Exploring the Rise of Black-Owned Tech Startups: Innovations and Challenges in Tech

In recent years, Black-owned tech startups have risen in numbers. The pandemic forced many individuals to pivot their careers due to layoffs, transitioning to remote work and seeking smarter, more fulfilling opportunities with better pay.

If you're hesitant about pursuing something new, let the success stories of these six Black-owned tech startups inspire you to take the leap and embark on your entrepreneurial journey.

Tope Awotona, the visionary behind Calendly, established the company in 2013 and serves as its CEO.

Calendly is a software company that has revolutionized scheduling for businesses, offering features like multi-meeting scheduling, calendar integration, customizable booking pages, administrative tools, and more.

Tope's ambition to create a seamless scheduling platform led him to invest his entire life savings to fuel his dream. Today, Calendly is worth $3 billion. Through discipline and staying the course, Tope turned his aspirations into achievements.

Reham Fagiri WG12 and Kalam Dennis founded AptDeco in 2014 to simplify furniture resale in New York City. Acting as a middleman, AptDeco handles the hassle of selling and moving furniture.

Their motivation stems from their personal struggles selling furniture in New York City as women, leading to the creation of a safe and efficient selling platform. AptDeco assesses furniture value and arranges pickup and delivery for a percentage fee.

As the founding partner of DiverseCity Ventures, Mariah Lichtenstern champions impactful entrepreneurship, bridging technology, entertainment, and venture capitalism.

Established in 1990 in California, DiverseCity Ventures primarily invests in early-stage companies with a focus on diverse sectors within technology, including medical, education, and social justice. The company provides opportunities and access to Black entrepreneurs who hope to make their goals a reality.

Rodney Williams is the former CEO and founder of LISNR. The start-up was founded in 2012.

“LISNR provides contactless transactions, offline data access for payments and financial service providers, merchants, cell phone companies, and more.”

Overall, LISNER helps business owners to better run their companies without the extra steps, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their business.

Ruben Harris is the founder of Career Karma, which was founded in 2018. The goal of Career Karma is to help individuals who want to transition into tech. The app provides a guide to mentor you through the process of figuring out what transferable skills you have.

It also provides a community of several people already in the tech industry who can offer insight on the how-to’s, instill confidence while going through a career change, and more. Career Karma’s mission statement is “to connect the world’s talent to their next opportunity."

Helen Adeosun founded CareAcademy.co, Inc. in 2012, with a focus on empowering adults in the caregiving field.

The academy aims to provide resources for caregivers to invest in their own professional development, fostering career advancement opportunities.

This mutually beneficial approach enhances caregiver satisfaction while also improving the quality of care provided by Home Care and Home Health agencies, leading to increased client satisfaction.