|
🗞️Diversity and inclusion news🗞️
|
|
|
🤨Normal? 🤨
We've covered product inclusion issues for years so whilst this isn't a tech story per se, we are letting y'all know that Unilever has finally announced they are removing the word "Normal" from their beauty products🙌🏾
When we first heard this story, our first thought was "It's 2021, was that still happening🤨". Well, we suppose better late than never.😒
We asked Google last year what they were doing on product inclusion, so check out this video from Black Tech Fest to hear what they said
|
|
😲Ministers of Inequality?💁🏿♀️
Three Senior UK government advisors have resigned amid claims its equalities ministers Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch are “ignorant” to key issues branding them as “ministers for inequality.”😲
It was hardly a surprise that folks from the LGBT+ community chucked in the role given the glacial pace the government have moved on issues such as Conversion Therapy😒.
Both ministers have hardly endeared themselves to swathes of folks across the political spectrum and their own party on this issue with a Cross-party letter circulating😏
The evening standard covers the story here
|
|
|
|
🧠Things that make you go hmmm🧠
|
|
|
|
📲How big is big enough📲
Last week we featured Square, and this time around its Stripe's turn which hit the news with a $95bn valuation🤯
Yep, it's the most valuable private help startup right now. This is more than Uber and Facebook were valued at the time they went public👀
They're now bigger than the previous largest US based VC backed startup, Elon Musk's SpaceX, and is now only behind the Chinese companies ByteDance (TikTok Owners), and potentially the Ant Group Owners of Alipay (Spinout of Alibaba), which had to delay listing last year💰
To give a sense of perspective around it, that is
The question is, when will it stop?🤣
After all, from what we know, they're pretty cash flow positive (Being private much information isn't public) but they are said to be bigger than European rivals Adyen and Checkout.com. They acquired 200k customers during the Pandemic and count, Salesforce, Zoom, Instagram, Deliveroo, Shopify, and Uber as customers👀
So what?: Will there be much left for the public markets? Possibly so, Payments are a big market, but the longer it goes on private, the harder it is for retail investors, pension funds, and the like to also get big holdings to benefit from the growth of companies like Stripe. Right now, it's growth for the few not the many.
|
|
|
🤖Do you know what's in with the kids?🤖
|
|
|
🎨NFT ART🎨
So the gold rush is on and the next thing that looks to be ballooning is the headlines (and sales figure) attached to the sales of NFT ( Non-Fugiible Tokens), If you don't know what they are, well basically are a Unique digital file stored on a blockchain (a digital ledger)🤔
What makes them interesting is unlike cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and NFTs are not mutually interchangeable, i.e. not fungible👀
Given the scarcity effect, they're becoming more popular with the most popular piece of NFT art by an Artist called Beeple selling for $69m🎨
What does this mean, well the trend is unlikely to go away. After blockchain is becoming more popular and awareness and value of other assets based on it are increasing ( Bitcoin hit $60k this week)📈
What's next, well Beeple gives us an idea, Non-Fungible Elons😅
So what?: It might be worth stocking up on some random NFT's as who knows how much they'll be worth in the future. The modern antique roadshow hey😅
|
|
📈We're almost losing count 📈
Of how many Black Unicorns there are after Flutterwave joined the crowd!🤣
Yep, the Nigerian payments company that we featured in one of our first editions (don't say we didn't warn you) has now raised $170 million at a valuation north of $1bn🤑
Let's say well done to the team for;
- 👨🏽💻Acquiring 290,000+ customers
- 🌇Internationally expanded to 11 African countries
- 📈With A CAGR revenue rate of 226% from 2018.
🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
So what?: Let's make sure we say their names!
|
|
|
|
📈 The tools behind the tech📉
📦Product📦
📏Design📏
👩🏿💻Code👩🏿💻
🏢The business behind the tech🏢
|
|
|
|
🌐Events and opportunities 🌐
|
|
|
💻 Want to pitch 💻
@FounderTribes is excited to announce our #TribalPitches series. An amazing opportunity for UK-based underrepresented founders seeking seed funding to pitch directly to investors. Finalists will be selected by Andy Davis of @10x10.
Register here
|
|
|
👩🏽🏫Black business incubator🙋🏽♂️
Somerset House in London is putting together a Black Business Incubator is part of Somerset its Anti-Racism Pledge.
Criteria is that you
- Identify as Black or Mixed-race, and are based in the UK Have launched a product or services business within the UK that is less than 3 years old
- Operate within the creative sector: this includes fashion, film, media, design, photography, gaming, marketing and advertising
- Are motivated to gain skills and knowledge to help you grow a profitable and sustainable business
- Are passionate about building your network and engaging in a 6-month mentor relationship
- Are of any age
|
|
|
💻 Google my business 💻
Don't forget to update your business details online so people can find you. Google are helping folks do it so check it out here
|
|
💻 Up to $220k Equity free from Google 💻
Google's Black Founders fund, has arrived in Europe and they have committed to providing a pot of over $2m to Black Founders.
They're giving away up to $100,000 in non-dilutive cash awards to selected European startups paired with up to $220,000 per startup in Google Ads and Cloud credits.
Check out how to apply here It's the LAST WEEK Link here
|
|
|
|
🙌🏾The latest from the Colorintech team🙌🏾
|
|
|
|
😃Fill in our Survey😃
You could win an oculus
+ the data will really help drive greater inclusion as we hold people to task on the data points!
Survey.colorintech.org |
|
|
😎And that's the bottom line😎
👊🏾Let us know what you think if you have any feedback on the newsletter here👊🏾
📩If you think someone else would enjoy it, they can sign up here📩, you can forward it or you can share
  
🤗In these challenging times, we hope you and your loved ones stay safe.🤗
❤️Love, peace and happiness from the Colorintech Team!❤️
17/03/21
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
