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Kidato, an online school designed to address the school overcrowding issue in Africa, has just announced its latest round of funding. According to TechCrunch, the company has announced that it has raised a $1.4 million seed round to expand its educational efforts. Learn Start Capital, Launch Africa Ventures Fund, Graph Ventures, and Century Oak Capital were the companies that led the investment. The company also reports that there were other private and angel investors involved in this latest round of funding. Kidato was founded by Sam Gichuru, a Kenyan serial entrepreneur, back in 2020. A father of three children, Gichuru says that he was inspired to found the company when he realized that there were several Kenyan professionals — like himself — who were struggling to keep up with the cost of private school tuition which can go as high as $8,000 a year, according to TechCrunch. “I moved them from private schools to homeschooling because that was the next option to give them the...
One City Schools just found a new home for its students! According to PR Newswire, One City Schools’ Board of Directors has announced plans to purchase a 157,000 square foot facility for $12 million from WPS Health Solutions that will be home to its innovative K-12 public charter schools. Currently, One City Elementary School enrolls children in grades 4K-2 and will now add third and fourth grades this fall. The school’s charter school authorizer, the University of Wisconsin System’s Office of Educational Opportunity, has also conditionally approved One City to open its 6-12 grade One City Preparatory Academy in September 2022. A generous donation of $14 million made by Madison Philanthropist Pleasant Rowland made the purchase of a building on the WPS campus possible — this is her second major gift to One City Schools. “This is an extraordinary moment for One City Schools, for the Greater Madison community, and for Wisconsin,” said One City Founder and CEO, Kaleem Caire in a news...
The Walton Family Foundation — derived from Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton — aims to continue to tackle issues in K-12 education in its new five-year strategic plan. For more than three decades, the foundation’s focus has been on three core objectives: protecting rivers, oceans, and the communities they support, advancing its home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta, and improving K-12 education. Three visionaries including: Marc Sternberg, head of the Walton Family Foundation K-12 Education program; artist and entrepreneur, Pharrell Williams ; president of Echoing Green, Cheryl Dorsey; and co-founder of The Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education, Liz Thompson gathered to share not only their perspectives but also speak about issues within K-12 education. “Over the past five years, we’ve been encouraged by the vision of new education leaders who are creating new, innovative school models that set students on a path to careers of the future and...
Schools look a lot different this year as many have switched to online/virtual formats to still hold classes for students during the quarantine. However, Dana Delane-Williams — owner and founder of American High School — is making a historical step for education and tech as the only Black woman in the country to create an online virtual school for grades K-12, Black Business reports . Delane-Williams has made a solid commitment to revolutionize the educational system that gives kids the tools they need to succeed in their professional lives and help them acquire their high school diplomas. Though the traditional ways of the U.S. educational institutions have changed drastically over the last few months, Delane-Williams is determined to position the American High School as a viable solution for students to still receive a quality education without relying on in-person instruction. According to Black Business , she began her teaching career as an online instructor at the University of...
Marsai Martin firmly believes that all students should have access to free lunch, and her new initiative is striving to achieve that. The young actress has partnered with the Urban School Food Alliance and Student Voice for a national campaign that outlines the need to help feed students, according to The Root . Today, I’m excited to launch the #SchoolLunchForAll campaign. We've created a petition that'll make sure all K-12 students have access to free school meals, without the threat of debt + humiliation. 1: Sign here ➡️ https://t.co/MkCpo9tqyH 2: Follow @EndLunchDebt 3: Share! pic.twitter.com/tJ28fROMbw — Marsai Martin (@marsaimartin) July 9, 2020 Alongside these nutrition leaders, Martin is making sure that students aren’t denied access to lunch and preventing families from going into debt due to outstanding unpaid fees. The campaign, School Lunch for All — led by The Soze Agency and Galaxy Gives — wants to “ensure that school meals are provided, free of charge, to every K-12...
Kylian Mbappé has added a team to his growing investment portfolio. Forbes named the French and Real Madrid soccer player among the richest athletes in 2024, with an estimated total earnings of $110 million. It appears he is putting his earnings to good use by investing in the luxury watch-shopping platform Wristcheck, which Jay-Z also backs. According to Robb Report, Mbappé’s interest in the company stemmed from their innovation in technology and creativity. “I’m thrilled to join Wristcheck as an investor through Coalition Capital,” Mbappé said in a press statement, according to the outlet. “As a Hublot ambassador and someone passionate about watches and innovation, I see Wristcheck as a platform that truly understands the next generation of collectors. They’re reshaping the watch industry with a forward-thinking approach that blends technology, transparency, and creativity.” More recently, Mbappé became a team owner. He secured a stake in the France SailGP Team, which is owned by...
Atlanta, GA -based Georgia Tech University has joined the list of institutions adapting to federal laws surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives nationwide. On Feb. 26, 2025, the Georgia Tech Pride Alliance announced that the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center (LRC), the Women’s Resource Center, and the Black Culture, Innovation, and Technology Center would be dissolved and integrated into the Arts, Belonging, and Community Department, according to Rough Draft Atlanta. “We’ve known this was a possibility for years,” GT Pride Alliance said on Instagram. “These centers are losing the ability to distinguish and market themselves as what they are — a resource for marginalized groups. Other DEI programs are already undergoing similar restructuring across campus, but it is unclear when those changes will be fully announced.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by GT Pride Alliance (@gtpridealliance) According to Georgia Tech, the Arts, Belonging, and Community...
President Donald Trump has laid off various staffers working at the Department of Education. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, President Trump had interest in dismantling the department. This would greatly reduce its role in the country’s education, which includes managing $1.6 trillion in federal student loan programs, overseeing K-12 school grants, and implementing civil rights law for federally funded schools. “This is an assault on every young American who went to public school like me,” Ro Khanna, U.S. representative from California’s 17th congressional district, said during a February news conference in San Jose, CA. “This is an assault on every American family who has someone who is disabled and needs the IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) program to provide education. This is an assault on every neighborhood in America that has a public school that gets Title 1 funding.” He continued, “This is an assault on every child who gets school lunches in America....
Global Day of Unplugging was March 7-8, 2025, and Verizon has been doing its part to address the growing challenge of managing screen time and its effects on overall well-being. According to Verizon, the average Verizon home internet household connects 18 devices and the number is rising. On March 6, 2025, at the inaugural Digital Wellness Summit hosted by actress and TV host Drew Barrymore, the company introduced several initiatives to promote healthy digital habits for families. Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer, oversees the company’s vast network, which serves millions of consumers across America with wireless devices and home internet. In a recent discussion with AFROTECH™ about digital wellness , Sampath highlighted the challenges of underserved communities, particularly regarding access to technology and knowledge, as well as the need to advocate for increased awareness and greater accessibility. “Which is why Verizon is getting involved in this,” he said. “You...
After receiving major backlash, President Donald Trump is now less likely to dismantle the Department of Education. ABC News reported that an executive order had been drafted requiring Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take any measures as permitted by law “to close the department, according to sources familiar with the matter.” “My vision is aligned with the President’s: to send education back to the states and empower all parents to choose an excellent education for their children,” McMahon said in a memo, according to the outlet. Officials allegedly scheduled the executive order for signing on Thursday, March 6, 2025. However, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, President Donald Trump will not sign the order. “This is a tremendous victory for those of us who are standing up and holding the line and pushing back against the endless chaos that we are seeing from the Trump administration,” an education leader said, according to ABC News. The decision not to...
Carol’s Daughter has been sold to an independent entrepreneur in the beauty industry. Born in her Brooklyn, NY, kitchen with just $100 in cash, Lisa Price began selling her hair and body products in 1993 from the comfort of her living room and at flea markets and craft fairs. Her brand attracted the attention of notable names such as Jada Pinkett-Smith, Erykah Badu, and Halle Berry. Carol’s Daughter gained further momentum after Price appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which led to the company’s website crashing due to 17,000 interested buyers, Inc. reports . Two years later, Steve Stoute, CEO of UnitedMasters, joined the company as a partner, and the first Carol’s Daughter flagship store debuted in Harlem after receiving an investment from Jay-Z, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. By 2011, Price was leading a top haircare brand, and three years later, she sold the company to L’Oréal USA. Carol’s Daughter had a $27 million valuation at the time....
You can now file reports of discrimination based on race or sex to the U.S. Department of Education. According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Education, it has launched a portal called EndDEI.Ed.Gov , which parents, students, teachers, and community members can use to report incidents of “illegal discriminatory practices” at K-12 schools funded by the government. The form requires an email address, the name of the school and district, and a description of the incident. The aim is to ensure that “students have access to meaningful learning free of divisive ideologies and indoctrination.” “For years, parents have been begging schools to focus on teaching their kids practical skills like reading, writing, and math instead of pushing critical theory, rogue sex education and divisive ideologies—but their concerns have been brushed off, mocked, or shut down entirely,” said Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty in a news release. “Parents, now is the time that you...
After her first business failed, Carolyn Rodz is now making it her mission to help other entrepreneurs succeed. Rodz was an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase between 2001 and 2005, per her LinkedIn. After exiting her job, she ventured into entrepreneurship , but that did not fare well, leading her to reenter the workforce. Although this was a trying time, it did not deter her from entrepreneurship altogether — she launched Cake, a digital media company, in 2009 and exited in 2015 — and it paved a pathway of opportunity for a wider community. “I knew very little about starting a company and my first business failed,” Rodz said in an interview with the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. “I went back to work, paid off debts, licked my wounds for a bit, started a second company that I ultimately sold, ran it very differently with the lessons that I learned and feel very fortunate that I got to start over again because many people don’t have that opportunity. I was young and single and...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The heart of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is about creating equitable access to opportunities, but unfortunately we are seeing the ladder of opportunity be systematically pulled up ever since President Donald Trump started his second term. Once he was sworn in, a slew of companies in the private sector, including large tech companies like Amazon and Meta, rolled back their previous commitments to DEI, with some in the financial sector like banks JPMorgan Chase and Citi Group following suit. This focus on the rollback of DEI is not only impacting the private sector but the world of education as well. Through Critical Race Theory (CRT), which started as a legal topic back in the 1970s and 1980s at Harvard Law School, Derrick Bell argued that racism appears in policies, even when these policies seem neutral. He stated that they are not just on the individual level but are present institutionally...