Earlier this month, Block CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey unveiled a peer-to-peer, Bluetooth-based messaging app he put together. Now, anyone with a compatible iPhone, Mac or iPad (or even Apple Vision Pro) can try Bitchat as it’s available on the App Store.

Dorsey created Bitchat under the auspices of “and Other Stuff,” an open-source development collective he has backed financially. Per the free app’s description, it allows users to chat with others who are physically close to them without needing to have their email address or phone number, which could make Bitchat handy for in-person events. Messages are private and encrypted, while the Panic Mode function allows you to delete all your Bitchat data with a triple tap.

Dorsey said he built Bitchat as an experiment in “Bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models and a few other things.” The app doesn’t need internet access to function, making it a useful option in situations in which authorities block mobile data and Wi-Fi connectivity. Other apps that offer Bluetooth mesh messaging first started appearing over a decade ago.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/jack-dorseys-bluetooth-messaging-app-is-now-on-the-app-store-185000786.html?src=rss

Google has unveiled the latest cohort startups selected for its Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa program. 

The six Black-led South African startups were announced at an event coinciding with this year’s Africa Tech Festival, which was held in Cape Town, South Africa.

Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa 

The three-month hybrid accelerator program supports Seed to Series A technology startups led by at least one Black founder.

This opportunity includes ZAR1 million ($50,000) in non-dilutive funding, up to ZAR3.6 million ($200,000) in Google Cloud credits, and access to mentorship and industry networks. 

By offering financial support alongside tailored guidance, Google is enabling these startups to address market challenges and unlock new growth opportunities.

Read: Meet The 10 Startups Joining Google For Startups Accelerator Africa 2024

Spotlight on the Startups

Each of the six startups brings unique solutions to real-world problems, showcasing the diversity and potential of South Africa’s tech ecosystem:

Aveade

Aveade operates as a digital marketplace, connecting buyers and sellers with a focus on simplicity and variety. Its platform provides a seamless shopping experience while empowering sellers to reach broader audiences.

Breaze Delivery

Breaze Delivery is transforming logistics with a real-time delivery platform that connects businesses to a fleet of drivers. This ensures fast, efficient, and reliable deliveries for clients, from local shops to larger enterprises.

Mapha Logistics

Aimed at township, peri-urban, and rural merchants, Mapha Logistics equips businesses with innovative digital tools to streamline operations. Its goal is to help underserved businesses thrive by bridging gaps in supply chain management.

Swagshack

Swagshack is an online streetwear marketplace that connects emerging fashion brands with customers. By creating a platform for up-and-coming designers, it champions unique, local styles while simplifying order and delivery processes.

Vuleka

This e-commerce and fintech platform serves informal township businesses by connecting them to customers through online and offline channels. Vuleka also provides tools for inventory and financial management, helping small businesses scale effectively.

Wisi-Oi

Wisi-Oi leverages video technology to revolutionize the resale fashion industry. The platform makes it easier for individuals to buy and sell pre-loved fashion items, offering an engaging, visual-first shopping experience.

Empowering African Entrepreneurs

Feature Image Credit: Mapha Logistics

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When Nadia Odunayo sat down in January 2019, she had a choice to make: pursue her idea for a running app or dive into her passion for books. 

She chose the latter, and what started as a side project quickly evolved into The Storygraph, a community-driven social cataloguing web platform for books.

With Amazon-owned Goodreads dominating the market, The Storygraph has become a refreshing favorite for readers looking for a more personalized experience.

Revolutionizing Reading With The StoryGraph

Odunayo, a Black British engineer and entrepreneur, built The Storygraph to offer features like custom reading lists, detailed progress tracking, and tailored book recommendations. 

“I wanted to create lists—private or shared—and track my progress on a pretty dashboard,” Odunayo told POCIT.

While studying at Oxford, Odunayo co-founded a digital short story publication, realizing she preferred building impactful projects over corporate life. 

Now CEO and web developer of The StoryGraph, she leads the platform alongside senior engineer Frelow, advancing its tech and machine learning capabilities.

Surviving Success: Spikes, Crashes, and Community

The Storygraph’s first major moment came in 2020, following a surge in support for Black creators after George Floyd’s murder. Tweets spotlighting the app went viral, bringing thousands of new users but also a stress test for Odunayo. 

“That was the biggest spike, and it was the most stressful one. I had to rewrite a lot of the app,” she reflects, describing the sleepless nights spent keeping the platform online.

Since then, The Storygraph has faced similar waves of popularity fueled by viral TikToks and YouTube videos, receiving attention from major platforms such as The Bookseller and even the front page of the UK App Store.

In January 2024, the app was so popular that the large number of new signups caused their servers to crash. It was back up and running within a few hours.

Odunayo credits her resilience to her small, committed team and a user base that passionately evangelizes the app: “When I see people adore it as it is—knowing how much more I want to build—that’s a huge motivator.”

The Journey of a Black British Founder

Odunayo’s experience as a Black British entrepreneur is bittersweet. 

She has funded The StoryGraph through bootstrapping and has now expanded revenue streams with the successful launch of the Plus Plan.

This premium subscription offers users advanced features like deep insights and personalized recommendations, fueling the platform’s growth while enhancing the reading experience for its dedicated community.

While The Storygraph has garnered attention, much of it stems from being a Black woman in tech—something she views with mixed emotions.

“I want people to use my product because they love it, not just because of how I look,” she shared. 

At the same time, she cherishes moments when Black readers are inspired by her success.

Books for POC in Tech: Nadia’s Holiday Picks

For professionals of color in tech looking for compelling holiday reads, Odunayo recommends narrative non-fiction packed with lessons, drama, and inspiration:

• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou: A look at Theranos and how not to run a company.
• Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton: A story about the social media giant’s chaotic rise.
• The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder: A classic tale of tech innovation in the 1980s, proving some things never change.

What’s Next for The Storygraph?

As for the future, The Storygraph has big plans. Odunayo is enhancing the app’s interface, improving speed, and doubling down on community features to make it easier for users to connect. 

“One of the main things we’re addressing is that it’s still hard for users to find friends on the app,” she says. “We want to take our community to the next level.”

Odunayo remains committed to evolving The Storygraph for its growing base of readers, encouraging those who’ve tried the app in the past to give it another look.

“We’re always improving. If you tried it two or three years ago, try again—you’ll see a huge difference. We’re nowhere near done. Keep checking in.”

Feature Image Credit: Nadia Odunayo

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Ipsy, a beauty subscription service, will be collaborating with Gabrielle Union as the curator of its February Icon Box. The box will include makeup, skin, and hair products by Gabrielle Union to highlight Union’s journey of self-expression.

Celebrating Black History Month

In addition to curating an IPSY’s February Icon Box, Union will narrate IPSY’s upcoming Black History Month social campaign, “Black Joy Is Beautiful.” The short film celebrates the art of embracing, loving, and expressing your authentic self. The film will be released at the beginning of February.

IPSY will also highlight inspiring stories, products, and content on all its platforms by spotlighting the beauty and strength of the Black community across Black History Month.

“As a Black female founder, it’s important to me to find ways to highlight the joy and vibrancy found in self-expression in the Black experience,” Union says. “Through this collaboration, I hope I can empower everyone to hold space for the many versions of themselves and help them find the looks that celebrate each one.”

What will be included in the box?

The box will include brands like LYS Beauty, Kosas, Elemis, Benefit Cosmetics, and Union’s brand, Flawless by Gabrielle Union. The box, which will be available from February 1, will also feature a guide to how Union explores beauty as a way to redefine her happiest and most confident self continuously.

“As the founder of Flawless by Gabrielle Union, an actress, wife, mother, and activist, Union is constantly refining and evolving her look to show up as her most authentic self in all her roles,” said Kristy Westrup, Chief Merchandising Officer at IPSY.

“This authenticity is something we know inspires our community, which makes her partnership with IPSY a true collaboration in both spirit and execution.”

What else does IPSY have planned?

Students from Project Level, a Bay Area non-profit program for at-risk and underserved youth, will design IPSY’s February Limited Edition Mystery Bags.

“During the month of February, IPSY will also provide our members with exclusive access to Black-owned brands, including Fenty Beauty, Briogeo, Danessa Myricks, Pat McGrath Labs, and Buttah Skin, via our online IPSY Shop,” Westrup adds.

Image credit: IPSY

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Live Nation Urban has shared its recent investment in Breakr, a leading marketing and tech platform. Breakr is the focal point for music, creators, and technology. It allows music labels, creative agencies, and brands to quickly pay and contract independent online content creators to promote songs and services.

The investment came from the Black Lily Capital Fund, a new venture fund created by Live Nation and Live Nation Urban to support early-stage music companies founded by Black entrepreneurs. “Our investment reflects our belief in the founders, in the transformative power of creators, and in the technology that empowers them to thrive,” Shawn Gee, Founder and President of Live Nation Urban, said in a press release.

How Breakr Is Transforming The Creator Economy

The platform was founded in 2020 by brothers and HBCU alumni Anthony (Tony) and Ameer Brown. At first, Breakr focused on the music industry by working with big labels like BMG and Sony Music to help musicians land their first big break in mainstream music via TikTok and Instagram.

Since then, it’s expanded its scope and embraced other interdisciplinary industries, working with heavyweights like Hershey, Billboard, Celsius, Samsung, UMG, and other notable companies. Breakr has a flourishing community of 70,000 creators, helping artists, agencies, influencers, and brands across various online channels. Kanye West, Megan Thee Stallion, Rick Ross, Future, Gunna, and Nas (who is also an investor) are among the many artists who have benefited from the platform.

A New Instant Pay System For Creators

As part of its partnership with Live Nation Urban, Breakr will launch BreakrPay, an instant pay system designed to transform the creator economy. BreakrPay will help creators solve the issue of late payments by enabling brands, labels, and agencies to finance campaigns quickly, ensuring that influences are paid in real time.

In the wider picture, this will allow creative agencies to scale campaigns faster without the old structure of net 30-90 payment terms.

“Our partnership with Live Nation Urban and Shawn is the exciting beginning of a new chapter where we can expand our vision further than ever before, particularly with brands,” Anthony Brown, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Breakr, adds.

Image: Live Nation Urban/Breakr

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Kendrick Lamar’s startup pgLang is number 15 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025. The record label, production house, and creative agency was founded by Lamar and Dave Free in 2020.

The company establishes itself as a hybrid model in the creative spaces, operating across different industries and platforms such as music, film and live events. This year, they creatively directed and coproduced the Super Bowl halftime show where Lamar performed his number 1 hit “Not Like Us.”

pglang’s influence

The creative agency has worked on design collaborations and brand collaborations with companies like Chanel, Converse and Global Citizen on Move Afrika. It has produced viral campagins for Cash App. In 2022, the startup put billionaire investor Ray Dalio in a commercial to discuss the importance of investing in yourself.

In 2023, pglang partnered with tech company Light to launch the limited-release Light Phone II. The Light Phone II is an unlocked, 4G LTE mobile phone with a few essential tools aimed to be a less-distracting alternative to the modern cell phone.

The limited release consisted of 250 phones exclusively available at pglang.com and was billed as “just a phone” to interested consumers.

Latine-Led Companies on the list

Nubank, a Brazilian neobank co-founded and led by Colombia-born David Vélez, ranked third on the list. It went public as Nu Holdings on the NYSE in December 2021 and became the world’s third-largest digital bank, surpassing 100 million customers in May.

Duolingo, the world-famous language learning app co-founded in 2011 by Guatemalan-born computer scientist Luis von Ahn, ranked tenth. Since going public in July 2021, it has grown to over 116 million monthly users and 9.5 million subscribers. Duolingo closed 2024 with $748 million in revenue, up 41% from the previous year.

Image: Peter Yang

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The Global Gaming League (GGL) has raised $10 million for its Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) round, led by Solyco Capital. The GGL is a multi-title gaming league with celebrity-owned teams made up of four players, each including high-profile influencers, actors, athletes, artists, and casual and professional gamers.

These players compete in live events in games ranging from first-person shooters to sports titles and fighting games to the latest releases and retro favorites. The company was founded by Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum music producer and entrepreneur Clinton Sparks in partnership with T-Pain and tech entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman.

“There are over 3 billion gamers around the world. But there’s still no centralized platform that gives everyday players the spotlight—while authentically connecting brands, celebrities, and competition in a way that’s truly entertaining. That’s where GGL comes in,”  Clinton Sparks, Founder and CEO of GGL said.

Giving gamers an opportunity to earn

The GGL allows players to earn a salary through the global nomination submission process, where gamers can log on to globalgamingleague.com and sign up. Since making this announcement, the league has over a quarter of a million entries to play for one of the celebrity-owned teams.

“46% of gamers are female, colleges give scholarships for gaming now. and the average gamer is 36 years old, despite most thinking it’s only for kids. Gaming is a faster, cheaper, and safer path to success than traditional sports,” T-Pain, GGL Director of Strategy, said in a press release.

The GGL’s matches will take place in Vegas, which is the home of the Global Gaming League. GGL’s studio facility, The Campus, powered by Vū, is expected to elevate the city’s connection with the video gaming community. With the largest wrap-around digital screen in the Western US, it is the most technologically advanced studio in the area.

The GGL Academy

The launch of the gaming league also includes the GGL Academy – an initiative focused on empowering advancement through gaming education, career pathways, and scholarship opportunities. The academy will build, train, and mentor aspiring gamers, creators, and professionals across the gaming, entertainment, and tech industries.

The academy has partnered with New York University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Syracuse to build a direct pipeline from the classroom to the arena.

“I came out of retirement for this. Because this isn’t just about gaming—it’s about access. GGL has the power to connect cultures, build international bridges, uplift underserved communities and close age gap,” Jeff Hoffman, GGL Chairman of the Board says.

image: The Global Gaming League

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Target has introduced ÜNOS by Sz, a new line of sneakers that expands to fit growing feet.

The expandable sneakers are the brainchild of Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, a footwear designer and president of Pensole Lewis College, a design-focused HBCU in Detroit.

Edwards has over 30 years of experience designing for top brands like Nike, L.A. Gear, and icons like Tupac and Michael Jordan, Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, and Nas.

A Unique Approach to Affordable Footwear

ÜNOS by Sz, which stands for “U Need One Size,” offers more than 15 styles for both children and adults, with prices under $50. 

Edwards’ patented technology allows the shoes to grow with the wearer’s foot, expand up to half a size for children and a full size for adults, making it easier for people to find the right fit without needing multiple pairs.

“I’ve always wanted to create something affordable yet thoughtfully designed,” Edwards told Afrotech. “Our goal with ÜNOS by Sz is to provide intentional, everyday footwear that doesn’t sacrifice style or comfort.”

Revolutionizing Footwear Retail

In addition to being practical for consumers, Edwards explained the business advantages of the shoes’ adjustable technology. 

“One shoe that fits various sizes reduces the space needed for inventory,” he said in an interview with Fast Company. 

However, creating such a product came with its challenges, as “every decision down to the penny” mattered in balancing cost, quality, and functionality.

ÜNOS by Sz is now available at Target, both online and in stores.

Features Image Credit: Because Of Them We Can

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