Breaking into Venture; Virtual Tour de France; 'Leather' from apple pulp; The πππ debacle; #2020VISION.
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Happy Fourth of July Weekend for our US readers!
Americans are celebrating Independence Day while dealing with unrest across the nation and record-high COVID cases. The first half of the year is over and the world has shifted dramatically. Still, with six months to go, a lot can change again.
Speaking of change, I am excited to launch a survey of Diverse VCs in Europe list. To my knowledge, this data does NOT exist in Europe. I am inviting the public to help compile this information by submitting the names of βdiverseβ VCβs who identify as members of a racial and/or ethnic minority, women, and/or the LGBTQ+ community. Once completed, I hope this list will serve as a resource for the European tech ecosystem to find and work with investors from diverse backgrounds.
Netflix to invest $100 million into banks supporting Black communities. The 2021 edition of the Sundance Film Festival will take place in at least 20 other locations simultaneously. Virtual Tour de France.
USA
Lululemon buys Mirror, an at-home fitness startup, for $500 Million.
Gaming chat app Discord raised $100 million in new funding at a $3.5 billion valuation.
The Mom Project, a five-year-old, Chicago-based online talent marketplace for women, raised $25 million in Series B funding.
Instacart has raised another $100 million in new funding atop the $225 million it announced last month.
Spotify brings real-time lyrics to 26 countries.
Amazon to pay $500 Million in βThank Youβ Bonuses for front-line workers, delivery partners.
EUROPE
Bolt, a European rival to Uber, launched an electric bike-sharing service in Paris.
GermanyβsΒ solarisBank has raised β¬60 millionΒ in a Series C funding round to boost its Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) aspirations.
'Leather' from apple pulp startup raises β¬1.1 million.
Voicemod raises β¬7.1 million to help gamers and creators change their voice in real-time.
Portugalβs top women investors.
GP Bullhound has announced its fifth fund, β¬125 millionΒ for growth-stage European software companies.Β
AFRICA
$3.9 billion worth of VC investment deals in Africa from 2014-2019.
East Africa-based fintech company BeyonicΒ has been acquired by the Johannesburg-based payments company MFS Africa.
Finnfund and CDC GroupΒ have jointlyΒ committed $70 million toΒ AfricInvest Fund IV, a generalist pan-African fund.
Zuru, a Kenyan startup launches a car rental app.
ChainEX, a South African based crypto-exchange raised $1.3 million in previous rounds.
INSIGHTS
A VCβs Guide to Investing in Black Founders
-James Norman / Harvard Business Review
Impact investors to know in Europe
-Sifted
Tech and the new normal
-Benedict Evans
A Brief Guide to Letting Black Entrepreneurs Be Entrepreneurs
-Entrepreneur
The Unpaid Labour of Female Founders
-Sharmadean Reid MBE/ Beautystack
Missing from the conversation: Americaβs Black Women
-Eromo Egbejule / OZY
FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
BLCK VC's new Breaking into Venture (BiV) program prepares aspiring Black investors for a career transition into the venture. Apply for the inaugural cohort by July 10, 2020.
Included VC 12-month VC fellowship-40 places available for people with a passion for tech and VC from BAME, overlooked and excluded communities, offering extensive education & mentoring from some of the world's leading VC funds. Deadline, August 7, 2020.
All Raise Post-Seed to Series A Bootcamp. Apply by July 20, 2020.
PledgeLA pairs tech companies and VCs with talented and diverse candidates for internships, projects, and full-time roles.
Applications for the Goldman Sachs 2020 Virtual HBCU Possibilities Summit are now open.
Pivotal Venturesβ new $30 million Equality Canβt Wait Challenge is calling for applicants to submit creative ideas to help expand womenβs power and influence in the U.S. by 2030. Apply by September 1, 2020.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Beautystack Demo! Get Your Beauty Business Back on Track After Lockdown, July 6, 2020.
African Tech Industry Series: Virtual Networking Cocktail Party, July 7, 2020.
Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM) panel- Black Women Led Funds, July 10, 2020.
Build Your Career Webinar: Breaking Into Venture Capital, hosted by SoGal. July 10, 2020.
The Power of a Network - Virtual Panel with leading investors, July 14, 2020.
Consumer Technology Association: Closing the Venture Capital Investment Gap to Drive Innovation, July 15, 2020.
ON OUR RADAR
The πππ Debacle Sums Up Techβs Race Issues.
The Zimbabwean romcom and Netflix: βNow itβs Africans telling storiesβ.
Dating app Badoo launches AI to detect unsolicited dick pics.
Scientists Propose a New Name for Nature in the Time of COVID-19: The βAnthropauseβ.
A New Directory Spotlights Black and Brown Women in Fashion and Media.
PEOPLE
Candice Matthews Brackeen will lead a new $50 million VC fund focused exclusively on Midwest startups led by underrepresented minorities.
Planned Parenthood named interim president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson its permanent chief executive.
Michelle Garcia named Editorial Director for NBCBLK.
Caroline A. Wanga, who was named Interim CEO at Essence Communications
Bozoma Saint John is Netflix's new CMO.
Candice Carty-Williams and Bernardine Evaristo become first black authors to win top British Book awards.
Meet 25 leading Black British business people to follow.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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