Although funding to Black tech startups has been on the decline these past few years, many Black-owned tech companies have been making a difference in their communities by helping open doors for people with ideas and interests.
Here are five Black-owned tech startups revolutionizing their respective fields.
- Bandwagon: Founded by entrepreneur and CEO Harold Hughes, Bandwagon is a South Carolina-based tech company that helps address ticket fraud. Funded by investors such as Realist Ventures and Black Star Fund, the startup is an analytics company that helps with ticket re-sells, ensuring that no one buys a fake ticket again. Bandwagon does this by providing teams with data about who attends games and other events as part of their process. Since their start in 2016, $4.1 million has been raised to help fund the company.
- Black Women Talk Tech: Considered to be a resource platform, Black Women Talk Tech connects subscribers with over 150,000 Black women already in the tech field. The platform helps ensure that Black women are supported and encouraged as they enter this billion-dollar business that’s often dominated by white men. Founded by Esosa Ighodaro and Regina Gwynn, Black Women Talk Tech offers a series of programs, including the 8th Annual Roadmap to Billions NYC Conference, to help Black women interested in tech gain capital, network and obtain resources needed to succeed in making their ideas into a reality.
- EnrichHER: Founded by fintech expert Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, EnrichHER is a financial technology lending platform that matches revenue-generating companies created by Black women to help them get the money they need to start their own companies. The company aims to address injustices in the lending process for people interested in creating their own business by creating a safe way for women-led businesses to gain capital at a timely pace in an affordable way. EnrichHER also provides educational resources as well as networking opportunities.
- PlayVS: Led by founder Delane Parnell, PlayVS is now a $400 million e-sports startup company. The company helps support middle and high school e-sports leagues by creating a place for them to compete in. Titles include “League of Legends,” “Splatoon 3” and “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.” Along with providing STEM Skill Growth programs and scholarship opportunities, PlayVS helps students connect to find players, create inclusive teams and compete either on-campus or virtually.
- Calendly: Founded by CEO Tope Awotona, who previously worked for tech firms such as Dell EMC, Calendly offers users an easier way to schedule meetings. The scheduling platform offers both free and paid plans to create one-on-one meetings, scheduling pages, send out meeting polls and use video conferencing tools to make online meetings easier to manage. The software also helps prevent double bookings through an automated appointment scheduler.
