By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Donnel Baird first pitched his idea in 2014 to create a technology platform that could help small apartment buildings and other urban structures become energy efficient, he got the U.S. government to promise him $2.1 million, provided he could raise a similar amount from elsewhere.But not one of some 200 venture capital firms he approached agreed to invest back then.Baird believes that initial funding was elusive in part because as a Black man without a background in software development, he was an outsider. Investors did not grasp the opportunity that seemed...…By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Donnel Baird first pitched his idea in 2014 to create a technology platform that could help small apartment buildings and other urban structures become energy efficient, he got the U.S. government to promise him $2.1 million, provided he could raise a similar amount from elsewhere.But not one of some 200 venture capital firms he approached agreed to invest back then.Baird believes that initial funding was elusive in part because as a Black man without a background in software development, he was an outsider. Investors did not grasp the opportunity that seemed...WW…

By The investments will be made through a subsidiary, SoftBank Investment Advisers, which will back the inaugural members of the Emerge accelerator program.The first class of the Emerge program, co-created by SoftBank Investment Advisers and WeWork Labs that matches up minority founders with SoftBank professionals for eight weeks, pitched their companies to more than 100 investors in online video presentations on Thursday.SoftBank Vision Fund Chief Executive Rajeev Misra said the company is committed to fostering diversity and breaking down some of the hurdles that minority entrepreneurs...…By The investments will be made through a subsidiary, SoftBank Investment Advisers, which will back the inaugural members of the Emerge accelerator program.The first class of the Emerge program, co-created by SoftBank Investment Advisers and WeWork Labs that matches up minority founders with SoftBank professionals for eight weeks, pitched their companies to more than 100 investors in online video presentations on Thursday.SoftBank Vision Fund Chief Executive Rajeev Misra said the company is committed to fostering diversity and breaking down some of the hurdles that minority entrepreneurs...WW…

By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - Just a few months ago, 17-year-old Taylor Cassidy was spending hours flailing her arms in an attempt to pick up the latest dance move the “Renegade.”That all changed as Cassidy watched videos by Black Lives Matter (BLM) and eventually began creating video skits on TikTok to illustrate the racial injustice she and her friends face on a daily basis.“Because the BLM movement has been present in society for such a long time, my generation has been able to use TikTok to spread awareness through the lens of a young person’s mindset,” Cassidy, who is black, told Reuters...…By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - Just a few months ago, 17-year-old Taylor Cassidy was spending hours flailing her arms in an attempt to pick up the latest dance move the “Renegade.”That all changed as Cassidy watched videos by Black Lives Matter (BLM) and eventually began creating video skits on TikTok to illustrate the racial injustice she and her friends face on a daily basis.“Because the BLM movement has been present in society for such a long time, my generation has been able to use TikTok to spread awareness through the lens of a young person’s mindset,” Cassidy, who is black, told Reuters...WW…