Happy New Year, Insider!

We hope this year brings nothing but joy, prosperity, and peace to you and those you care about.

Let’s dive into this year’s news stories!

Top Stories 📰

Story 1: African defense company, Terra Industries, has raised $11.75 million to scale its manufacturing capabilities.

Story 2: Beyoncé has joined the billionaire club, becoming the fifth musician to hit the ten-digit mark ($1B+), according to Forbes.

Story 3: Here are the top 5 most innovative products at CES 2026.

Become an UrbanGeekz Ambassador!

UrbanGeekz is on a mission to amplify tech, startups, and culture. We’re looking for bold, visionary individuals to join our inaugural UrbanGeekz Ambassador Program.

As an ambassador, you’ll create content, share authentic stories, and be our voice in global innovation. In return, you'll get to be part of a vibrant tech/entrepreneurial community. We also have some exclusive tech products up for grabs. Interested?

Hot News 🔥

1. Uncle Nearest co-founders Fawn and Keith Weaver have filed a lawsuit against former Chief Financial Officer Mike Senzaki,

2. Olayinka Wealth Equity Strategies [OWES] hosted 40-50 venture leaders in Lagos for  the Breaking Bread Summit, a dinner aimed at shaping African and diasporan economies

3. WNBA player Angel Reese, Afrobeats artist Rema, and other investors have participated in the latest funding for Black woman-led skincare brand Topicals.

4. Zoe Saldaña has become the 2nd highest-grossing actor ever with $15 billion.

Opportunities - Accelerators/Funding, Events.

Grants💰

Up to $100K–$1M | Get up to $1 in the Trust in Practice Awards on new initiatives to build trust across local or virtual communities. 📅 Apply by Jan. 30, 2026

Up to $300M | The GM on Main Street grant program supports nonprofits and local governments in revitalizing commercial districts with innovative projects. 📅 Apply by Feb. 13, 2026

$150K Investment | The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation aims to identify social entrepreneurs with dynamic ideas and nurture them in their early stages with maximum leverage and total commitment. 🗓️ Application on a rolling basis:

$155K | The Da Vinci Fellowship offers an equity-free grant of €150 000 per fellow to young, contrarian Europeans. 🗓️ Application on a rolling basis

$100K | The Thiel Fellowship is a two-year program for young people who want to build new things. Fellows receive a $100,000 grant and support from the Thiel Foundation’s network of founders, investors, and scientists.🗓️ Application on a rolling basis:

$100k | Unity for Humanity empowers creators to make the world a better place by helping bring their visions to life and amplifying their impact. 🗓️ February 20, 2026

Up to $26.5K | Braze, in partnership with BET Plus and Coursera, is offering 10 founders across APAC, EMEA, and NA 12 months of FREE access to Braze, a $26,500 product grant, 📅 Apply by Jan. 16, 2026

Up to $15K | The Catalyst Fund by The Roddenberry Foundation makes grants between $2.5k - $15k to anyone with an early-stage idea or project that addresses pressing global challenges  🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis:

Up to $10K | Each qualifying nonprofit has access to up to $10,000 per month in search ads shown on Google.com. Additional Google Ads may be purchased in a separate account.  🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis:

Accelerators 💼

1. Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Winter 2026 Batch funding cycle, which will occur from January to March in San Francisco.

2. Techstars Accelerator provides funding, mentorship, hands-on training, and access to Techstars' global network of VC investors, corporate partners, and alumni founders

3. Square One’s remote-first pre-accelerator has helped 70+ founders move from idea to traction—raising capital, securing early customers, and continuing to build beyond the program.

4. The Propellant Labs is a startup accelerator offering different programs to help entrepreneurs launch and scale their businesses.

5. Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator® invests in up to ten companies per year (two cohorts of five) focused on fintech, insuretech, digital health, and data analytics.

6. Peachscore + Dealum hosts 12 cohorts annually, offering startup founders the flexibility to join immediately upon acceptance and receive up to $150k, regardless of when they apply.

7. The two-year Activate Fellowship provides early-stage science entrepreneurs with funding, technical resources, and unparalleled support from a network of scientists, engineers, investors, commercial partners, and fellow entrepreneurs. 

8. Forum Ventures' accelerator helps SaaS and AI startups grow with pre-seed funding, mentorship, and expert guidance.

Events🎟️

Eventnoire, a ticketing and event technology platform built for culture-driven events, announces its 2026 Curator Summit taking place January 24, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Curator Summit is a full-day business conference and mastermind designed for curators, digital creators, event producers, and brand marketers focused on building profitable, scalable events.

Date: 01/24/26

Location: 330 Marietta ST NW Atlanta

Founded by Glory Olamigoke and David Ogebe, the Tech Revolution Africa Conference connects the entire technology value chain in Africa. It gathers thousands of talented players and leaders from the African tech ecosystem to network, collaborate, and discuss the growth of technological innovation on the continent. It features innovative startups, products, ideas, and solutions through technology.

Founded by Glory Olamigoke and David Ogebe, The  Tech Revolution Africa Conference connects the entire technology value chain in Africa. It gathers thousands of talented players and leaders from the African tech ecosystem to network, collaborate, and discuss the growth of technological innovation on the continent. It features innovative startups, products, ideas, and solutions through technology.

Date: 30 - 31 January, 2026

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Thank you for joining us in this edition of Geekz Insider. We hope that our shared stories and opportunities will ignite your career goals and entrepreneurial spirit, fueling your drive to innovate. From dynamic founders to transformative AI programs and life-changing grants, there’s something here to inspire everyone.

Enjoy our newsletter? Share it with your network and sign up here to stay informed about the latest in tech, business, and innovation.  Until next time, keep hustling and making those geeky dreams come true!

If you're interested in sponsoring our newsletter, drop us a line at [email protected] with ‘Geekz Insider’ in the subject box!

Written by Stephen Oluwadara and produced by Gugu Nxumalo