Jasmine Crowe-Houston is scaling her efforts to combat food insecurity. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, she is the founder of the Atlanta, GA-based startup Goodr, which leverages technology to reduce food waste and distribute it to those in need. “[Goodr] uses technology to solve hunger — that’s our big focus. I think we are taking a radically different approach to how this country solves hunger and food waste,” she previously told AFROTECH™ in an interview. “A lot of times people say to me, ‘How is this a business? How can this be profitable?’ But the main thing is people have to understand that billions of dollars get spent every year on food insecurity and trying to make sure people have access to food. But, it typically only goes to the same organizations.” She continued, “And what we’re trying to do is come in and kind of disrupt that and say, ‘Listen, we’re getting a lot wrong about solving hunger if we’re always going to give money to the same people. We’re going to keep on...

Music can create an out-of-world experience transforming the landscape for video gamers. Tech startup AudioMob was created on this principle and allows advertisers to monetize their content through audio ads so gamers can play freely without interruptions. “For the past two years, we have been focused on listening to our clients, gathering feedback, and improving our audio technology and products. We understand that consumers don’t want to be interrupted, advertisers want their ads to be heard and game developers want to ensure monetization does not affect retention. And now we have built products which meet all three needs,” Founder Wilfrid Obeng said, according to EU-Startups.com. AudioMob — founded by Obeng and Christian Facey — has now raised $14 million in a Series A funding round, TechCrunch reports. The round was led by global venture capital firm Makers Fund and multi-stage capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners. Sequoia Scout Program, Google and more also participated in...

It was not a typical school day for the students attending McNair Middle School Thursday afternoon as Atlanta rapper Gunna made a surprise appearance to share exciting news. Thanks to him and Goodr founder Jasmine Crowe, over 900 students at his childhood school will now have access to an exclusive grocery and clothing store, Gunna’s Drip Closet, in which every item will be available free of charge. “He’s providing a way of life for these families and this is something that is legendary,” Crowe said to CBS46. “I don’t think anything like this has been done before in the city of Atlanta.” In addition to support from heavy hitter Gunna, the closet was built in three days thanks to additional help from Footlocker and Reebok, and of course, Goodr. As AfroTech previously reported, the food waste startup reroutes meals from cafeterias and restaurants to provide meals to those in need. Families can select food, clothing, and hygiene products through Goodr’s application and website. Plus,...