Lately, significant venture funds and brands have made public statements signaling their support of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
This is a huge step forward, though it’s essential that our entire ecosystem of academics, researchers, technologists, professionals, executives, big tech CEO’s, founders, funds, philanthropists, and government back up their performative rhetoric with financial resources into the black tech, startup, and venture ecosystem to ensure scalable and sustainable racial equity.
Not diversity. Not inclusion. We’re striving for Equity. Racial equity.
Today, OHUB, ThePlug, Living Cities & Impact Networkare convening a Juneteenth 4.0 Celebration , 1 PM – 4 PM EDT. The online experience is a salute to Black America’s triumph over chattel slavery and a critical call to action.
The event is hosting 20+ thought-leaders like Techstars Cofounder Brad Feld, who will commemorate our huge announcements as detailed in the fact sheet here.
We invite you to attend our Juneteenth celebration and sincerely appreciate your consideration in covering our push for racial equity.
You can register to join us on Eventbrite here.
Event Key Takeaways + Announcements:
1. Techstars Co-Founder Brad Fled and Opportunity Hub’s Rodney Sampson are joining forces to create Equity. District, a racial equity-based ecosystem building initiative designed to create sustained diversity, equity & inclusion throughout startup communities everywhere. Brad is also joining the board of OHUB, making a starting six-figure donation to the OHUB Foundation and has committed to funding at least two more Black lead ecosystem building organizations recommended by OHUB.
2. Brad and Rodney are asking the leaders of organizations throughout the ecosystem that are serious about learning and creating racial equity to sign their new #racialequityecosystempledge
3. Leif, the ISA Management Platform, is joining forces with OHUB’s Future School to launch the first racial equity-focused Income Share Agreement (“ISA”) financing vehicle. OHUB and a group of allies, investors, policymakers, philanthropists, and ecosystem builders will announce over $50 million in starting #racialequity pledges across its early exposure, skills, jobs, startups, and capital work.
4. Tim Draper’s LA-based blockchain venture studio, Draper Goren Holm, is creating the “Blacks On The Blockchain” Initiative with OHUB and allocating $1 million in Bitcoin and 10,000 free passes to its LA Blockchain Summit for members of the Black community to acquire their first digital currency and attend a top industry conference where they will learn from and interact with the industry’s top leaders.
5. OHUB is partnering with The Impact Network to repackage and syndicate its 7-year library of exclusive fireside chats & panels, large scale events and OHUB365 classes and webinars that feature leading subject matter experts in edge technology, skills of the future, in-demand career pathways, startup entrepreneurship, investment and wealth creation. Broadcasting in over 88 million homes,
Impact endeavors to be the foremost innovative, inspirational network both locally and abroad.
6. OHUB and Sherrell Dorsey’s The Plug are also joining forces to amplify discounted versions of their respective subscriptions and memberships to the Black community, allies, and beyond.
7. OHUB is partnering with HBCU Startups and Parkway Media Group to launch the #billiondollarwealthchallenge, a new ecosystem building initiative designed to create a community of 1 million Black people committed to generating billions in new income, shared prosperity and new multi-generational wealth by intentionally entering the technology, startup & venture ecosystem workforce, startup, and the investment community at all upwardly mobile levels and roles.
