Hello Champ!

There’s a new marketing trend in town which is printing thousands of dollars without spending a dime in paid marketing.

A new generation of young entrepreneurs are using social media platform (such as LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram Reels) to gain traction and deal flow. A few month ago, two young Yale University students raised $3.1M in 14 Days after posting a trailer video on LinkedIn. For our top story this week another startup is breaking the ceiling of user growth like we knew it to have been.

Let’s dive in

Top Stories 📰

Story 1: YC-backed food delivery App BiteSight is leveraging TikTok virality to drive user growth.

Story 2: Glīd Technologies, an autonomous road-to-rail solutions company, has announced the close of its $3.1 million pre-seed funding round.

Story 3: The UrbanGeekz ultimate back-to-school list.

Hot News 🔥

1. Google has unveiled a $37 million package to accelerate artificial intelligence development across Africa.

2. LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and others invest $7 million in fantasy sports and gaming platform, Fantasy Life.

3. Award-winning beauty startup Ami Colé is set to shut down later this year, according to its founder.

   Opportunities - Accelerators/Funding, Events.💼 

Grants💰

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

• $50K | Apply now for the AT&T Small Business Contest for a chance to win $50,000 and the support of a growing community of over 20 athletes and entrepreneurs!🗓️ Apply by 9/30

• $25K | The Power Forward Small Business Grant program by NAACP X Boston Celtics aims to create a lasting impact through the economic empowerment of Black-owned small businesses across New England.

   🗓️ Application on a rolling basis

• 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:

• Up to $10K | The Sky is Not the Limit Social Impact Grant provides startups with creative and strategic services for mission-driven organizations.🗓️ Apply by August 19

  Accelerators 🚀

• Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Fall 2025 Batch funding cycle, which will occur from October to November in San Francisco.

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

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

• FoundersBoost, a global pre-accelerator program, is an equity-free opportunity to take your business to the next level. 

• 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.

• Peachscore + Dealum hosts 12 cohorts annually, offering startup founders the flexibility to join immediately upon acceptance and get up to $150k, no matter when they apply.

Events🎟️

Black Hat is an industry-leading cybersecurity event at Mandalay Bay. Includes training (Aug 2–5), Summit Day (Aug 5), and briefings during the main conference (Aug 6–7)

Date: August 2-7, 2025

Location: Las Vegas, NV

DEF CON legendary hacking and cybersecurity conference, the event features tracks including lockpicking, hardware hacking, Capture the Flag competitions, and more. It’s huge (30,000+ attendees) and a must-watch for security-minded techies

Date: August 7 - 10, 2025

Location: Las Vegas, NV

A full week of tech activations centering Black technologists and founders: AI, dev, Web3, career fairs, hackathons, workshops, networking, and music. High relevance for readers interested in Black innovation and tech careers.

Date: August 11 – 16, 2025.

Location: Houston

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. 

If you're interested in sponsoring our newsletter, drop us a line at [email protected] with ‘Geekz Insider’ in the subject box. Until next time, keep hustling and making those geeky dreams come true!

Written by Stephen Oluwadara and produced by Gugu Nxumalo