Hunting for Africa’s Unicorns; Facial Recognition Tech in Africa; Nigeria to launch e-naira
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women (and our allies) highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Welcome to Issue #63 of For Colored Girls Who Tech, a weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women (and our allies) highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to partner with us or share stories, tips, or questions. If you enjoy our content we encourage you to like this post above and share it with your community!
INSIGHTS
The Unicorns and Wealth of Africa
-Ndubuisi Ekekwe/ Tekedia
Startups have more options than ever to lower their reliance on venture capital
-Alex Wilhelm and Anna Heim / TechCrunch
Investing In Africa? Invest In Women
-Avivah Wittenberg-Cox / Forbes
Why You Should Invest in Emerging Fund Managers
-Janine Sickmeyer
OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
Hunting for Africa’s Unicorns (High-Level Pitch Event). The event will be held during the 12th African Union Private Sector Forum hosted by the African Union Commission for Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Mining and the Africa Business Council (AfBC). Apply by October 5, 2021.
Slauson & Co. and Grid110 have partnered up to launch Friends & Family, an accelerator program geared toward helping early-stage entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, attract capital investment and receive mentorship. Participate in a twelve-week virtual boot camp and receive a $20,000 grant. Apply by October 8, 2021.
Cultivate Pitch Competition: Closing the Wealth Gap, hosted by The HBCU Founders Initiative in partnership with AARP, Mastercard and Franklin Templeton. Apply by October 13, 2021.
GPx program by Plexo Capital is an open-source educational community supporting great investors to become great fund managers through video content modules taught by world-class leaders from the venture capital ecosystem.
Black-owned entities, including businesses, nonprofits, cooperatives, and investment funds that are looking to raise capital in 2021-2022, and need affordable securities legal services can apply for help via a new legal fund.
SheEO Venture is looking for women entrepreneurs to receive non-dilutive funding, coaching, and access to a supportive global community of women. Eligible businesses are based in the US, majority-owned by a woman or non-binary founder and generate $50K-$2M in recurring revenue.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Startup Revolution: Women Transforming the Industries! October 7, 2021.
Female Founders Alliance Summit. The theme of the Summit this year is “become”. Attendees can choose from tracks that will equip them to take the next step in their career. October 13-15, 2021.
Plant Based World Europe Conference & Expo in London. Register for free tickets, October 15-16, 2021.
Rebranding Africa Forum, How the digital revolution can shape Africa’s future. October 29-30, 2021
ON OUR RADAR
‘Rife with sexism’: employees of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin describe ‘toxic’ workplace culture.
Nigeria to become first African country to launch central bank crypto.
Absa Launches Facial Recognition Tech in South Africa.
PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Home Depot pledged $10M in VC Funds To Further Support Minority Start-Up Founders.
In 100 days, 191 Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, Native American, and women members of the Cap Table Coalition invested $16 million into high-growth tech companies.
Andela Announces $200M Investment Led by SoftBank.
101 Latinx Leaders in Tech.
Amazon Studios & Howard University Announce 3rd Year For Howard Entertainment Program.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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