€1B for Moonshot projects; Diversity as $uperpower; Virtual Commute!
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Hello All,
I hope you are enjoying your Sunday! As we say goodbye to September, Europe and the UK are preparing to hunker down again as coronavirus cases surge. Here in Paris, new restrictions are being imposed on places that were reopening. This week, the hours of bars and restaurants are being restricted and all gyms are closed. Although no one is saying it yet, everyone wonders if new lockdowns are in the distant future…
Daniel Ek, the founder of Spotify, plans to invest €1bn of his private earnings in European deeptech “moonshot projects” in machine learning, biotech, and materials science. Paris-based Mirakl raised $300 million at a $1.5 billion valuation making the e-commerce startup the tenth unicorn in France. Here are eight top European accelerators for female founders. California lawmakers approve new diversity quotas for Corporate Boards. Fortune's Change the World list is out. Quibi is exploring a sale. Google launched an Airtable competitor called Tables!
INSIGHTS
Female-managed US funds outperform all-male rivals.
-Chris Flood / Financial Times
Diversity As $uperpower: The (Well-Known) Data Against Homogeneous Teams In Venture Capital.
-Committee of 200 / Forbes
Black founders have unique talents. We need to make sure they get to use them.
-Erica B. Smith-Goetz / Fortune
Investment in African based start-ups is more likely to go to non-African founders. Why?
-BBC
Expanding to US-The guide for European entrepreneurs.
-Index Ventures
10 lessons learned from seed-funding our new portfolio unicorn, Mirakl.
-Xavier Lazarus / Elaia
FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
The annual Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Nominate the young innovators changing the world.
French Tech Tremplin is an initiative that aims to identify aspiring entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds and welcome them into the French Tech ecosystem. Startups selected will receive 30 000 €. Apply by October 15, 2020.
AWS Imagine Grant Program will offer up to $200,000 in grants and in-kind support for non-profits in the USA using technology to solve social and environmental problems. Apply by September 30, 2020.
BLCK VC’s NYC Path Program-a new fellowship in Partnership with Lerer Hippeau and Anthemis. The deadline is October 5, 2020.
January Ventures Virtual Workshop with Veera Johnson (Circulor) and Lars Vestergaard (Oracle for Startups): How Startups Can Successfully Sell to Enterprise, October 7, 2020.
Film Submissions for the 2021 SXSW Film Festival open October 6, 2020.
Innovating Education in Africa Expo 2020. Up to $100,000 in grants available, due October 9, 2020.
The BGV x Rare Beauty Brands pitch competition is the first national crowdfunding event for Black and Brown woman-identifying founders in the Beauty Industry. Apply by October 16, 2020.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Black Angels Miami Pitch Night featuring 3 exciting companies. September 29, 2020.
Women 2.0 in partnership with TechStars NYC host a special pitch session showcasing female founders. October 1, 2020.
Accra Angels Network presents Accra Angels Series-a nine-part series curated for both experienced and aspiring investors who wish to engage in dialogue, share best practices and deepen their sector knowledge. October 1, 2020.
The Sister Circle Summit virtual edition. October 9-10, 2020.
Apply to attend the annual All Raise VC Summit! The largest annual gathering of female/non-binary VC investors. October 27-29, 2020.
The 4th edition of Playfair Capital's female founder office hours, remote edition. November 5 & 12, 2020.
ON OUR RADAR
Twitter is looking into why its photo preview appears to favor white faces over Black faces.
Microsoft Develops a ‘Virtual Commute’ for Remote Workers.
Amazon to sponsor Howard University summer program aimed at increasing pipeline of minority economists.
The 'LVMH Of Africa'? #BLM Movement Fast-Tracks The Folklore's Ambition To Become Just That.
PEOPLE
Arlan Hamilton has received $6 million from Marc Cuban to invest in underrepresented founders.
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has registered plans to raise a new $150 million fund.
Izzy Obeng joins Lewis Hamilton as Board Members of The Hamilton Commission to get more young people into STEM and Formula 1.
Vogue promoted digital fashion news director Chioma Nnadi to the editor of Vogue.com.
Nilka Thomas is returning to Lyft to serve as the new Chief People Officer.
Nadia Rawlinson appointed Chief People Officer of Slack.
The Root 100 is out with its annual list of the most influential African Americans.
Hillary Clinton has launched a new podcast, “You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton,” on iHeartRadio.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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