Author: Elan
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a three-part series on the state of venture investment to Black-founded startups in 2026. Driving these reports is data from Crunchbase’s Diversity Spotlight feature, which offers insight into diversity in startups’ and investment firms’ leadership teams. Read Part 1, exploring the data on funding to Black founders, here. Part 3 will be published next week. Only around $942 million — or just 0.32% of total U.S. venture funding — went to startups with a Black founder or co-founder last year, per Crunchbase data. That’s one of the lowest shares in years, and…
SpaceX’s first week as a public company is starting to look less like a conventional stock-market debut and more like a high-leverage crypto asset.Shares of Elon Musk-led company, trading under the ticker SPCX, extended their post-IPO rally Tuesday as investors piled into one of the smallest public floats ever attached to a company valued in the trillions of dollars.The stock rose as much as 13% to $210 in early market trading, according to Yahoo Finance data.This frenzy has also crossed into digital-asset markets, where SPCX-linked perpetual futures have become one of the busiest contracts across crypto trading platforms.Tiny float turns…
Vozinha, the goalkeeper of Cape Verde’s national football team, has emerged as the player with the most followers on Instagram because of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He gained 6.79 million followers in less than 24 hours following his exploits during his team’s Blue Sharks’ goalless draw in the opening match against European champions Spain. This represents a 21,500 per cent growth, according to data from MyBettingSites.co.uk. The score came as a major upset to the footballing world, with many analysts predicting that the European champions would easily defeat the World Cup debutants. But Cape Verde made it a day…
If you’re still relying on a mess of browser tabs, airline emails, and your own memory to keep a trip together, you’re doing far more work than necessary. There are dozens of travel apps, and most of them will disappoint you by day two. I’ve installed and deleted more than I can count. Fortunately, after years of traveling, I’ve cut the apps that overpromise and rely on the ones that actually hold up across trips—much like the gadgets I pack before every trip. The software on my phone deserves the same treatment, because gadgets are only half the equation. These…
Zachariah George (left) and Janade du Plessis, managing partners of Launch Africa Ventures** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **Launch Africa Ventures, a pan-African venture capital fund, has made its first cash distribution to its limited partners in Launch Africa Seed Fund I. The firm returned approximately $2.5 million, around 7% of paid-in capital. The distribution follows 11 completed portfolio exits.The 11 exits span seven sectors, six countries and five African regions.By sector:Fintech (5): embedded lending, debt recovery, digital credit infrastructure, remittances and credit intelligenceOne exit each across payments infrastructure, agritech,…
Young South Africans face socioeconomic challenges marked by high unemployment, ineffective education, and rising social tensions, necessitating urgent systemic change to ensure a hopeful future. This Youth Month marks 50 years since the 1976 youth uprising. The state and its social partners will rightfully commemorate that pivotal moment. It remains permanently etched in South Africa’s history – a time when many young people lost their lives, and many more had their futures brutally stripped away by violence and repressive laws. Their lives and memories deserve to be deeply honoured. However, the young people of today are becoming part of what…
– A commercial agricultural enterprise in Kalangalo Sub-county, Mityana District, has been praised for creating employment for more than 100 local residents and improving household incomes in the surrounding communities. The Assistant Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Mityana District, Chrizestom Waswa Buyondo, commended the initiative during a visit to the farm owned by Yassin Byaruhanga in Kyamusisi LC I, Kyamusisi Parish. Buyondo described the farm as a practical demonstration of how commercial agriculture can contribute to poverty reduction and job creation at the grassroots level. “This farm is a clear demonstration that agriculture can be a powerful tool for fighting…
BitMine Immersion Technologies continued to expand its Ether holdings last week, acquiring more of the second-biggest digital asset despite a prolonged market downturn as its large staking operation continues to generate yield.On Monday, the crypto treasury company reported that it acquired 76,881 Ether (ETH) over the past week, potentially reducing its average cost basis as ETH briefly plunged below $1,600 during the period. The company has been steadily acquiring Ether during the bear market, regardless of price action.BitMine now holds 5,620,754 ETH acquired at an average price of $1,718.BitMine is sitting on large unrealized losses on its ETH holdings. Source:…
Carloha Nigeria, recipient of the 2025 Nigerian Automotive Journalists Association (NAJA) Best After Sales Car Company award, today became the first automotive distribution company in Nigeria to extend a comprehensive ownership programme to the electric vehicle category — a move it says addresses the single greatest barrier to electric vehicle adoption in the country: service confidence. The announcement was made at a media parley at the company’s flagship showroom in Ogudu, Lagos, where Carloha simultaneously introduced the Chery Tiggo 9 PHEV — the first plug-in hybrid vehicle in its line-up — and confirmed that its industry-leading CarlohaCare 6-6-7 programme will cover…
We have officially moved past the era of humanoid robots as mere public relations stunts. As they become increasingly lifelike, society may soon face profound social, psychological, and ethical challenges. What happens when the boundary between humans and machines becomes almost impossible to distinguish?For decades, science fiction has cushioned us with the idea that the “android revolution” was a distant fantasy. But the reality is unfolding rapidly. As the line between human and machine blurs, we are forced to confront an impending psychological, economic, and existential shift.I recently felt very disturbed after watching a YouTube video showcasing a humanoid robot…