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Tom Nyuma was awarded second place at the 2024 AFROTECH™ AI Hackathon , where innovators gathered to collaborate on impactful solutions for their communities and industries. Nyuma, who started programming in college, created Sickle Sense to “truly make a difference in the lives of those with sickle cell,” he shared in his submission to AFROTECH™. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH™ Conference (@afrotech.conference) As someone living with sickle cell disease, Nyuma initially planned to develop an app to help people find jobs. However, after reflecting on his own experiences, he decided to address a long-standing issue he had been passionate about for years — sickle cell disease management. While researching, Nyuma found a 2023 paper titled Artificial Intelligence in Sickle Cell Disease, which explored how AI could transform the management of sickle cell disease through areas like early crisis detection, personalized treatment, and risk stratification. He said...
Increase Divine-Wisdom has been crowned the grand prize winner of the 2024 AFROTECH™ AI Hackathon. And he went great lengths to secure the “W.” Increase Divine-Wisdom traveled all the way from Nigeria to attend AFROTECH™ Conference, held in Houston, TX, where the winner was named. AFROTECH™ hosted innovators on Day 2 who collaborated on solutions for community impact, leaving with the tools to drive change in their industries and communities. Increase Divine-Wisdom took first place with his user-friendly health management app “designed for people dealing with chronic conditions.” The winner, who himself has chronic inflammatory response syndrome, shared that with the app, individuals are able to track symptoms, mood, and recovery tasks. Increase Divine-Wisdom has expertise in DevOps, CI/CD, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and mobile development. According to his LinkedIn profile, he oversees projects from concept to delivery, utilizing the necessary tools to create...
It’s crucial for Black professionals to not just follow technological advancements but to drive them. Jeff Nelson, co-founder and chief operating officer (COO) of Blavity Inc., embodies this approach. With over 10 years of pioneering work at the company, now reaching millions of users each month, he has contributed significantly to its technology and software development. As the former chief technology officer, he was responsible for development, data analytics, and technical infrastructure, his LinkedIn mentions. In 2022, Nelson stepped into the role of COO, tasked with responsibilities centering data, product, engineering, and audience development, as well as furthering the support for Black professionals through AFROTECH™ and Talent Infusion, which is designed to connect top diverse candidates with employers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Talent Infusion (@talent.infusion) AFROTECH™ AI Hackathon With the upcoming AFROTECH™ Conference set to return on Nov. 13-16,...
‘Tis the season for AFROTECH™ Conference 2024! This year, the highly anticipated annual event for Black techies will be touching down in Houston, TX, from Nov. 13-16. The new stages announced are as follows: Cybersecurity Stage On the Cybersecurity Stage, speakers will discuss topics such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), security, and governance. AI Stage View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH™ Conference (@afrotech.conference) As AI continues to be one of the biggest trending topics in technology, the stage discussions will focus on quantum AI and automation, ethical AI, and regulation across job sectors. Data & Engineering Stage The Data & Engineering Stage is set to provide insight into career development for software engineers, data scientists, product managers, and others. AI Hackathon Speaking of AI, AFROTECH™ is calling on all diverse developers, coders, builders, hackers, and technologists for an upcoming...
A high school student is shattering the glass ceiling! While attending school in Nigeria, Damilola Awofisayo remembers unstable electricity disrupting educational lessons. At the time, Awofisayo and her classmates were not exposed to the solutions that existed in the world of computer science. Nearly four years later, Awofisayo moved to the United States and would attend Thomas Jefferson High School in Virginia. The computer science-driven school encourages all students to take a course in the field before graduating. Awofisayo did not understand the value of computer science initially. With that said, she planned to take the course her senior year of high school but a counselor placed her in the course her freshman year instead and the rest is history! “Within the first three weeks in the class, I fell in love with computer science. It was my tool to create solutions for problems I had seen in my society and with my experience living in Lagos, Nigeria,” Awofisayo said to AfroTech.
Meta is remaining committed to uplifting and supporting Black-owned businesses. In the first-ever Meta Elevate HBCU Hackathon, the company had an event that allowed computer science and engineering students to get hands-on experience working side by side with Meta engineers and employees as they take care of real-world problems faced by Black-owned businesses. “Black-owned small businesses have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic with higher closure rates and lost sales,” said Irene Walker, Meta Elevate Program Director, in an interview with AfroTech. “In an effort to help solve the problems these businesses are facing, we’re excited to kick off the Meta Elevate HBCU Hackathon. We’re excited to partner with HBCUs to provide an opportunity for students to join us in creating solutions to support Black-owned small businesses.”
As students head back to campus, this trio is working to ensure that this school year is filled with success. Black Tech Ventures, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and Zillow have joined forces to hold an inaugural hackathon for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In a seven-day virtual competition, students will develop and pitch game-changing strategies that go hand in hand with Zillow’s mission to help citizens with the homebuying process. “Zillow is proud to sponsor this hackathon because we best serve our customers when we can recruit and retain some of the best talent in the world — the kind of thinkers and doers incubated on the campuses of the country’s historically Black colleges and universities,” said Zillow Chief Technology Officer David Beitel in an official statement shared with AfroTech. “Our goal is to strengthen our recruiting pipeline through engagement with HBCUs and encourage students to consider careers in the tech industry and, of...
Global non-profit Girls in Tech is partnering with McKesson , a healthcare distribution and technology solutions company, for a hackathon. According to PR Newswire , the international event was assembled to design innovative solutions for those impacted by breast cancer. Participants are encouraged to develop a mobile application that addresses systemic challenges that prevent women of color from receiving breast cancer treatment, help breast cancer patients and caregivers find reliable and credible information, and monitor ongoing activities related to breast cancer. “It’s a priority for Girls in Tech to raise awareness for breast cancer by mobilizing our community to develop tech solutions for this disease,” said Adriana Gascoigne, founder and CEO of Girls in Tech. “This tech challenge will do just that, as we encourage the development of tools to promote prevention, monitor treatments, and address health disparities especially for women of color.” Following the hackathon,...
Facebook has announced its first-ever hackathon for aspiring or experienced developers. The 2020 Hackathon features three tech tracks in the following areas: Artificial intelligence (AI) for developers who are interested in building AI solutions to promote positive social impact Messaging aimed at solutions that will improve and empower business conversations Augmented reality (AR) that will contribute to users’ interactive experience of the real-world environment The Hackathon is open to all stages of developers, even experts who want to apply their existing skills to a new area. There are also cash prizes associated with each tech track for a total of $21,000. First-place winners will also receive tickets to attend F8, Facebook’s Developer Conference, held on May 8, along with hotel and airfare. The best part of Facebook’s 2020 Hackathon is — it’s free! Contestants must submit a two-minute video highlighting their application in a step-by-step fashion and post it to a digital...
After developing an app to solve a real-world problem in 36-hours, four Hampton University students won first place in the Tech Challenge and third place overall at the Black Enterprise Smart Hackathon. Ernest “Xavier” Horton, Coleman Scott IV, Tauren Bass, and Jeffrey Grant, were the computer science students who participated in the hackathon at the TechConneXt—an annual tech summit in Silicon Valley — competing against 15 other HBCU teams to create a unique app designed to address real business needs. “The hackathon itself was exhausting, but we learned a lot of new technologies that we had not used before,” said Horton, college junior and two-time Google intern, in a news release . “We were able to utilize our skills and knowledge acquired at Hampton in different ways to meet the challenges that were presented to us.” The final product was judged on viability, user-friendliness, and platform effectiveness. Each team member was awarded 25,000 American Airlines miles for travel, a...
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how we create, problem-solve, and engage with technology. But success with AI doesn’t happen by accident — it happens by design. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can be powerful creative partners, but only if you know how to guide them. The key lies in crafting prompts that provide direction, clarity, and context. Whether you’re drafting marketing copy, generating ideas, or solving complex problems, understanding how to talk to AI is essential. Let’s explore the strategies that can turn your prompts into powerful tools for smarter, sharper results. Understanding The Art Of AI Prompting AI thrives on clarity and specificity. Great prompts act like roadmaps — clear directions lead to clear destinations. Yet, crafting those directions requires more than guesswork; it demands strategy. Blavity COO Jeff Nelson developed a six-part engineering framework that turns vague requests into actionable responses. Persona: Anchor the AI’s...
If the workforce were a playlist, 2025 would give “Renaissance” by Beyoncé — a vibe shift, a reset, and a clear signal that the world of work is hitting some new high notes. The game is changing, and whether it’s artificial intelligence (AI) running point, the return of curated travel experiences, or frontline roles making a comeback, one thing is clear: opportunities are out here, but they won’t fall into your lap. For Black professionals, the stakes are high. Job competition is fierce, with 2.5 applicants per role compared to 1.5 in 2022. Confidence is shaky, and hiring managers ghost candidates like they forgot the assignment. However, according to LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise 2025 report , nearly 60% of these roles are fresh on the scene, signaling change and opportunity. “Fields like AI, experiential industries, and frontline jobs are booming, offering fresh opportunities to break into spaces where we’ve historically been underrepresented,” says Andrew McCaskill. AI: The...
Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta —the company that owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, which collectively have a combined daily active user base of 3.3 billion—will be implementing sweeping changes to content moderation. The announcement was made via a Reel on Zuckerberg’s Instagram . Anyone on the internet knows that, over the last five years, content has often taken precedence over real connection. Considering the incoming presidential administration and the immense influence platforms like Facebook and Instagram have on what content is seen or suppressed, it’s unsurprising that Meta is overhauling its approach ahead of this political transition. This is especially relevant given the strained relationship Donald Trump has had with social media companies like Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) over the years. Content moderation has become a highly polarizing issue in the United States, especially due to the political nature of our cultural spaces and the increasing...
As new technologies emerge and transform industries, it becomes crucial for businesses to understand how to successfully introduce these innovations into their workforce. The process of adopting new technologies is not instantaneous, and employees often move through several stages before fully embracing a new tool or system. Understanding these stages can help organizations manage the transition and maximize the effectiveness of new technology. Understanding the Adoption Curve The adoption of new technologies within the workforce follows a predictable curve that reflects how individuals and groups respond to change. This curve is generally divided into several key stages, each representing a different level of acceptance and integration. These stages, based on the Diffusion of Innovations theory developed by Everett Rogers, help businesses understand the challenges and opportunities at each point of the adoption process. Understanding Early Adopter Categories When introducing new...
Former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe continues to champion the future of STEM. In 2020, Bowe founded LINGO, a company that offers kits allowing individuals of all ages to engage with projects that promote problem-solving and coding. The goal is to increase exposure to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pathways. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lingo (@stemlingoco) What’s more, LINGO has been well received in the education sector and among Fortune 500 companies, its LinkedIn notes. It is also faring well among investors, raising $2.3 million in a November 2024 round led by Pinnacle Private Ventures, according to a news release. 1863 Ventures, Sequoia Capital via the Scout program, and Dr. Joy Johnson also participated in the round. “This funding round highlights LINGO’s potential to reshape the future of STEM education,” Sean McCurry , founder of family office-owned private investment firm Pinnacle Private Ventures, said in the news release. “We...