While there was lots of talk about diversity and inclusion and hiring more people of color in tech companies this year, others put their heads down and got busy creating their own. We took a look at many apps and startups this year that were launched by people from the African diaspora.
Here are some of our favorites from 2016:
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Paystack
Paystack offers a centralized way for African online merchants to accept online payments from a variety of methods. Created by Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, the company recently closed $1.3 million in seed investment.
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Rate My Media
Rate My Media is an app that was developed by University of Southern California associate professor, Dr. Brendesha Tynes. With it, you can rate books, movies, articles, video games, social media sites, TV shows, and more on their platform designed to help improve the state of “equity and inclusion, learning, and general content quality.â€
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Help Bond Me
Helpbond.me lets you crowdfund for bail money and provides other services. Founder and CEO Ben McFarlin refers to Help Bond Me as “the crowdfunding platform for pre-trial detainees.â€
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LOVR
LOVR is a curated digital store for organic, all-natural, beauty and wellness products. Founder and CEO Jessica Pritchett says she launched the platform as a way to help people detox their beauty regimens. “Most women put over 500 synthetic chemicals on their skin, nails, and hair every day. Studies have shown that these chemicals have led to cancer, reproductive harm, and neurotoxicity.â€
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State Safe Stop
Developed by tech innovator and entrepreneur Dez White, State Safe Stop is an app that assists people when they have police stops. White explains how it works as follows, “Download the app when you register and make a safe list from three people on your phone. As soon as you have police contact, press your safe list. That sends notifications to your safe list that you have been stopped and lets them know your location.”
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