Sequoia Blodgett
- Digital Product Manager, M13 Company
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Articles by Sequoia Blodgett
Misdiagnosis Kills 250,000 Americans a Year. This Nurse Is Building The App To Fix That.
Rachell Dumas woke up blind. Six months after finally delivering a healthy baby - the miracle at the end of nine pregnancy losses, five surgeries, and years of being dismissed by doctors - the registered nurse opened her eyes to darkness and stroke symptoms. She did what any medical professional would do: she went to the emergency room. The ER doctor refused to order a CT scan. He told her she had a stomach bug and sent her home with a recommendation for Pepto-Bismol. For acute vision loss.
We charged $100/month for an AI that was really just two guys surviving on pizza. We scaled Fireflies to a $1B valuation after 6 failures from our original crypto food delivery idea. Nothing… | Sam Udotong | 187 comments
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4 Genius Gems To Boost That Credit Score
4 Genius Gems To Boost That Credit Score Originally Published April 21, 2018 Credit is nothing to play with. It can work in your favor or completely work against you. BLACK ENTERPRISE caught up with founder Christia’n Annice of eMillions+, a credit repair agency, who gave us four tips on how to increase your credit score. Pay your bills on time Delinquent payments and collections can have a major negative impact on a credit score.
5 Tips To Refresh Your Entrepreneurial Brand
5 Tips To Refresh Your Entrepreneurial Brand From Dr. Stacia Pierce There is tons of talk about branding these days. Your brand is massively important as an entrepreneur, but how do you discover what that is? Originally Published May 19, 2018 There is tons of talk about “branding” these days, making it the new trendy buzzword in the entrepreneurial space.
Are You Electronically Filing In The Best Way Possible And Clocking Those Deductions?
Are You Electronically Filing In The Best Way Possible And Clocking Those Deductions? Here how to file your taxes electronically and a list of deductions that you should take advantage of. Originally Published Apr. 15, 2019. Home Office Tax Deduction The eligibility rules for claiming a home office vary, but remote workers and self-employed filers make sure you claim this break.
How Do You Know If You Are Effective On Social Media?
How Do You Know If You Are Effective On Social Media? What does your entire social media presence represent? Originally Published Aug. 6, 2018. Social media is a powerful and almost necessary tool for marketing a business. How do you know when you are operating your social media the right way? When thinking about your online profile professionally, think about it holistically. What does your entire social media presence represent, and is the picture you paint effective?
Convince High Profile People To Mentor You
Convince High Profile People To Mentor You Paula Brunson has some key advice on how to land high-profile individuals as mentors. Originally Published Jan. 28, 2018. Paul Brunson is an entrepreneur who has been co-signed by Oprah, mentored by Ed Neff, and so on. He has some key advice on how to land high-profile individuals as mentors. Become Mentee Material It’s time for some self-reflection. He asks, Are you open, flexible, resilient, and respectful?
How to Prepare a Pitch Deck That Gets Funding
How To Prepare A Pitch Deck That Gets Funding Pitching an idea can determine the amount of funding, if any, your company receives. Here are 7 key components to include in a pitch deck. Originally Published Nov. 27, 2016 In startup land, pitching is all the rage! Last fall, I co-starred on a show on ABC Family (now Freeform) called Startup U, and the one topic that got us a massive spike in viewership was fundraising. Everyone wants to know the secrets.
Does Your Company Stand Out From The Competition?
Does Your Company Stand Out From The Competition? When starting a company, figure out how to differentiate yourself from the competition. There are no original ideas. Rather, how you "dress it up" is what makes your idea original. Originally Published Dec. 3, 2016 OK, so I bought this dress at H&M, and they had a million of them. So, what makes me different than the next woman who buys it, and puts it on?
Celebrity Storyteller Masterclass: Uncover Your Voice & Stand Out
Are you a professional who wants to leave a legacy that truly represents you and inspires others? Then this workshop is for you! Saturday, May 6 · 10am - 3pm PDT Refund Policy Refunds up to 7 days before event Eventbrite's fee is nonrefundable. About this event 5 hours Mobile eTicket *Limited Access to 10 Spots Only! Don't miss out on the chance to join this exclusive workshop where you'll learn the art of storytelling from commercial, music video director, and journalist, Sequoia Blodgett.
One 22-Year-Old's Journey From Special Needs to Acclaimed 'Genius'
Young, brilliant, and talented, Amanda Gorman is taking the world by storm. The 22-year-old poet, writer, and activist was born with special needs, but Gorman didn’t let that stop her from setting massive goals and obtaining them. She is already a published author with a book entitled, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, inspired by her favorite line from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and was Los Angeles’ first ever Youth Poet Laureate.
One 22-Year-Old's Journey From Special Needs to Acclaimed 'Genius'
Young, brilliant, and talented, Amanda Gorman is taking the world by storm. The 22-year-old poet, writer, and activist was born with special needs, but Gorman didn’t let that stop her from setting massive goals and obtaining them. She is already a published author with a book entitled, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, inspired by her favorite line from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and was Los Angeles’ first-ever Youth Poet Laureate.
7 Best Venture Capitalists for Black Entrepreneurs
These venture capitalists are not only some of the top investors in the investment community but many of them are committed to spending dollars with black-owned companies. Below are their names and some highlights of companies they’ve invested in. Monique Woodard (Image: 500 Startups) Venture partner at 500 Startups. Highlight investments include Blavity, Roho, and Win-Win. This firm caught fire earlier this year when their founder, Dave McClure was accused of sexual harassment.
Former Kapor Capital Director Launches Founder Gym
The membership model is growing increasingly popular for businesses. You can get a membership for just about anything these days, and now there is one specifically for underrepresented startup founders looking to take their ventures to the next level. Black Enterprise caught up with Mandela SH Dixon, founder and CEO of Founder Gym, who told us about her previous startup, how being at Kapor Capital helped with her current venture, and what she aims to do with Founder Gym. What is your background?
The New Affordable Way to Access Legal Services
Having an attorney is crucial, but who can afford high-priced legal fees? Black Enterprise caught up with James Jones Jr., Esq. and Kristina Jones, the founders of Court Buddy, to understand how everyone can now have access to legal advice through their lawyer on-demand platform. Black Enterprise: Tell me about your and your co-founder’s backgrounds.
Damon Dash Creates the Dash Diabetes Network
Most people know Damon Dash for his partnership with Jay-Z and the creation of Roc-A-Fella Records, or his famed relationship with the late R&B/pop artist Aaliyah Haughton. But what people may not know is that in recent months, Dash has re-emerged on the scene as a tech entrepreneur, founding an ultra-informative platform called the Dash Diabetes Network.
WealthyLife CEO Angel Rich Teaches You Finance Through Gamification
Angel Rich noticed that not everyone had an equal opportunity when it came to financial literacy. Rich set out to change that by creating gamified instructional apps through her WealthyLife brand, aiming to help individuals become financially savvy.
Felicia Horowitz Hosts 'I Am Not Your Negro' Screening
Over the past weekend, Felicia Horowitz gathered up a group of influential artists, activists, philanthropists, students, community leaders, and tech community members to host a screening of the Raoul Peck directed film, I Am Not Your Negro, at the Landmark Theaters Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco.
Interview: Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Smith Makes Money Moves with Adwizar
You may know him from Pretty Ricky, but did you know that Spectacular Blue Smith is also a tech innovator? While folks were boppin’ their heads to “Grind with Me” and “Your Body”, Spec was trying to figure out other ways to secure the bag. Some years later, after discovering that his peers knew nothing about monetizing their social media accounts, which consisted of millions of followers, a light bulb went off and Spec quickly put things into motion.
You Don't Have to Live in Silicon Valley to Succeed in Tech
Rodney Williams is not what some would deem the stereotypical, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and this has actually worked in his favor. He is a young, black male, from Baltimore, Maryland, who initially had dreams of being a rapper or a Division I athlete. Instead, he was bit by the entrepreneurship bug. Williams once told his mother that he wanted to create a piece of technology that would change the world. Today, that is exactly what his ultrasonic protocol, LISNR, is poised to do.
Jesse Williams Just Released the Blackest App Game You've Ever Played
Jesse Williams is known for his social activism in the community and making headlining news for speeches like the one at the 2016 BET Awards during his acceptance of the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Right in line with his brand, Williams just released Blebrity, the blackest trivia app game you’ve ever played. The game has several different categories including Music, Make ‘Em Say Ugghhh, Dance Moves, Soul Train Line, and Actin’ a Fool, I Can’t Take You Nowhere.
Makeup Artist for Angela Simmons, Kenya Moore, and Other Celebs Launches Beauty Subscription Box
Her roster of clients includes Angela Simmons, Kenya Moore, Da Brat, and other celebrities. She is Mimi Johnson—a makeup artist—also known as ‘Mimi J.,’ Johnson recently launched a beauty subscription box, Grind Pretty. The subscription box is an extension of the Grind Pretty brand, an online platform designed to connect aspiring female entrepreneurs and experts in the beauty and lifestyle space.
Son of Suge Knight Aims to Become Multimillion-Dollar Real Estate Agent
Suge Jacob Knight (Image: Instagram) Suge Jacob Knight, the son of Death Row Records co-founder, Marion “Suge” Knight is attempting to make a name for himself in the real estate industry.
Credit Counselor Will Roundtree: How to Get Your Credit In Order
There are so many things that school didn’t teach us, credit being one of them. Ironically, it is one of the single most important lessons that you’ll need in order to survive in the world today. In an interview with Black Enterprise, credit and financial counselor, Will Roundtree, shares why credit is so important; the difference between business and personal credit; and what you need to do in order to get your credit in order. Black Enterprise: Why is credit so important?
Gayle King to be Featured Speaker at Jopwell Conference in NYC
Jopwell, a career advancement platform for black, Latinx and Native American students and professionals, is launching Jopwell Talks, a conference the company is holding in New York City. CBS This Morning anchor, Gayle King, is slated to speak at the event.
This Organization is Focused on Creating a National Black Tech Ecosystem
Black Tech Mecca, an organization based out of Chicago, recently received two grants to help expand their vision of creating a national black tech ecosystem. The first grant awarded was from the Surdna Foundation whose mission is to support social justice reform, healthy environments, inclusive economies, and thriving cultures across the United States.
Black Founder Creates Meditation App for People of Color
Founder, Liberate Meditation (Image: Julio Rivera) Julio Rivera found a deep-seated need to connect to the wellness space. As an Afro-Latino, he found a practice that worked for him at the New York Insight Meditation Center. When that was taken away due to an intensive schedule, he felt extremely isolated which caused a sudden onset of anxiety that he wasn’t sure how to cope with. After a thorough search, he discovered there wasn’t a platform out there that specifically met his needs.
Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker Release Family Fitness App
Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker, Founders of KOFIT (Image: Instagram) Celebrity couple Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker recently released their new fitness app, KoFit, helping folks stay fit with their family, without sacrificing their time. The app features simple practices that take as little as five minutes a day to execute and allows the entire family to get involved. The app teaches exercises and meditations led by the fit couple.
ShearShare Makes It Easier for Freelance Beauty Professionals and Barbers to Pay Taxes
ShearShare, the largest provider of on-demand salon and barbershop space rentals worldwide, announced a new finance tool that helps cosmetologists and barbers automate their taxes. According to a recent press release, ShearShare partnered with industry leaders Track Technologies, Inc. and Elite Beauty Society to remove the costly financial hurdles that beauty professionals often experience when operating as a solopreneur.
Eddie Murphy's Net Worth Would Surge With a Multimillion-Dollar Netflix Deal
Comedy legend Eddie Murphy may be coming to Netflix. According to TMZ, he is reportedly in negotiations with the streaming giant to secure a multimillion-dollar deal that will allow him to create the content of his dreams. Should this pending project come to pass, the 58-year-old comic would bank around $70 million. As of 2019, he is worth a whopping $160 million largely due to his movies, which have grossed nearly $6.7 billion at the worldwide box office, reports CelebrityNetWorth.com.
New Media Ventures Invests $1.5 Million into The Movement for Black Lives and Other Orgs
New Media Ventures (NMV), a seed fund and network of angel investors based in the Bay Area, announced that it is investing $1.5 million into 17 entrepreneurs, activists, and progressive organizations. One of the groups selected from a pool of almost 600 applicants is The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), a coalition of more than 50 organizations fighting for black political and economic power.
Serena Williams, Mark Cuban Invest in Black-Owned Maternal Healthcare Startup
Mahmee, a maternal healthcare startup, recently closed a $3 million round led by Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital. Other investors include Mark Cuban and Serena Williams for Serena Ventures. The platform allows physicians and specialists to use the Mahmee to share care plans and stay on the same page about mom and baby’s care options.
Ava DuVernay, Zendaya Discuss the Importance of Black People Telling Their Stories
Recently, at the Dream in Black invite-only brunch hosted by AT&T during the 25th Annual Essence Festival, Ava DuVernay shared her thoughts on why it’s important for her to create and tell Black stories. “I like to deal with new words, like ‘diversity’ I don’t use anymore, ‘inclusion’ I was on last year, now I’m on ‘belonging.’ We don’t want just a seat at the table, we want to run the tables as well. We also have to keep pushing forward,” said Duvernay.
Shaquille O’Neal Teams Up with Epson to Help Advance Education
NBA Hall of Famer, business leader, and philanthropist Shaquille O’Neal recently announced a new partnership with worldwide technology leader Epson that will empower students with free tech tools. The new initiative, titled “Epson and Shaq Give Back,” will work in collaboration with Communities In Schools (CIS) to provide a suite of technology products, including EcoTank printers, interactive projectors, and scanners, to schools across the country.
$1.5 Million Raised to Help Students Get Into Coding Bootcamps
Co-founders of Career Karma, Artur Meyster, Ruben Harris, and Timur Meyster (Image: Maxwell Hawes IV) Career Karma, an app and community that helps students make important career decisions by matching them to the coding bootcamps that best fit them, just closed a $1.5 million seed round to continue to grow and scale its business.
Jaden Smith Creates Free Vegan Food Truck and Serves Los Angeles Homeless
We all know eating healthy comes at an exponential price but, what happens when you’re homeless and your basic food needs being met aren’t even an option? Jaden Smith wants to change that. He recently rolled out the I Love You Restaurant food truck to make vegan food accessible and free. His first stop, ‘Skid Row’ in downtown Los Angeles.
Making Cannabis Profitable for People of Color
Eddie and Sherra Armstrong (Image: Cannabis Capital Group) Husband-and-wife co-founders Eddie and Sherra Armstrong want to help make medical cannabis profitable for people of color. The couple recently launched Cannabis Capital Group, a consulting firm that assists marijuana-based companies with the education, advocacy, and investment needed to compete in the space.
Rapper Jeezy Partners with Black-Owned Telecom Company
Grammy-nominated rapper, Jeezy, recently announced a new partnership deal with Figgers Communications, a black-owned telecommunications company. The goal of the partnership is to democratize the wireless products market. “There was a point in my life where I wasn’t able to pay the phone bill,” said Jeezy in a press release statement.
Mayvenn Provides Free Hair Extension Installations for Its Customers
Andreessen Horowitz-backed hair industry startup Mayvenn will provide free hair extension installations as part of its new business model. If you purchase three or more bundles of hair pieces—either closures or frontals—Mayvenn emails a pre-paid voucher to use during the appointment. The voucher provides a shampoo, condition, braid down, sew-in, and style—all at no cost to the customer. Mayvenn will also select a stylist in the customer’s area to provide the service.
Black Entrepreneurs Get Help Making Georgia the 'Silicon Valley of the South'
JPMorgan Chase is setting out to make substantial waves in the small business world for women business owners and black entrepreneurs in the state of Georgia by helping Atlanta make strides to catch up with Silicon Valley when it comes to the tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem. According to a recent press release, JPMorgan Chase recently announced its plans to make some major investments to help spike substantial growth within the community.
The Brains Behind the Company, Looker, That Google Acquired for $2.6 Billion
Looker, a business intelligence software and big data analytics platform was recently acquired by Google for $2.6 billion, reports CNBC. The man behind the engineering, product management, and design organization is Looker chief product officer, Nick Caldwell.
The Brains Behind the Company, Looker, that Google Acquired for $2.6B
By Sequoia Blodgett Black Enterprise The man behind the engineering, product management, and design organization is Looker chief product officer, Nick Caldwell June 18, 2019 — Santa Cruz, CA (Photo above: Nick Caldwell, Looker CPO. Source: Looker) Looker, a business intelligence software and big data analytics platform was recently acquired by Google for $2.6 billion, reports CNBC.
Will Smith Invests in App that Helps Teens with Financial Literacy
By Sequoia Blodgett Black Enterprise Will Smith recently became an investor in Step, a mobile-based banking service app for teenagers, through his Dreamers fund. Step allows teens to easily send and receive money from their family and friends, get real-time notifications, and they don’t have to deal with the monthly or overdraft fees and no minimum balance that traditional banking customers incur. The platform’s lead investor is Stripe.
Will Smith Invests in App that Helps Teens with Financial Literacy
Will Smith recently became an investor in Step, a mobile-based banking service app for teenagers, through his Dreamers fund. Step allows teens to easily send and receive money from their family and friends, get real-time notifications, and they don’t have to deal with the monthly or overdraft fees and no minimum balance that traditional banking customers incur. The platform’s lead investor is Stripe.
Chevrolet Selects Six HBCU Students for Journalism Fellowship
Chevrolet is back for the fourth annual HBCU Journalism Fellowship. The organization has once again partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association to select six students from historically black colleges and Universities, (HBCUs).
Echoing Green Announces 2019 Black Male Achievement Fellowship Winners
There are black leaders making extremely powerful moves in their communities and Echoing Green, a prestigious fellowship program that helps transform their ideas into world-changing organizations, is here to recognize them. The organization recently announced 10 social entrepreneurs selected for its 2019 Black Male Achievement Fellowship.
Barack and Michelle Obama Partner with Spotify to Produce Exclusive Podcasts
Barack and Michelle Obama recently partnered with Spotify to produce podcasts that will cover an array of their favorite topics with the goal of creating compelling content that entertains and inspires viewers. According to a recent press release, the power couple will produce under their newly formed production company, Higher Ground Productions, which took flight in 2018 with their initial partnership with Netflix. This will include developing, producing, and starring in the audio voice series.
Spotify is Searching for New Female Podcasters of Color (Again!) With 2019 Contest
Spotify has been making a concerted effort to support more multicultural podcasters because yes, the podcasting world is still majority white male. According to a recent press release, in 2018, only 22% of podcasts were hosted by women, and even fewer when it came to minority women. Spotify is back for year two of Sound Up, a program that is highly focused on diversifying the podcast landscape, with an emphasis on backing women of color.
Black-Owned Warranty Disrupter Upsie, Raises Over $8.5 Million in Funding
How many times have you been charged for a warranty and felt a certain way about the outrageous additional pricing attached to it? Black-owned startup Upsie, based out of Minneapolis, aims to change that. Upsie’s goal is to disrupt the $40 billion annual warranty market by providing affordable, reliable warranties for all of the electronic devices in your life and they’ve just received an additional $5 million in funding to execute. Previously, the team raised $3.5 million.
Apply Now For $1 Million in Minority Business Funding
(Photo by NESA by Makers on Unsplash) By Sequoia Blodgett, Black Enterprise MEDA, (Metropolitan Economic Development Association), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping minority businesses succeed, has opened up applications for its second year of the Million Dollar Challenge for Minority Entrepreneurs. The Million Dollar Challenge is awarding $1 million in funding to minority businesses from across the nation.
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