The Latecomer’s Guide to Crypto; Metaverse Fashion Week; Pharell's Black Ambition Prize.
A weekly newsletter for Black and Brown women (and our allies) highlighting entrepreneurship and venture capital in the tech ecosystem.
Welcome to Issue #85 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 Latecomer’s Guide to Crypto
-Kevin Roose / New York Times
Can Sisterhood, Investing, and Race Co-Exist?
-Gayle Jennings O'Byrne
Startup founders’ ownership levels on the VC track
-Lukas Malmberg / Medium
African Tech: How Regulation Can Shape The Future
-Tech Cabal and Future Africa
False Positives of Pedigrees and “Pattern Recognition”
-Rick Zullo / Equal Ventures
Roadmap: Curating the internet
-Alexandra Sukin / Bessemer Venture Partners
OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING & COMPETITIONS
Transit Tech Lab offers growth-stage companies the opportunity to pilot solutions with public transit systems in metro NYC, including the MTA, NJ Transit, NYC DOT, and the Port Authority of NY & NJ. Proposals for investment due March 28, 2022.
Outliers wanted: Apply to Arc, a new catalyst for seed-stage companies. Over 8 weeks, you’ll learn Sequoia’s time-tested Company Design principles and meet best-in-class founders, operators, and experts. Build for the next decade, not the next quarter. 15 companies. 8 weeks. $1M up-front investment. First cohort is in Europe, with a curriculum tailored for the region. Apply by April 8, 2022.
Scholly is excited to launch the Women of Color In Tech $10,000 Scholarship, sponsored by Google! This scholarship invites high school seniors and undergraduate women who are Black, Latina, and/or Native and are currently pursuing or have completed a computing related degree to apply now!
NASA Minority Serving Institution Entrepreneurs Challenge. Find novel solutions and technologies with the potential to advance NASA’s science mission goals, with challenge winners (3-5 companies) participating in a ten week accelerator program focusing on technology roadmap development, investment readiness, leadership, and the specifics of doing business in the aerospace industry. Applications close April 6, 2022.
Techstars Anywhere Americas Accelerator. This program follows Techstars proven approach with one critical difference: It's mostly virtual, enabling companies to work from anywhere. Please note that this program is currently focused on companies in North American timezones. Final Deadline is April 6, 2022.
Black Ambition Prize seeks to fund bold ideas and reduce barriers to capital for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. The prize is a tiered opportunity for early-stage Black and Latinx founders to compete for more than $2,000,000 and learn with a network of talented founders and cross-sector business leaders. Apply by May 8, 2022.
Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is now accepting founders everywhere, no funding required. The platform provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges (Azure credits, dev tools, mentorship resources, and more). Apply now.
UPCOMING (VIRTUAL) EVENTS
Sustainable Investing: Maximise your Impact by Angel Academe. Three investment experts talk about approaches to sustainable investing and the impact of current macroeconomic trends. March 28, 2022.
Y Combinator Winter 2022 Demo Day. Y Combinator’s latest batch of startups present to an invite-only audience of approximately 1,500 investors and media. March 29, 2022.
Pitch Competition Roadshow: Miami Pull Up & Pitch with Shelly "Omi" Bell by The Black Girl Ventures Foundation, March 30, 2022.
Female Founders Startup Showcase– Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of NY/The Marathon Fund (virtual), March 30, 2022.
Google for Startups networking event for Black Founders in Paris and London. The evening will include interviews with recipients of the 2021 Black Founders Fund in Europe which saw 30 Black-led startups raise $63M+ in follow-on funding in 6 months off the back of $2M funding and support they received from Google. Register for Paris Event at Station F on April 4, 2022. Register for Berlin Event at betterplace Umspannwerk GmbH on April 6, 2022.
Please join MCJ Collective and Climate Changemakers for a free inaugural MCJ Action event featuring Adam McKay — writer, director, and producer of Don’t Look Up. April 6, 2022.
Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) Power Day includes pitches of pilot projects by LACI startups. The event is by invite-only for an audience of investors and those working in corp dev/procurement/tech scouting in cleantech. Email for invite, April 7, 2022.
Paris Blockchain Week Summit, April 13-14, 2022.
ON OUR RADAR
SEC Proposes Rules to Enhance and Standardise Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.
Ketanji Brown Jackson's Hearing Felt Familiar to Black Women.
Microplastics found in human blood for first time.
PEOPLE / ANNOUNCEMENTS
Katie Haun launched HaunVentures with $1.5 billion across two funds to invest in web3.
Instacart cut its valuation from $40 billion to $24 billion.
Maria Velissaris, founding GP of SteelSky Ventures, announced the close of its $72 million first fund focused on investing in women's healthcare.
Alicin Reidy Williamson joins Yahoo as the media and tech company’s chief diversity and culture officer, leaving Endeavor after more than two years.
Steve Pamon Named President of Verzuz Livestream Platform.
Blaise Matuidi, a French soccer star, just launched Origins, his own VC fund.
Climate X, a London-based climate risk analytics provider, has raised €5M in seed funding.
New Equity Fund, a $50M fund and a project of Greater MSP’s Forge North coalition, is the nation’s first known venture capital “fund of funds” focused on race, place and gender.
A heartfelt thank you for reading and see you next week!
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