People of Color In Tech

11/06/2024

UK influencers with "deep dark" skin tones earn 44.6% less than those with "light skin," according to research from SevenSix Agency. Influencers with type 2A hair textures were among the highest earners, and type 4B hair among the lowest.

"We needed data to back up what we have always been saying, which is that lighter-skinned or racially ambiguous creators would be getting more work than those who had dark skin," said Charlotte Stavrou, SevenSix Agency’s founder.

UK influencers with a "deep dark" skin tone earn 44.6% less than those with a "light skin" tone. This pay gap is compounded by hair texture.

11/06/2024

A majority of Black Americans believe the prison, political, and economic systems are designed to hold them back, a Pew research study has revealed. This sentiment was more common among those who said they had experienced racial discrimination.

“When you have a history of American institutions actually conspiring against Black people, it’s not so hard to believe that anything else would also be true,” Tasha Philpot, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin, told AP News.

Many Black adults believe that key systems in the US are designed to hinder Black people’s progress, a Pew Research Center survey has found.

11/06/2024

Apple has teamed up with the Propel Center to launch an arts and entertainment industry accelerator program. This initiative will provide 50 HBCU students with opportunities to enhance their creative skills and explore new career pathways.

The program is part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI).

Apple has partnered with the Propel Center to launch an arts and entertainment industry accelerator program for HBCUs.

10/06/2024

When three explosions rocked a neighborhood in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sara Wahedi was among the residents left in the dark, without any real-time information from authorities.

“It was a lightbulb moment for me – this is exactly the kind of tool that needs to exist in crisis states and regions,” she said.

Wahedi went on to create Ehtesab, a mobile app that crowdsources and verifies emergency information, providing real-time alerts to users across Afghanistan.

Sara Wahedi is the founder of Ehtesab, a mobile app designed to crowdsource and verify emergency event information in Afghanistan.

10/06/2024

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has joined the board of SpreeAI, a new startup seeking to transform the shopping experience with AI - their try-on tool lets shoppers model clothes virtually.

Founder and CEO John Imah says the startup has raised nearly $60M and secured research partnerships with Carnegie Mellon University and MIT.

Naomi Campbell has joined the board of SpreeAI, a new Black-owned startup seeking to transform the shopping experience with AI.

10/06/2024

X, previously known as Twitter, has placed ads on search results linked to at least 20 racist and anti-Semitic hashtags, as reported by NBC News. This allowed X to monetize the offensive content despite Elon Musk's promises to the contrary.

X is running ads in the search results for at least 20 hashtags used to promote racist and antisemitic extremism.

10/06/2024

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09/06/2024

Black Radiance has launched its first augmented reality app, Beyond Radiant, offer an immersive diverse experience for women of color.

Black Radiance has launched its first augmented reality app, Beyond Radiant, to offer an immersive diverse experience for women of color.

08/06/2024

TikTok star Keith Lee has partnered with Microsoft to boost Black-owned restaurants using AI.

Lee and Microsoft’s Senior Product Marketing Manager Anthony Kerr will show Black restaurateurs live demos using Microsoft AI tools and solutions to manage and expand their businesses.

Food critic and TikToker Keith Lee, also known as “The People’s Champ,” has partnered with Microsoft to amplify Black restaurants further.

07/06/2024

pocstock has partnered with Canva, bringing its inclusive stock imagery and media to the platform.

“Our brands have a shared mission of building the world’s largest and most inclusive image libraries and promoting positive representation of people from different racial and cultural backgrounds, genders/IDs, ages, abilities, and celebrating their differences.”

Pocstock has joined forces with Canva to help create a more inclusive world with its diverse and inclusive content.

07/06/2024

For Us By Us Studios has announced a $450M 30-picture deal with Pantheum Studios, a subsidiary of multinational investment management firm Euldora Financial.

"Collectively, we will create groundbreaking content that celebrates inclusivity and resonates with audiences worldwide," said J. Alexander Martin, FUBU co-founder and For Us By Us Studios CEO.

Pantheum Studios has announced a $450 million, 30-picture partnership with For Us By Us Studios over the next three years.

07/06/2024

Fintech startup Prósperos has raised $3M in seed funding to revolutionize money transfers for Latine communities.

Prósperos offers two linked bank accounts: one in the USA and one in Mexico (with plans to expand across Central and South America), enabling instant, affordable transfers.

“Prósperos is deeply personal for me,” added Salvador Chavez, COO. “[My father] never had access to the modern banking system and instead paid exorbitant fees for cashing checks and sending money to his family. Prósperos changes all of that.”

Prósperos has raised $3M in seed funding to advance its mission of empowering Latine communities through innovative financial solutions.

06/06/2024

In 2023, founders Chido Dzinotyiwei and Isheanesu Misi launched Vambo AI to create AI that “understands the languages of people in the rest of the world”. Its platform now supports 11 African languages and counting!

“The reason why most of the world has not used AI – or explored its revolutionary power for education, economic empowerment, and more – is because it is not built in languages they understand.”

South African startup Vambo AI is empowering users to use advanced AI in their native tongues, currently supporting 11 African languages.

06/06/2024

Chaymeriyia Moncrief launched NSPRE four years ago to ”inspire the culture through social technology“. Now, the 29-year-old Alabamian has unveiled her second smartphone, NSPRE N1, which incorporates the latest advancements in mobile technology.

29-year-old Chaymeriyia Moncrief, the founder of NSPRE, has unveiled her second smartphone four years after her first release.

06/06/2024

Anti-knife crime activist Shaun Thompson has launched a legal challenge against the Metropolitan Police after being detained due to a false facial recognition match. Thompson, who volunteers with the Street Fathers youth outreach group, described the system as ‘stop and search on steroids’.

UK based anti-knife crime activist has launched a legal case against the Met after wrongly identified with live facial recognition technology.

06/06/2024

Howard University’s College of Engineering and Architecture has received a $5M gift from software leader Autodesk Inc, marking the largest unrestricted philanthropic donation in the college’s history.

"Howard is a leader in graduating Black engineers, and this gift will expand our ability to provide our students with the best and latest resources throughout the course of their education here."

Howard University has received a $5 million gift from Autodesk Inc., the global leader in software for the Design and Make industries.

05/06/2024

Black-owned Creative Theory Agency has launched its new “What Prompted You?" campaign.

“The campaign takes you on a journey through the AI creation process, using prompts inspired by the lived experiences of some of DC’s most influential business owners and creatives... The result? An imaginative collaboration of AI-created storytelling that shows how human perspective can uplevel creativity.”

"The result? An imaginative collaboration of AI-created storytelling that shows how human perspective can uplevel creativity."

05/06/2024

Led by Pinterest and supported by SHOWTIME/MTV, the Hidden Healing Fund will pilot an initial investment of $1M in community organizations that employ culturally-led approaches to addressing youth mental health challenges.

“The creation of the Hidden Healing Fund marks a significant step forward investing in solutions for BIPOC youth that center and honor their identity, culture and communities,” said Mahmoud Khedr, the co-founder of Hidden Healers.

“As an Egyptian-American Muslim who went through a decade of suffering in silence and suffering to find culturally-relevant mental health resources, I know that the organizations that will be the beneficiaries of this work offer the type of healing solutions that I wish I had access to.”

Pinterest and SHOWTIME/MTV have announced the Hidden Healing Fund, an initiative that aims to impact young people's mental health.

05/06/2024

Kapor Foundation, Omidyar Network, and San Francisco Foundation have announced a $25M investment to fund organizations promoting responsible, equitable, and ethical AI advancement.

California foundations have announced an investment of $25M to help fund organizations focused on centering equity in the advancement of AI.

05/06/2024

“Meta’s algorithms steer ads to for-profit universities and universities with historically predatory marketing practices to relatively more Black users than the ads for public universities,” a new study has found.

This bias persists even when controlling for audience demographics and market forces, indicating that Meta’s algorithms perpetuate historical racial recruitment biases.

Meta's ad algorithms show racial bias by disproportionately steering Black users towards more expensive for-profit colleges.

04/06/2024

Microsoft Corp. and G42, an AI firm from the United Arab Emirates, have plans to build a $1 billion geothermal-powered data center in Kenya.

This project marks the initial phase of a multiyear strategy to boost cloud-computing capacity in East Africa.

Microsoft Corp. and G42, an AI firm from the United Arab Emirates, have plans to build a $1 billion geothermal-powered data center in Kenya.

04/06/2024

An appeals court has ruled against Fearless Fund Strivers Grant program for Black women business owners.

"America is supposed to be a nation where one has the freedom to achieve, the freedom to earn, and the freedom to prosper. Yet, when we have attempted to level the playing field for underrepresented groups, our freedoms were stifled," A***n Simone, CEO of Fearless Fund wrote.

VC firm Fearless Fund has faced another setback in its plans to issue grants to Black women business owners as the court ruled against them.

04/06/2024

Pinterest has teamed up with Shopify to expand its Creator Inclusion Fund to the Pinterest Inclusion Fund.

The new fund will allow small business owners who are from or who serve underrepresented backgrounds to apply for the first time.

Pinterest has announced that it is expanding its Creator Inclusion Fund to the Pinterest Inclusion Fund, allowing founders to join.

03/06/2024

AiDigiTales has launched its newest initiative, the “AI for Kids” podcast, to introduce the world of AI to children.

AI for Kids is a series of fun, informative, and interactive episodes aimed at children from pre-K to middle grade.

https://buff.ly/4aGaU5q

03/06/2024

Dr. Heliana Ramirez, a researcher of racial and LGBTQ related workplace trauma, created the Black Women Toxic Job Survivor Su***de Prevention Resource Guide.

Ramirez spoke with POCIT about creating the guide, and strategies for Black women experiencing workplace bullying.

Dr. Heliana Ramirez created the Black Women Toxic Job Survivor Su***de Prevention Resource Guide following the tragic death of Dr. Candia-Bailey.

02/06/2024

There is an alarming rise in disinformation in the media for Black Americans as the elections approach.

The survey shows that Black adults are significantly more likely to encounter false information online, with 32% reporting frequent online harassment.

There is an alarming rise in disinformation in the media for Black Americans as the elections approach, according to a recent survey.

01/06/2024

Brazil has experienced devastating floods caused by torrential rain, which has also led to AI-generated misinformation.

Fake images of helicopters branded with a local retailer's logo, rescuing flood victims were among the chaos, leading to online criticism and concerns.

Brazil has experienced devastating floods caused by torrential rain, which has also led to AI-generated misinformation.

31/05/2024

South Carolina Gamecocks player Raven Johnson has secured a NIL deal with Black beauty company Parfait.

“It marks a historic first in the hair industry to help us set a new standard for how female athletes should be treated," said founder Isoken Igbinedion.

University of South Carolina Gamecocks player Raven Johnson has secured a NIL deal with Black beauty tech company Parfait.

31/05/2024

NEW INTERVIEW: Dr Heliana Ramirez created 'The Black Women Toxic Job Survivor Su***de Prevention Resource Guide' after the tragic death of Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey due to workplace bullying.

We spoke with her about Dr Candia-Bailey’s life and legacy, creating the guide, and strategies for Black women experiencing workplace bullying.

Dr. Heliana Ramirez created the Black Women Toxic Job Survivor Su***de Prevention Resource Guide following the tragic death of Dr. Candia-Bailey.