After raising $5 million in funding, Parfait is on its way to disrupting the wig industry with the help of technology. The women-led startup is said to be the first to integrate facial recognition and artificial intelligence to provide buyers with customizable wig products. According to a press release sent to AfroTech, the seed round was spearheaded by Upfront Ventures and Serena Ventures. Ulu Ventures, Unshackled Ventures, Contrary Capital, Visible Hands, TRUE Capital’s Culture Fund, Omar Johnson, Chamillionaire, Tristan Walker, and Upland Workshop participated in the round. “Parfait’s mission to leverage Al to solve core issues for both the tech industry and communities of color is something we, at Serena Ventures, have believed in since the beginning,” said Serena Williams, Managing Partner at Serena Ventures, in a statement. “She went on to say “It’s been inspiring to witness their incredible achievements so far, and we’re proud to invest in this next phase of Parfait’s...

My first time attending AfroTech was an amazing experience. I got to connect with so many people from all walks of life (I even made some friends from Canada!). My goal for attending was really to expand my network and experience an environment where I wasn’t the only Latino/Black in tech. Day 1  JFK -> SFO 6 hours. Real Intimate Setting; Jackie Bavaro on the right. The first event I attended was the Product Manager Chat with Jackie Bavaro, co-author of “Cracking the PM Interview” (FYI: she has another book on the way called “Cracking the PM Career”) hosted by my now good friend, Olumide Longe . As someone interested in becoming a product manager, I thought it should be a priority this weekend that I push my narrative and promote myself as someone in that space. We traversed many topics from the road to PM to how to handle interviews, what makes a good PM, KPIs, etc. After the session, I got to ask an extra question to Bavaro which was: “How do you balance the relationship between...

The world was dealt a dizzying blow on Sunday as Bernard J. Tyson — Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente — passed away in his sleep. To say this news hit me hard would be an incredible understatement. Just a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure and privilege of interviewing Mr. Tyson . I was left in awe of not only his accomplishments but also his genuine passion for serving his customers and community. Who Was Bernard J. Tyson? Mr. Tyson’s passion for health care began when he was a little boy. He admired the doctors who cared for his mother during her illness and was also inspired by the way they cared for his family as a whole. The experience made him want to become a doctor, but he later found his true calling in health care administration. He studied the health care system during both his undergraduate and graduate programs. Post-graduation, his career took a trajectory which many of us can only aspire to as he served in all major aspects of Kaiser Permanente’s health care...