Diversity spotlight on Crunchbase; Fortnite removes police cars; 40+ European visas for tech founders and employees; World’s largest Black-led VC fund.
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Hello and Happy Sunday,
The first week of summer has been a hot one, literally and figuratively. Although we are collectively feeling antsy, US Citizens will likely be barred from traveling to Europe when the EU reopens its border on July 1 over virus failures. Earlier in the week, Trump froze green cards and work visas until the end of year. Meanwhile, Canada and France, are trying (again) to woo tech workers!
Fortnite removed police cars from its game. $30+Million raise for “smart” suitcases. Nextdoor eliminates its Forward to Police feature. Brandless is back. Paris Fashion Week is a go in September!
USA
Amid pandemic, Live Nation announces drive-in concert series.
Crunchbase is introducing new features to highlight data on the diversity of startups.
Amazon will pay $1.2 billion to buy the six-year-old autonomous car developer Zoox, led by Senegalese woman Aichatou Sar Evans.
Facebook will put warning labels on posts that break its rules but are considered newsworthy.
DoNotPay, a chatbot app that provides legal services raised a $12 million Series A.
Google is changing its default privacy settings to automatically delete personal data for new users after 18 months.
Entertainment and sports talent firm Creative Artists Agency has teamed up with NEA to create a new $100 million fund, Connect Ventures.
EUROPE
Design software unicorn Canva raises $60 million on a $6 billion valuation.
Here's a list of 40+ European visas for tech founders and employees including paths to citizenship for every country.
Cazoo raises $31 million at $1 billion+ valuation to help you buy used cars online.
The 20 most active female business angels in France.
BBC pledges £100 million to ‘diverse and inclusive content’.
Estonia is launching a digital nomad visa for remote workers.
AFRICA
Ingressive Capital, led by 29-year old Maya Horgan-Famodu, unveils $10 million fund for high-growth tech startups.
BBC News has announced a partnership with MTN Nigeria that will see it deliver one-minute news to subscribers in local languages.
Two fintech startups from Nigeria and one from South Africa have been selected to receive capital and venture building support from Catalyst Fund.
Andela closes all offices, sells assets, and goes fully remote.
Moneyfellows, an Egyptian fintech, raised $4 million in Series A funding. Partech and Sawari Ventures were the investors.
Energicity Corp, a Freetown, Sierra Leone-based developer and operator of microgrid utilities in West Africa, raised $3.3 million in seed funding.
South Africam fintech, Paymenow, a lending platform that allows employees to request salary advances at any point in a month, has raised $230K seed funding from ViaMedia.
INSIGHTS
The End of the Girlboss Is Here.
-Leigh Stein
DIVERSITY is needed at VCs and on boards.
-Fred Wilson / Union Square Ventures
The difference between first-degree racism and third-degree racism.
-John Rice / The Atlantic
Why are Black and Latino people still kept out of the tech industry?
-LA Times
A new platform for emerging managers.
-Kauffman Fellows
Resources to find, support, and invest in Black founders.
-Cleo Capital
FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
Creandum x Female Founders: New Work. Apply before June 29, 2020.
Nominations are open for the Tech 4 Good Awards - Apply by June 30, 2020.
Start-Up Discovery School, launch their 6-12 week online incubator and accelerator programs. Applications are year-round.
Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders. Apply by July 22, 2020.
Visa and IFundWomen grant program for Black women-owned businesses.
Admit.me Fellows is a free fellowship program to help match underrepresented minorities, women, and military veterans and personnel with the best graduate business programs in the country. Cohort 2 deadline, July 31, 2020.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Black Tech NOLA 2020, June 29-July 1, 2020.
Precursor Ventures' Charles Hudson & Cleo Capital's Sarah Kunst and Elliott Robinson, Bessemer Venture Partners, talk inequity in venture capital. June 30, 2020.
Africa in Colors: Creative and Cultural Industries as a lever for economic development, employability and entrepreneurship in Africa post-COVID. July 2, 2020.
10x10VC Lunchtime Hangout-The UK's black VCs will be on Google Hangout to answer questions regarding fundraising. Every Friday this July-September, 2020.
ON OUR RADAR
The minimum number of settlers for survival on another planet.
Billionaire Robert Smith announces new ISA for HBCUs.
The Black Boy Book Club creates a safe space for Black parents and their Sons to read.
Black Women in Animation launch call for action.
PEOPLE
Stacy Brown-Philpot is stepping down as CEO of TaskRabbit.
NASA to rename headquarters for Mary W. Jackson, agency’s first female African American engineer.
Adeyemi Ajao announced raising $250 million for his second fund at Base10 Partners, making it the world’s largest Black-led VC fund.
Carmichael Roberts announced an oversubscribed $200 million Material Impact Fund II.
American Express named President of Strategic Partnerships Glenda McNeal to its Executive Committee.
LeBron James gets $100 million investment to build a media empire.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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