Showing 120 results for:
Popular topics
A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leader at Uber has been reprimanded after hosting an event for white women who are offended by the term “Karen.”
May 22, 2023
The National Football League (NFL) is working to diversify the employment pipelines for students pursuing a career in sports medicine. As AfroTech previously told you, the NFL partnered with the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainer Society (PFATS) for the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative. Now, the program welcomes 14 students selected from four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who will begin clinical rotations with NFL club medical staff in September.
Aug 16, 2022
To attend medical college as a minority applicant is beating the odds. Looking to widen their chances, The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania offers a summer program to guarantee admission for underrepresented students.
Jul 22, 2022
Rising talent will be supported in the fight toward a more equitable and inclusive fashion industry in light of a new partnership between Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) and LVMH North America.
Jun 17, 2022
In an effort to diversify the cocktail sector, Hella Cocktail Co. has received $5 million in funding. Hella Cocktail Co.
Jun 14, 2022
Raising $4.25 million, co-founders Jasmine Shells and Denise Umubyeyi are two of 250 Black women to raise more than $1 million in venture capital. According to a press release shared with AfroTech, their software company Five to Nine closed a seed round led by Black Ops Ventures with participation from Slack Fund and Cleveland Avenue. To date, Five to Nine has raised $5.75 million with the help of recurrent investors such as Mike Gamson, Sterling Road, and Concrete Rose Capital. The funding will expand its product and engineering teams, strengthen its sales capabilities, and launch new customer solutions.
Jun 8, 2022
FLOW, the blockchain created by Dapper Labs designed to be the foundation for a new generation of games, apps, and the digital assets that power them, has announced a new grant program to bring Web3 diversity to the forefront. In a blog post, it was revealed that the company is currently accepting applications “for Black developers, platforms or creators looking to build large-scale dApps and create innovative experiences on the blockchain.” FLOW also announced its $1 million grant. “In addition to the Token grant, recipients will receive promotional and customized support from a team and network of experts including technical, design, product, and marketing,” read the blog post, which also makes it clear that this is in addition to its other initiatives in celebration of Black History Month. “This grant is one step in FLOW’s commitment to creating a welcoming environment for all people to join the ecosystem and that it is a true representation of our diverse world” The company has...
Feb 17, 2022
Black doctors reportedly make up five percent of the country’s doctors, but some new data reveals this number may soon be on the rise. A new study shows , first-year Black students saw an uptick in enrollment totaling 21 percent since 2020, according to GBH News.
Jan 28, 2022
If you’re on the hunt for a minority-owned business in the events space, the vetting process just got easier, thanks to ourBLOC.com. Sweethearts Lola McClaney and Richard McClaney recognized an apparent disparity when they hunted for Black vendors for their wedding. The couple searched through countless Instagram hashtags and filtered through various profiles of businesses to ensure it was minority-owned. The process sparked the question between the couple, “Why isn’t there a platform that caters to this audience?” At this moment, the soon-to-be bride and groom knew it was time to create a solution that would diversify the event planning space. “Coming from the industry and going from being a vendor to a client, I have seen many disparities. It was important to create a platform for Black and minority-owned businesses for folks who look like us. We think it is important because that’s how you build community,” Lola McClaney told AfroTech exclusively. The move proved to be timely, as...
Jan 16, 2022
For many people, the metaverse offers a better, more idyllic world; the world as we’d like it to be. But sadly, human weaknesses often follow us into the virtual realm — and that fact can easily extend to those who help create the metaverse. Without realizing it, harmful preconditions can be easily built into the software that perpetuates stereotypes and prevents metaverse users from enjoying a more inclusive and equal virtual experience. It’s been proven that biases, cultural and ethnic assumptions, and even racism impact the technologies used in digital animation for motion pictures and video games. Those traits can also affect companies that serve the metaverse.
Dec 30, 2021
StockX has appointed Robin Washington as its new audit committee chair, the company shared in a press release. Detroit-based StockX is known for its online marketplace featuring luxury sneakers, apparel and accessories, electronics, collectibles, and trading cards. The five-year-old company, which only allows sellers to list new items in original packaging, also has a rigorous authentication process to ensure products are real. Washington joins StockX’s board with a wealth of experience advising tech and life science companies. In her new role, she’ll advise its leaders as StockX plans for international expansion and diversifying its catalog. “Robin is a proven and dynamic leader, with deep experience as an operator and board member at some of the leading global organizations of our time. Today, we’re thrilled to welcome her to the StockX board as the Chair of our Audit Committee,” StockX CEO Scott Cutler said in a statement . “Robin’s perspective will be invaluable to our...
Dec 8, 2021
Snap Inc. is introducing its latest efforts to push diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to the forefront with the launch of 523, its first content accelerator program, according to information provided to AfroTech. The goal of 523 is to champion small, minority-owned content companies and creatives. The program counteracts those whose support and resources don’t match the massive influence they bring to the Snapchat community. Courtesy of 523 “The voices of underrepresented groups have long helped shape mainstream culture, yet these creative minds often don’t see the equitable benefits from their impact,” Starr Nathan, 523 Program Manager at Snap Inc., said in a statement. “If you want to make a real change, you have to embed equity in the business. That’s why we are designing tailored workshops, providing funding and helping participants build sustainable businesses.” The fuel behind Snap Inc.’s mission to help build minority-owned content companies and creators is Snapchat’s...
Dec 7, 2021
Lana Denina is a Black woman artist who has made over $300,000 just in selling NFTs, CNBC reports. And not just any NFTs — but NFTs of her original artwork. By now, everyone is familiar with the NFT, or Non-Fungible Token, and its growing popularity in the tech world. Their popularity has sparked a revolution, especially among celebrities and creatives, too. And for this Montreal, Canada-based creative, NFTs has made her quite a pretty penny. And she told CNBC that she hopes her success story inspires other creatives of color to follow in her footsteps. “I hope to inspire more creatives who look like me to step a foot into tech,” she said. “When they saw the Mona Lana, they really wanted to buy an NFT. Before that, they were looking at other projects, and they didn’t feel fully represented maybe.” She also said that she plans to donate a portion of her sales to a charity that supports African artists, and to various women’s shelters in Canada. So, what else should we know about this...
Dec 3, 2021
Have you ever wanted to support your favorite HBCU, but didn’t have the means or the wherewithal to do so? This “spare change” app will help you do just that! AfroTech previously spoke with Dominique King — founder of the I Heart My HBCU app — who leveraged this technology to make donations to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) easy (they can be done in as little as 60 seconds) back in December of 2020. “When creating this app, it was important for me to encourage HBCU Alumni to support all HBCUs. Users can easily adjust how much or how little of the spare change they share to their five favorite HBCUs,” she said in a statement about the I Heart My HBCU app. “I Heart My HBCU became the first platform where users could donate spare change to any of the 104 HBCUs in one place.” King first launched her groundbreaking app in 2017 and became one of an elite cadre of Black female tech entrepreneurs in the space. A graduate of Howard University, King’s first goal was to...
Dec 2, 2021
To provide a space for Black talent in tech, OneTen — a group of industry executives aiming to hire and build Black individuals to create an equitable and inclusive workforce — has launched its inaugural scholarship program to provide support for over 3,500 students over the next two years, a press release states. The program was created to spearhead underserved Black talent toward the tech industry — with a focus on four core tech competencies: digital marketing, business analytics, front end developer, and predictive analytics — despite not acquiring four-year degrees. “By investing in talent transformation, we can help remove the barriers to diversity in tech. By providing access to resources that are designed to nurture and develop people’s skills, we can help get more Black talent into the technology space,” Dennis Schultz, Executive Director of the BIT Foundation, said in a press release. As a contribution toward OneTen’s commitment, Udacity and Blacks In Technology will lend...
Oct 18, 2021