COUPLE LAUNCHES BLACK-OWNED 3D ANIMATION AGENCY TO FILL A MULTI-CULTURAL VOID IN THE CONTENT CREATOR WORLD
Nationwide -- Meet Brian & Darnitra Jackson, a Black husband and wife team with over 20 years of combined experience in graphic design, marketing, photography, and 3D animation. Their company, Unimation Media, promised to shake things up and 6 months later, the receipts are in.
Previously, with even a passing glance, a person would notice these types of media graphics and ended up being disappointed because there was not a diverse choice of multi-cultural assets. Brian, who is the lead 3D animator at the firm, comments, "Things were always going to change when we launched the Scroll Stopping Dance Pack."
He continues, "Where you will likely always see our competitors doing the same old thing, we wanted to make a point to provide various multi-cultural media that will wow audiences and fill the void with no sacrifice in quality. We do this because we believe these realistic 3D animated assets will help various businesses make more money and engage new customers. Diverse assets like these didn't exist until innovation drove progress into gear and our ideas became reality for various businesses and marketers, using these assets in their digital projects. Ultimately we knew it was going to be a tremendous benefit to our customers because it will save them time, money and help them closely represent, connect and engage with their audience."
Unimation Media was established in July 2020. It has been doing business for 6 months and it has always aimed to deliver realistic multi-cultural digital assets in various colors, shapes, and sizes.
Currently, the closest thing to the Scroll Stopping Dance Pack is found scattered at the various royalty-free picture and video sites. However, Unimation Media improved on this by creating an urban content platform with multi-cultural 3D animated marketing assets at a desirable price. This pack comes loaded with 14 diverse characters, over 40 minutes of choreographed dance animations, and more than 150 animations delivered in two video formats, MP4 green screen, and transparent WebM. This alone was enough to make Unimation Media's 3D animated marketing assets more attractive to video marketers, content creators & the average hobbyist.
Unimation Media has clients in the United States and 36 countries around the world. The Scroll Stopping Dance Pack is now available at https://unimationmedia.samcart.com/products/scroll-stopping-dance-pack.
You can also connect with Unimation Media on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
MICROSOFT PARTNERS GET IN ON THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION MOVEMENT
Nationwide -- Out of 64,000 Microsoft Partners in the United States, less than 1% are Black-owned. The Black Channel Partner Alliance (BCPA) exists to convert these numbers and lead the transformation by scaling Black-owned technology businesses. As a wealth-building organization committed to accelerating the growth of Black innovators and Black-owned technology businesses, BCPA will be providing mentorship, coaching, and a community to support, and ensure growth.
Join them for BCPA’s "Rise" Launch Event, a virtual celebration commemorating the official launch of the Black Channel Partner Alliance and their inaugural Tech Acceleration Program on Saturday, February 20, 2021, at 10 am. Learn more about BCPA as an economic and equity empowerment 501(c) nonprofit organization, supported by Microsoft. Hear from their founders, sponsors, and supporters about coaching and mentoring, and learn how YOU can be a part of their growing community!
“I’m excited about sharing with all our community partners, allies, and other founders the details of the fantastic program the Black Channel Partner Alliance has designed to accelerate the growth of Black-owned tech companies in the Microsoft ecosystem,” says Frank Valdivieso, Corporate Vice President, Commercial Partner at Microsoft.
For Black-owned technology businesses, Black tech professionals, and business owners, to supporters and investors of nonprofit organizations that serve Black communities this could mean the difference in simply existing and maintaining to scaling and thriving. Understanding that diversity in the IT industry could profit an additional $400 billion in revenue each year, Microsoft is doing its part to contribute to those gains through the Black Channel Partner Alliance and all of its efforts and programs.
Sponsored byMY SOUL RADIO:
Top 11 Black-Owned Tech Companies to Invest in For 2021
Nationwide — 2021 is the year to start planning for your future and diversify your assets. We have compiled a list of a few of our favorite Black-owned, high growth companies that are gaining traction. Minimum investment amounts for these companies range from $250 – $20,000 so regardless of your income level, you too can be an early stage start-up investor.
1 – Afrinanny (FamTech, Children, Marketplace)
Afrinanny.com is an online marketplace where families of Black children can locate childcare providers with culturally relevant experience. By 2022, the global childcare market is estimated to be $520 billion dollars annually. According to the World Health Organization, by 2050, 1 in every 3 births and almost 1 in every 3 children under 18 will be Black. This is indicative of the growing need for culturally relevant childcare providers. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Dr. Irene Obika and Mr. Regan Anusionwu were frustrated with the poor online experience to locate sitters and nannies that easily understood the unique needs of their children. The current online childcare marketplaces do not prioritize the highly specialized needs for Black children. Afrinanny.com is the solution. Both parent and caregiver have to undergo a background check as we have created a “safe virtual village” for our users. Safety and cultural assessment exams created by our mental health experts, provide more insight to the parent on the caregiver’s skill set in taking care of their children. During Summer 2020 soft launch, hundreds of families and caregivers signed up to seek care or find a care job. Afrinanny.com has been featured in Afrotech, Black Parent Magazine, Shoppe Black, and various childcare podcasts. Afrinanny.com is seeking $500,000 from strategic angel investors to scale into multiple markets as well as expand the team with planned launch in first market, Dallas, TX, January 2021. Afrinanny’s vision is to become the world’s largest online marketplace specialized in care for Black children and adults. Any interested investor should email drirene@afrinanny.com.
#2 – Jartogo (B2B2C, Logistics, Sustainability, Social Impact)
Based in Accra, Ghana, Jartogo is a network of zero-waste food vending locations and services, connecting verified food vendors with a fast-growing Ghanaian and West African market demanding affordable, restaurant-quality, convenient, freshly prepared meals. Every food retailer and delivery service today depends on single use-items to fulfill part or all of their service, presumably to keep costs low and to operationalize convenience. The mission of Jartogo is to eliminate 99% of food waste, food loss and single-use packaging. The company partners with independent local food vendors, typically referred to as ‘street vendors’ of ‘street food’ to provide them with safe, clean, sanitized kitchens to prepare and package food to distribute in glass jars to maintain freshness, food quality and safety standards. Without advertising or paid marketing, the Jartogo service launched and exploded to the point where the company has temporarily suspended new sign-ups due to jar shortage, after registering 940 (location-verified) customers in under 90 days. This is a good, but urgent problem to have. The company needs an immediate capital infusion to meet demand. The company is currently raising a $500,000 convertible note round to solidify the market presence by establishing 21 new self-service and automated food vending stations at new locations over the next 4-6 months. The first money in will immediately be used to increase reusable jar inventory from 300 to 10,000 and launch a new marketing campaign to grow users from 1,000 to 10,000 by March 2021. Jartogo currently uses temperature-controlled cases to store and distribute the meals in jars but plans to launch its first vending machines powered by PopCom in Q1-2020 to automate the distribution in order to scale faster. For more information on investing, email CEO Akwasi Asamoah awkasi@getjartogo.com.
#3 – Scizzrs (B2B2C, Beauty, EdTech, Personal Care)
Scizzrs’ vision is to build the world’s largest platform for connecting and empowering untapped communities. Scizzrs brings top-rated, vetted hairstyling services to your most comfortable location – whether that be your home, office, salon, or hotel. Premium on-location grooming and personal care services were traditionally only extended to high-profile clientele, the Scizzrs team aims to provide these services to anyone who needs them, anytime. The company is currently generating revenue and has a high satisfaction rate from a recurring customer base. Scizzrs was Co-founded by Frederick Akpoghene, Nimbe Oviosu, Adebayo Omoyeni. The founders have deep backgrounds in software engineering, technology development, corporate finance, and bringing consumer technology products to market. Scizzrs, Inc. is currently raising a $1 million seed round from strategic angel investors to allow the company to scale its marketing and user acquisition strategy and add new features and functionality to its mobile application. The Scizzrs team recently completed the Nasdaq Milestone Maker’s program. The company has traction from several executed pilots across the New York Metropolis area, Houston and Dallas prior to COVID. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the barber and beauty communities…the classes, seminars, and workshops they previously attended to sharpen their skills are now cancelled or moving virtual. In the wake of these changes, Scizzrs is launching a live streaming service to allow barbers and stylists to generate income from courses and instructional videos through the platform. In 2021, the company plans to expand to other major cities across the U.S. and Africa, increasing its user base to 350,000 users and adding 100 new corporate accounts. To invest, contact Scizzrs at info@scizzrs.com or frederick@scizzrs.com.
#4 – Kiddie Kredit (B2B2C, FinTech, EdTech)
Kiddie Kredit is a mobile chore tracking app that teaches kids about credit. The premise of the app is that the better a child performs their duties at home or in the classroom the better their “Kredit” score. The company has recently partnered with Equifax Foundation and have gained momentum recently after a CNBC’s feature and being hailed as “The Financial Literacy App Teaching Kids about Credit” by Forbes. The company is looking to align with strategic angel investors and/or VCs who consider economic inclusion a real priority and want to make a long-term commitment to changing fundamental financial habits from an early age, particularly around credit. The capital raised will fund new features including a learning track for teens, product recommendation capabilities for child-based financial products, and white labeling capabilities for qualified enterprise clients. For more information on how to invest, email CEO Evan Leaphart at evan@kiddiekredit.com.
#5 – PopCom (B2B, SaaS, Hardware, Data, Retail, woman-owned)
PopCom is an automated retail technology company that has built a software (SaaS) & connected (IoT) platform to revolutionize automated retail. Founded by serial entrepreneur and inventor Dawn Dickson in 2017, PopCom’s technology integrates into vending machines and kiosks to provide deep consumer insights and engagement for retailers. PopCom placed the first machine in a public location in October 2020 – Polaris Mall in Columbus, Ohio and will roll out 20 more machines with retail partners in Q1-2021. PopCom is currently seeking investment to help solidify its strong position in the industry as well as grow its operations, expand its product and engineering teams, reach more customers, and meet the demand for more automated retail machines in the wake of COVID-19. PopCom has recently completed development on a new blockchain-enabled software platform that will enable consumers to securely buy government-regulated products (e.g. cannabis, pharmaceuticals, and alcohol) from vending machines and ensure retailers stay complaint. The company was awarded a design patent in September 2020 for a highly unique and innovative automated retail hardware design called PopShop digital pop-up shop and has a utility patent pending on the software system. PopCom has raised $3.5 million to date, is on track to exceed $850,000 in sales in 2020, and is projected to reach $5 million in sales in 2021. PopCom CEO Dawn Dickson was featured on the cover of Black Enterprise magazine in June 2018, was named as INC Magazine’s top 100 Female Tech Founders in 2019 and became the first female founder to raise over $1M in an equity crowdfunding campaign. Dawn was recently named as OBWS Entrepreneur of the Year, presented by Snapchat. The company is an alumni of Techstars, Canopy Boulder Accelerator, and a graduate of the Nasdaq Milestone Maker program. For more information and to invest now, go to www.StartEngine.com/PopCom. Minimum investment is $250.
#6 – WhoseYourLandlord (B2C, Data Analytics, Real Estate Enterprise Software, Social Impact)
WYL is a mobile platform that’s empowering and informing the rental community through landlord reviews and housing literacy content. These real-time renter insights, coupled with data aggregation tools and predictive analytics software, further serve to help guide owners and operators through the process of increasing their quality of service and improving their NOI. Founded in 2015 by Ofo Ezeugwu, the company is currently raising capital to scale their digital footprint, allowing for them to become the bonafide industry leader in renter insights and feedback. WYL is investing in strategic real estate partnerships, university campaigns, and in data science to fortify an already 97% accuracy rate in being able to tell whether a renter intends to resign their lease (and/or recommend the property). WYL has raised $1.1M in funding from the people, real estate developers, angels, and VCs. WYL currently has $2.4M in their pipeline for projected SaaS revenue in 2021. They have long term established partnerships with Berkadia, Credit Suisse, Walmart, Amex, Allstate, Quickbooks, and more. Their platform currently contains over 22,000 landlords who’ve been reviewed across 300+ US cities. The company won the “Innovators and Disruptors Award,” presented by NBCUniversal and America on Tech and they’ve been named the “MVP of Landlord Review Sites” by Apartment Therapy. To invest, email CEO Ofo Ezeugwu at ofo@wyl.co.
#7 – Femly (B2C, Feminine care, Health & Wellness, woman-owned)
Femly is a hi-tech feminine care company founded by Arion Long in (20XX) after being diagnosed with a cervical tumor linked to additives found in existing major feminine health brands. The self-proclaimed “Chief Estrogen Officer” set out to disrupt the multi-billion-dollar feminine care industry by developing plant-based product alternatives and providing health education for the feminine lifecycle. Arion was named one of the “Top 100 Women in Business” by Entrepreneur magazine in 2019 and recognized as a “Top 10 in Tech” from the Baltimore Business Journal. Femly has received national awards, notable press, and is currently raising a seed round to scale. Interested investors should reach out to info@femlybox.com or reach Arion on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/femlyceo).
#8 – Rebundle (B2C, beauty, hair, woman-owned)
Rebundle is revolutionizing synthetic hair with more comfort and less waste. Rebundle makes braiding hair made from non-toxic, biodegradable plants, free from harmful chemicals and plastic. The company strives to provide every woman with a safe and comfortable hair extension experience that is better for the scalp and better for the environment using plant-based products. Rebundle also facilitates a recycling program for plastic, synthetic hair to eliminate single-use waste. Rebundle is revolutionizing the synthetic hair industry by hand-making braiding hair that is “for us, and by us”, and by maintaining an ethos of telling the truth, keeping products clean, and keeping our planet green. The company will begin accepting preorders in December. For more information on how to invest in Rebundle, email ciara@rebundle.com.
#9 – TheClub (B2C, Mobile Application, Live Streaming, Music, Entertainment)
TheClub is an interactive live-streaming app that enables DJs and other entertainers to seamlessly earn income while streaming online. Founded by Darrel Frater in 2020 as a response to the closures of venues and nightclubs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is seeking funding to add additional functionality to the platform to further enhance streamers ability to be discovered, booked, and paid online. COVID-19 has made live streaming an essential aspect of everyday life across the globe. Projected to grow from a $70B industry today to an $184B industry by 2027, TheClub is strategically positioned to capture significant market share over the next 1-3 years using their innovative revenue-sharing business model to reward content creators. Similar to companies like Twitch, a live streaming platform for gamers that was acquired by Amazon in 2014 for $970M, TheClub is providing a space for DJs and music entertainers to transition their careers online. The company has established relationships with leaders in the music industry such as Shady Records, Mo Thugs, and N.W.A and will be hosting a series of virtual events with these partners starting early 2021. TheClub is a part of the Impact Ventures Accelerator Fall 2020 cohort. If interested in learning about upcoming investment opportunities, contact Darrel Frater at Darrel@InTheClub.app.
#10 – EcoText (B2C, EdTech)
ecoText is like Spotify for college textbooks. The company currently has over 65,000 titles available on its platform from some of the largest open educational resource (OER) producers including OpenStax and others. The search engine allows students and professors to find free materials that they can use for their academics, dramatically reducing the overall cost of the course and democratizing access to resources. Through the company’s technology, ecoText increases collaborative engagement between students to enhance academic insight that otherwise would not be obtained through a traditional textbook. Features including highlighting, note-taking, and shared annotations that allow students to gather insights to better understand the material and increase academic curiosity. Professors also can see insights in their classrooms to better understand how students engage with assigned readings in real-time. ecoText has raised over $660,000 in it’s a pre-seed round with a recent investment by Millworks Fund II located in Manchester NH. If interested in learning more about how to invest, email CEO, Joel Nkounkou at jnkounkou@ecotext.co.
#11 – Freeman Capital (B2C, FinTech, Social Impact)
Designed specifically for Black people, Freeman Capital simplifies comprehensive wealth building through the integrated use of humans and technology. Unlike robos and traditional advisors who focus on just investing, our wealth management tech provides culturally relevant financial visualizations, education and contextual analyses – all real time – plus a “Wealth score” that measures their progress. Supported with monthly guidance from a dedicated Certified Financial Planner, our proprietary “Wealthscore” affirms and informs their financial actions, keeping their goals realistic, attainable, and more importantly, actionable. This will ensure that our customers remain confident and informed, knowing that our firm is right by their side helping them to not only create a solid foundation for today, but also leave a legacy for tomorrow. Freeman’s monthly subscription service is aggressively disrupting Financial Planning with 23% month-over-month organic growth and a 71 Net Promoter Score since COVID. The company has an upcoming pilot with Fortune 10 in Q1-2021. In the past 6 weeks, Freeman has raised $750,000 of its $1.5 Million pre-seed goal with funding coming from companies like Google and Backstage Capital. Freeman will close the wealth gap for millions of Americans. For more information or to begin investing, email investor@freemancapital.com
Entrepreneur Launches New App to Empower Foodies to Support Black-Owned Eateries
Nationwide — Finding and supporting the best black eateries is now a lot easier thanks to entrepreneur Braxston Richmond’s launch of the new app, Black Foodie Finder.
On Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Entrepreneur Launched New App to Empower Foodies to Support Black-Owned Eateries
Braxston Richmond, founder of Black Foodie app
Nationwide — Finding and supporting the best black eateries is now a lot easier thanks to entrepreneur Braxston Richmond’s launch of the new app, Black Foodie Finder.
Touted as the ‘Best Urban Foodie App’, Black Foodie Finder is an app database of Black-owned restaurants, food trucks, and other eateries all across the United States. The app features a list of Black-owned restaurants from over 6,000 locations that offer everything from soul food and barbecue to cultural cuisine, vegan dishes, and more.
Black Foodie Finder is a versatile and easy to use app that allows users to search for restaurants by state. This app also allows users to shop black-owned food products, find chef catering services, and hand-picked events centered/and or supported by the black community. Users can also find and add favorite recipes with images and instructions.
But it’s not just about making it easier for foodies to find black-owned restaurants. Black Foodie Finder gives restaurant owners an extra platform to showcase their business and connect with a wider demographic.
The Black Foodie Finder App is available for free download in the App Store and Google Play. For further information, visit BlackFoodieFounder.com. Follow them on Instagram at @BlackFoodieFinder.
Black IT Professional and Veteran Develops Course That Trains Adults to Succeed in the Ever-Changing Tech Industry
Nationwide — Koach-IT Technology Education is a Black-owned, veteran-owned Information and Communications Technology (ICT) company specializing in advanced IT skill training and educational services for youth and adult workforce development. It is their goal to provide proper training to individuals who have been denied access to the extremely profitable and ever-growing information technology industry.
According to statistics compared with overall private industry, the high-tech sector employed a larger share of white workers (68.5% vs 63.5%), Asian Americans (14% vs 5.8%), and men (64% vs 52%), while a smaller share of African Americans (7.4% vs 14.4%), Hispanics (8% vs 13.9%), and women (36% vs 48% )In the tech sector nationwide, whites are represented at a much higher rate in executive-level roles than African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. Furthermore, by gender, men occupy 80% of executive roles compared with 20% for women. That compares with the overall private sector, where 71% of executive positions are held by men and 29% occupied by women.
Ronald Tate, founder and CEO of Koach-IT, comments, “At our company, diversity is about recognizing that our dimension of differences is actually our greatest strength. We strive for parity and to give everyone the opportunity to achieve their own access to opportunities. Learning and enhancing your skills are vital in this technological era. This helps you to prepare yourself for getting the highest paying jobs in the field of your choice while widening your arsenal of tools that enhance your value as a professional in your company.”
The company’s goals are to:
* To play an integral role in developing and facilitating the flow of information technology workforce from producer to customer.
* Build innovative entrepreneurs that harness and utilize acquired skills and available technology to create business environments and jobs.
* To lead a disruptive campaign of community-centered information technology training programs targeted towards a large population of the unskilled workforce.
* Reduce the skills gap while creating a skilled workforce through IT training and learning.
The global information technology industry is on pace to reach $5.2 trillion in 2020, according to the research consultancy IDC. The United States is the largest tech market in the world, representing 32% of the total, or approximately $1.7 trillion for 2020. Today, companies are seeking expertise across all four areas of IT framework—infrastructure, software development, cybersecurity, and data. In many cases, companies are hoping to find candidates with some degree of work experience, so there is less willingness to take an entry-level generalist and steer them towards a specialization.
Ronald comments, “In today’s new normal, technology skills acquisition and capacity development provides a medium for sustainable re-orientation, economic viability, and life-long social integration. This is a workforce initiative for our people. Years ago, computer skills were a passing fancy, not anymore. Computers don’t care that you don’t know how to use them. Technology doesn’t care that you are afraid of it. We are already behind. The latest technology trends are going to steamroll us without regard to our lives or lifestyles. Our future depends on getting trained, becoming stronger in our computer skills, and prepare for the upcoming jobs or watch others from here and abroad flourish while we wait for the next handouts. Not on my watch…”
For more details about Koach-It
Technology
BLACK ENTREPRENEUR CREATES APP TO HELP FILM POLICE BRUTALITY AND ALERT FAMILY MEMBERS
James A. Samuel, Jr., an Intelligence expert with more than 30 years of experience working for the federal government, has developed a new app to help save Black lives.
Washington, DC -- Meet James A. Samuel, Jr., founder, and CEO of a new app called ANJEL Tech that allows users to immediately began live streaming and transmitting footage to their family members when they are in any type of dangerous situation. The app, developed by a DC-based Black-owned company, appeals to the African American community because of what has been happening across the nation in regards to police brutality. However, the app can also be used to alert loved ones of other personal safety issues such as domestic abuse, elderly abuse, etc.
James has over 30 years of federal experience working for the U.S. Department of Defense. He has worked as an engineer, an F-15 fighter pilot, and an Intelligence Analyst. He says that he came up with the idea to develop the app to help prevent and minimize personal and community security issues that often plague urban communities.
The ANJEL Tech app is cloud-based and geospatially-enabled. James comments, "My team and I ultimately created this app to help Black moms protect and save their kids’ lives, and help more Black children live and grow into adulthood and meet those expected life milestones such as school graduation, marriage, family/ children, career, homeownership, etc."
James says that the app was created in response to the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, and what makes the app so unique is that users can easily live-stream what's happening, immediately notify family members and friends of their location on a map (via text and email), and create a secure record of the incident for future accountability purposes. All of this occurs in real-time via the app.
The ANJEL Tech app can be downloaded now in the iOS App Store, and will soon be available in the Google Play store.
Learn more about the app at www.ANJEL.tech
Technology
TRUSTRADIUS PUBLISHES LANDMARK RESEARCH ON PEOPLE OF COLOR IN TECH
TrustRadius announces the first annual People of Color in Tech Report — a timely and necessary study that addresses the lack of diversity in the tech industry.
Austin, TX (BlackNews.com) -- TrustRadius, the most trusted customer review platform for business technology, celebrates the publication of the first annual People of Color in Tech Report. The report presents crucial new data on representation, leadership, funding, and unconscious bias in the tech industry, and is designed to help create a more equitable future.
1,207 tech professionals participated in the first annual People of Color in Tech survey. 53% identified as people of color. With over 25 brand new statistics, detailed analysis, and exclusive interviews with tech leaders, the People of Color in Tech Report help address the lack of research on marginalized populations in the tech industry.
“This report is deeply personal to me,” says TrustRadius Founder and CEO Vinay Bhagat. “I’m a first-generation immigrant, and a person of color (of Indian descent). I am, however, privileged. I haven’t faced the barriers Black and Latine people experience in the U.S. As a CEO, recent events and this report have caused me to evaluate my own company and make crucial changes. This report clearly demonstrates that tech companies need to do more to drive diversity. It also demonstrates that there is very real prejudice and unconscious bias that people of color face in the workplace.
“As the Founder of a platform trusted by millions of technology professionals, I feel a duty to use our platform for good,” Bhagat continues. “The TrustRadius People of Color in Tech Report is one way we are trying to make a difference. I want to thank all the survey participants, and also the tech leaders and professionals who took the time to share their stories with us. I hope that you find this report thought-provoking. More importantly, I hope it stimulates conversation and change.”
TrustRadius is also committed to making internal changes to prioritize diversity. As a thank-you to survey respondents, TrustRadius made a donation to the nonprofit organization Code2College, and 25% of the TrustRadius team signed up to volunteer. TrustRadius also completed a series of workshops on unconscious bias, led by CEO Vinay Bhagat. The company has committed to ongoing Diversity & Inclusion efforts in 2021 and beyond.
The 2020 People of Color in Tech Report aligns with TrustRadius’ mission to increase transparency, respect, and humanity in the tech industry. This is the most recent installment in TrustRadius’ series of major research projects, which includes the annual Women in Tech Report and the B2B Buying Disconnect.
Read the report here.
About TrustRadius
TrustRadius is the fastest growing, most trusted customer review platform for business technology. Each month, over 1 million B2B technology buyers use in-depth reviews on TrustRadius.com to make informed purchasing decisions. Headquartered in Austin, TX, TrustRadius was founded by successful entrepreneurs and is backed by Mayfield Fund, LiveOak Venture Partners, and Next Coast Ventures.
BLACK IT PROFESSIONAL AND VETERAN DEVELOPS COURSE THAT TRAINS ADULTS TO SUCCEED IN THE EVER-CHANGING TECH INDUSTRY
Nationwide -- Koach-IT Technology Education is a Black-owned, veteran-owned Information and Communications Technology (ICT) company specializing in advanced IT skill training and educational services for youth and adult workforce development. It is their goal to provide proper training to individuals who have been denied access to the extremely profitable and ever-growing information technology industry.
According to statistics compared with overall private industry, the high-tech sector employed a larger share of white workers (68.5% vs 63.5%), Asian Americans (14% vs 5.8%), and men (64% vs 52%), while a smaller share of African Americans (7.4% vs 14.4%), Hispanics (8% vs 13.9%), and women (36% vs 48% )In the tech sector nationwide, whites are represented at a much higher rate in executive-level roles than African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. Furthermore, by gender, men occupy 80% of executive roles compared with 20% for women. That compares with the overall private sector, where 71% of executive positions are held by men and 29% occupied by women.
Ronald Tate, founder and CEO of Koach-IT, comments, "At our company, diversity is about recognizing that our dimension of differences is actually our greatest strength. We strive for parity and to give everyone the opportunity to achieve their own access to opportunities. Learning and enhancing your skills are vital in this technological era. This helps you to prepare yourself for getting the highest paying jobs in the field of your choice while widening your arsenal of tools that enhance your value as a professional in your company."
The company's goals are to:
* To play an integral role in developing and facilitating the flow of information technology workforce from producer to customer.
* Build innovative entrepreneurs that harness and utilize acquired skills and available technology to create business environments and jobs.
* To lead a disruptive campaign of community-centered information technology training programs targeted towards a large population of the unskilled workforce.
* Reduce the skills gap while creating a skilled workforce through IT training and learning.
The global information technology industry is on pace to reach $5.2 trillion in 2020, according to the research consultancy IDC. The United States is the largest tech market in the world, representing 32% of the total, or approximately $1.7 trillion for 2020. Today, companies are seeking expertise across all four areas of IT framework—infrastructure, software development, cybersecurity, and data. In many cases, companies are hoping to find candidates with some degree of work experience, so there is less willingness to take an entry-level generalist and steer them towards a specialization.
Ronald comments, "In today’s new normal, technology skills acquisition and capacity development provides a medium for sustainable re-orientation, economic viability, and life-long social integration. This is a workforce initiative for our people. Years ago, computer skills were a passing fancy, not anymore. Computers don’t care that you don’t know how to use them. Technology doesn’t care that you are afraid of it. We are already behind. The latest technology trends are going to steamroll us without regard to our lives or lifestyles. Our future depends on getting trained, becoming stronger in our computer skills, and prepare for the upcoming jobs or watch others from here and abroad flourish while we wait for the next handouts. Not on my watch..."
For more details about Koach-It, visit KoachIt.com or Ron Tate at ron.tate@koachit.com or @510-501-9401.
VIRTASANT LAUNCHES SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR UNDERREPRESENTED YOUTH
Nationwide (BlackNews.com) -As technology continues to change how the global workforce works, there continues to be severe underrepresentation of Women, Black, Latino, or Indigenous professionals and even less self-identified as LGBTQA+ within the tech industry. In an effort to help bridge the gap between talent, opportunity, and access, Virtasant is announcing its Leaders In Technology scholarship for those who desire to pursue a career in the tech industry. This scholarship will provide new opportunities for underrepresented youth and give them the chance to pursue their dreams and earn the education they deserve to help ensure their future success.
Virtasant CEO, Michel Kearns, recognizes and commits to shifting the narrative of diversity in tech through opening doors for future leaders. “Lack of opportunity is the root cause to so many problems in the world, and this is something that we need to fix. Companies have a responsibility to help the people who are on the losing side of the current status quo.”
“Both in the US and around the world marginalized communities are impacted the most and we have an opportunity to be a leader in supporting the people that are in underrepresented communities. Beyond our commitment to workplace equity, it’s proven that diverse teams are higher-performing teams. The companies that win in the future will be those that make diversity a top priority.”
Students eligible for the Future Leaders in Technology scholarship award must meet the following criteria:
- Be a high school, college, or university student pursuing a degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or other material sciences
- Be a member of an underrepresented race or ethnicity, including:
- Black or African American
- Hispanic or Latinx
- American Indian or Native American
- LGBTQA+
- Women
- Have a current minimum GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Either be attending a four-year accredited institution, 2-year college, vocational school, technical school, or be a high school senior planning to attend one the above
The winners of the Future Leaders in Technology scholarship will be selected twice per year (Spring and Fall semesters), with one award of $2,500 to a college or university student and two awards of $1,000 to high school seniors.
“As a Black woman, I'm happy to be part of a company that centralizes diversity and inclusion and seeks to be a leader in that work. The tech industry will only grow and evolve towards a more innovative future as it opens its doors to diverse talent. This is a step towards that future," said Ashley Simpo, Managing Editor at Virtasant.
To learn more about the Future Leaders in Technology scholarship, please visit Virtasant.com/scholarship/
SMALL BLACK-OWNED BIO-TECH FIRM GEARS UP FOR UPCOMING RACIALLY CHARGED TRIAL AGAINST KAISER PERMANENTE
(BlackNews.com) -- ViQUAL Medical Technology LLC, a small Black-owned biotech firm based in San Diego, is gearing up for its upcoming trial against Kaiser Permanente in a trade secret misappropriation case by taking on new legal representation. This action follows ViQUAL Medical Technology’s favorable ruling late last year granting their attorney’s Motion to Compel against Kaiser Permanente a large healthcare behemoth. The Court recently set this case for trial on November 5, 2021.
ViQUAL Medical was created to be a medical device division of Better Life Technologies Group, Inc., which received intellectual property from Better Life Technologies Group, Inc., and subsequently created its own unique patent-pending and trade secreted technologies. The trade secrets involved, “a technology designed to help monitor patients suffering from diabetes, heart conditions, cancer and a host of other medical diseases in an encrypted manner that complied with HIPPA regulations” which was a completely novel concept in 2012. ViQUAL officials and founders, George McKinney and Keith Mathis assert that their patent-pending technologies also have been integrated into the healthcare application of IOT (Internet of Things). Further, ViQUAL asserts that because of Kaiser’s breach of contract they are deprived of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues.
ViQUAL asserts that its trade secrets were stolen after mutually signing a nondisclosure non-compete contract with Kaiser in 2012 which contains the signature of Jed Weisberg, Kaiser’s then CTO.
Subsequently, ViQUAL shared its trade secrets with C-level officers of Kaiser and had meetings regarding their innovative physician to patient wireless-wearable communication technologies that had applications that have gone global.
Better Life Technologies is now developing a watch that will wirelessly detect COVID-19 and other pathogens in real-time through its gas detection technology. “This technology would be extremely useful now and in the future detecting, pathogens including COVID-19, cancers, and other diseases of the human body non-invasively,” says George McKinney, CEO/Managing General Partner.
ViQUAL Medical has retained Procopio, Cory, Hargraves & Savitch LLP to represent it in the litigation. According to an independent analysis by Lex Machina, Procopio ranks in the top 1% of all law firms for the number of trade secret litigation matters it has handled in California federal courts in the last five years. The trial date is scheduled for November of 2021. Visit BLTG’s website at BetterLifeTechinc.com.
