To celebrate Black History Month, we’re spotlighting the accomplishments of Black people in the world of technology. From engineers, mathematicians, inventors, and entrepreneurs, we’ll be looking at tech leaders and pioneers of many different backgrounds. Keep an eye out for next week’s post to learn more about the lasting impact of Black people throughout history.
Kathryn Finney, a graduate of Yale University, is an experienced businesswoman who focuses on supporting up-and-coming Black business owners. She advises founders as part of her BIG incubator program in Atlanta and founded the Genius Guild, a $20 million venture fund that invests in Black entrepreneurs. Finney is also the founder and CEO of digitalundivided (DID). Founded in 2013, DID is a social enterprise that empowers and encourages economic security for Black and Latinx women through entrepreneurship.
Marie Van Brittan Brown was an American nurse and innovator from Queens, New York. In 1966, she and her electronics engineer husband, Albert Brown, invented the video home security system. That same year, they applied for a patent for their innovative security system, and received it in 1969. Her innovations had a huge impact on modern security systems used today.
Stacy Brown-Philpot is the former CEO of TaskRabbit, an online marketplace that focuses on freelance labor. She started working at Google in 2003 before joining TaskRabbit and was with the company for nearly 10 years. In 2015, Fortune Magazine included Brown-Philpot on their 40 Under 40 list of the most important young people in business. In a profile in the Financial Times, she was described as a, “rare example of a black, female chief exec in tech.”
