Black Beauty in Europe, VC Funding and the Community Effect; The era of audio creators has arrived; Vintage Technology.
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Hello and Welcome to Issue #39!
In honor of International Women’s Day tomorrow, I’ll be co-hosting a discussion on Clubhouse on Black Beauty in Europe, VC Funding and the Community Effect. The panel will consist of Black beauy pioneers from France, Sweden and the UK. We’ll also showcase a new breed of Black Angel Investors in Europe located in cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm, London, and Paris. Join us!
Klarna becomes Europe’s most valuable startup, now worth $31 billion. Hopin raised another $400 million at $5.65 billion valuation. Twitter opened its live audio chat rooms, Twitter Spaces, to users on Android (beating Clubhouse). Coursera files for IPO. Instacart raises $265 million, more than doubling its valuation to $39 billion. Netflix has created a TikTok clone that lets people scroll through funny clips.
INSIGHTS
2020 Study Of Gender Diversity On Private Company Boards
-Ann Shepherd and Gené Teare / Crunchbase
VC Human Capital Survey -Venture capital diversity, equity, and inclusion
-NVCA / Venture Forward / Deloitte
The Era of Audio Creators Has Arrived
-Taylor Lorenz / New York Times
Don’t call it a community
-Alison James / Aspire IQ
Gender Equality Global Report & Ranking 2021 Edition
-Equileap
NFTs and a Thousand True Fans
-Chris Dixon / Andreessen Horowitz
OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
Venture Deals Online Course – Spring 2021 Registration Is Open. Courses start on March 8, 2021.
Oper8r is an 8-week intensive paid course with a dedicated community of VCs and over 150 Tier 1 LPs built to educate and empower the next generation of great fund managers. Apply to Cohort II by March 10, 2021.
VC University Mentorship Program is seeking experienced VC mentors for a 3-month mentorship program starting in April. There is a 3-5 hour time commitment across 3 months. Apply by Friday, March 12, 2021.
The West Coast Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics is announcing 2021 FlexGrants of up to $15,000. Selected pediatric medical device innovators will be awarded grants to support activities that apply or adapt their existing medical devices to help address health inequities in children. Due March 12, 2021.
OHUB is looking to onboard 1,000 Black, LatinX & Indigenous college students to their 6th annual OHUB.SXSW, March 16-20, 2021.
Afriquia 50 Sprints program supports and finances startups in Morocco and internationally, which innovate through disruptive concepts in the field of mobility, in partnership with the HEC Paris incubator.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Women in Tech HUG, Global Launch with special guest Kimberly Byrant, CEO & Founder of Black Girl Code. March 8, 2021.
Fireside Chat with Ivy Jack: Racial Justice Investing, March 9, 2021.
Empowering Female Founders: Resilience & Recovery by Cintrifuse. March 11, 2021.
Women on the Rise: The Next Generation of Black & Latinx Leaders in VC, March 19, 2021.
SPACs in 2021 by Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. Join for an update on SPACs in 2021 with experts from Nasdaq, KPMG, Wilson Sonsini, and Woodruff Sawyer. March 17, 2021.
Elevating Latinas in VC. Influential Latinas in Venture Capital share how they got into VC, how they've thrived, and how they elevate each other. March 23, 2021.
Sie Founder Showcase - hear from 15 female founders and their businesses. March 23, 2021.
KiwiTech's LATAM Venture Fair. Venture Fair focused on bridging the gap between funders and founders in the LATAM region. March 24, 2021.
DiversiTech Summit by Tribaja - Tech & Startups.A 3-day virtual experience curated to ignite collaboration and diversity in the tech & innovation space. March 25-27, 2021.
Rise Showcase 2021 by Colorintech. Short pitches from the cohort with founders from underrepresented backgrounds. March 25, 2021.
ON OUR RADAR
Google’s approach to historically Black schools helps explain why there are few Black engineers in Big Tech.
In a Changing Military, the Army Eases Its Rules for Women’s Hair.
Vintage technology: 'It sounds so much cleaner'
The E.U. will propose a vaccine passport system for Europe.
PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS
Motown Records Elevates Ethiopia Habtemariam to Chairman & CEO.
Don Thompson, Founder and CEO of Cleveland Avenue, launches a $70 Million fund to invest in Chicago’s Black, Latinx food entrepreneurs.
Mary Meeker’s Bond has closed its second fund with $2 billion.
Visa Partners with Black Girl Ventures to Digitally Enable Black and Women-Owned Small Businesses across the United States.
NFI hired Maia Chaka as first Black female official.
First Boulevard raises $5 million for its digital bank aimed at Black America.
Jay-Z sells Tidal to Square in $297M Deal, Joins Square Board.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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