NextFab Ventures Accepting Applicants for RAPID Accelerator
NextFab Ventures is exclusively focused on helping hardware entrepreneurs. Their RAPID accelerator program provides early-stage startups with technical/business consulting, training, introductions to contract manufacturers, and access to funding networks.
Go Figure: After Almost Half a Century, Leonard Peltier is Free
After nearly five decades behind bars, Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been released from prison following a commutation by President Joe Biden in January, before leaving office. Convicted in 1977 for the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 incident on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation—a conviction long contested by Peltier and his supporters—Peltier, now 80, has consistently maintained his innocence.
GGD Startup: PopCom
PopCom turns traditional vending machines and kiosks into smart retail spaces. Using biotech integration, automated retail software and artificial intelligence, PopCom manufactures vending machines; able to sell everything from digital NFT artwork to beauty products. Founder Dawn Dickson, established the company after realizing many vending outlets or self-serving kiosks were not providing owners with critical consumer data (like sales or traffic analytics).
GGD Startup: Eventbrite
Eventbrite has definitely used technology to expand how independent creatives make a living. The event management and ticketing platform is one of few; a women-led (and founded) tech company, publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
GGD Startup: Fanbase
Unlike most social media apps, Fanbase is geared to make you money ASAP. The network serves as a platform for multiple types of content; video, podcasts, movies, and more.
TikTok and Black Girl Ventures Launch SOAR Accelerator
TikTok Shop and Black Girl Ventures have joined forces to launch 2025 Soar Together, a 6-week business accelerator program designed to empower Black-owned businesses.
GGD Investor: Thirty Five Ventures
Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman launched Thirty Five Ventures in 2016, transforming it into a powerhouse that blends venture capital, sports, media, and entertainment.
GGD Startup: Calendly
To create Calendly, Tope Awotona emptied out his personal savings in 2013. The founder was determined to build a scheduling automation tool that was intuitive and simple to use.