The 1619 project goes Hollywood; Uber commuter boat; Walmart+; mmhmm.
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Happy Sunday Folks,
Coronavirus cases are surging in the US with nearly 70K a day. Trump, ever the latecomer, finally donned a mask publicly for the first time. With the fall semester looming, his administration announced that international students whose course loads are carried out exclusively online amid the coronavirus pandemic would have to leave the country or transfer to another college. Twitter is (maybe) building a subscription product? Quibi lost 80% of users after free trials ended. And finally, Sirius XM will reportedly buy Stitcher podcast service for $300 million.
USA
Rivian raises $2.5 billion ahead of launch of electric pickup and SUV, bringing its total funding to date to around $6 billion.
Rethink Impact, a venture capital firm that invests exclusively in tech start-ups founded by women, raised $182 million.
Intel Capital pledged $125 million to invest over the next five years in start-ups led by women and underrepresented minorities.
Caffeine, a social broadcasting platform focused on live rap competitions, raised $113 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock, and other investors.
Victress Capital, a fund founded by women to invest in women founders, closed its second fund of $22 million.
EUROPE
Uber will launch a London commuter boat service with Thames Clippers.
K Fund, a five-year-old, seed-stage venture firm that provides capital to Spanish startups, raised €70 million for its second fund.
Swiss FoodTech Startup Yamo raises €10.1 million to become the European leader in fresh organic food for young children.
Top senior staff are leaving Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, as it pursues an internal investigation into sexual harassment.
Please remember to contribute to our survey of Diverse VCs in Europe list.
AFRICA
Zimbabwe’s Africabookings is HotelOnline’s second acquisition in a month.
Alphabet's Loon launches balloon internet service in Kenya.
ProfitShare Partners, a South African fintech providing SME performance management solutions has raised $5.87 million.
Lupiya, a Zambian microfinance startup raised $1 million.
Nigerian e-commerce startup Pricepally secures funding from GreenTec Capital Partners.
INSIGHTS
Summer update: Tech and the new normal
-Benedict Evans
The Family, Moving On…line!
-Alice Zagury
‘Titans of Tech’ report — a deep dive analysis into the players in Europe’s tech ecosystem on the path to colossal valuations.
-GP Bullhound
‘You can’t choose to walk away’: Black women detail their experiences with racism in the workplace.
-Emma Hinchliffe /Fortune
Racial Equity Investing: The Time Is Now
-Cambridge Associates
FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
Google for Startups Immersion: Black Founders. a 12-week, skill-building mentorship program for ten high potential Black-founded startups selected from Europe. Apply by August 2, 2020.
The UNICEF Innovation Fund is looking to make up to $100k equity-free investments in early-stage blockchain startups that have the potential to benefit humanity. Apply by July 26, 2020.
Data.org has launched a $10 million Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge. They are looking for breakthrough ideas that harness the power of data science to help people and communities thrive, July 17, 2020.
Lingerie startup ThirdLove, launched an entrepreneurship program for women of color founders. Apply by July 31, 2020.
Voting is open for the Most Influential Woman in UK Technology 2020. Vote by August 21, 2020.
Virgil Abloh Launches a $1 Million Scholarship Fund for Black American Creatives.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Black Entrepreneurs Matter (BEM) Demo Day Series, July 13, 2020.
My First Minute Talk: Pam Kostka (CEO of All Raise) in conversation with Julia Collins (Co-founder and CEO of Planet FWD, Co-founder of Zume Pizza), July 14, 2020.
BYP X Goldman Sachs- Leadership in a Time of Crisis, July 16, 2020.
Africa CEO Forum: Covid-19: Banks in the eye of the storm, July 16, 2020.
Women in Games and Niantic present Office Hours: How to Succeed at Remote Game Development, July 16, 2020.
On Our Radar
DoNotPay unsubscribes you from spam—and tries to get you paid.
Walmart plans to launch Walmart+, a $98-per-year service that includes free same-day shipping and other perks.
PEOPLE
Elisabeth Moreno, a tech businesswoman, was appointed Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities. She is the only Black cabinet member in the French government.
Lorine Pendleton, Karen Karr, Noramay Cadena, Daphne Dufresne, Juliana Garaizar are leading Rising America Fund, the first venture capital fund led by women of color partners.
Chelsea Clinton is in the early stages of creating her own venture capital firm, is Metrodora Ventures.
Journalist Joy Reid will replace Chris Matthews on MSNBC, who resigned after being accused of sexist behavior.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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