast-forward to now and Rhodes has received close to $50,000 in funding in less than two years solely because of grants and pitches. The $25,000...
Business phenom Magic Johnson is adding more big boss energy to his multi-hyphenate career portfolio. According to CNBC , the former Los Angeles Lakers legend will take a seat on the Board of Directors at Uncharted Power , an award-winning renewable energy tech company founded by Jessica O. Matthews in 2011. In his new role, the CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises will help establish and expand the smart startup’s partnerships and programs in U.S. communities. “Many of America’s urban, multicultural communities are being left behind when it comes to basic human rights such as feeling safe in the community, providing for family, getting an education and, quite literally, keeping the lights on,” Johnson said in a statement. Matthews first discovered her passion for renewable energy after witnessing the issues in Nigeria’s power infrastructure. As a result, Uncharted Power’s aim is to achieve access to cost-effective, clean power networks in underserved areas by creating new energy...
Georgia recently ranked number one for “Best States for Black Entrepreneurs.” Now, the city of Atlanta is quickly following behind as the new cultural hub for Black tech entrepreneurs. Although it’s much smaller compared to Northern California’s Silicon Valley, Atlanta is seeing a boost of Black tech entrepreneurs traveling down South to establish new start-up companies. The West Coast is known for being the epicenter for the vastly-growing tech industry. However, Black tech entrepreneurs are shifting gears to make Atlanta their new home. “Atlanta is truly a hot spot for diverse entrepreneurs to build scalable tech startups, especially if the brand is focused on African American consumers,” Kunbi Tinuoye, the founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz, said — according to BET . Fast Company reports that the Atlanta metro area has the second-fastest-growing economy in the country, mainly due to the tech industry. The sudden boom in the city’s tech industry is largely attributed to the tech...