On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved African Americans in the U.S. were finally declared free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, we recognize Juneteenth as a celebration of liberation, resilience, and Black excellence.

Whether it’s the rise of leaders like Sam Udotong, the bold moves at RenderATL, or the fresh wave of innovation from creators of color, this week’s headlines remind us of how far we’ve come and how far we’re going.

Happy Juneteenth from the UrbanGeekz family🖤.

Top Stories 📰

Story 1: Theresia Gouw becomes America’s first female venture capital billionaire.

Story 2: AI meeting platform Fireflies.ai has surpassed a $1 billion valuation after its first tender offer and signed a partnership with Perplexity to enable real-time web search during meetings.

Story 3: RenderATL wrapped its 2025 edition, and this year’s celebration of code, culture, and community was the biggest and boldest yet.

Hot News 🔥

1. Streamer University was pure chaos, and Kai Cenat loved it.

2. Collab Capital Closes $75M Fund II With Backing from Apple and Goldman Sachs.

3. HarbourView Equity Partners has secured $500M in financing from KKR to expand its music, media, and entertainment portfolio.

4. Grammy-winning artist and producer Timbaland has launched a new AI‑driven entertainment company called Stage Zero.

5. Definely, an AI-powered legal tech company, has raised $30 million in Series B funding to accelerate its global expansion and AI product roadmap.

   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. 🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis:

• Up to $100k | Cartier Women’s Initiative recognizes and funds women entrepreneurs using business as a force for good.🗓️ Apply by 6/24:

• $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

• $20K | Santander’s Cultivate Small Business helps early-stage entrepreneurs build and sustain food industry businesses, focusing on historically underserved founders in low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods. 🗓️ Apply by 7/8:

• $20K | Robin Hood Blue Ridge Labs Founder Fellowship will help you validate your idea, build your MVP, and gain real traction with hands‑on workshops, user testing, mentorship, funding, coworking, and network access.🗓️ Apply by 6/8: 

• $50K | Progressive Insurance & Hello Alice Driving Small Business Forward Grant supports founders who use a vehicle to power their business — $1M in total awards.🗓️ Apply by 06/20

• 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 🚀

• Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Summer 2025 Batch funding cycle, which will take place from January to March 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 and Discounts🎟️

Gemini Advanced is now free for college students until the end of the 2026 finals season. Sign up by June 30th to get the Google One AI Premium plan, which includes Gemini’s deep research tools, instant video generation with Veo 2, smart support in Gmail, Docs, Slides, and Sheets, plus 2TB of storage to power your studies, creativity, and career prep.

TSP Live 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the premier business conference for Black entrepreneurs, hosted by Lamar and Ronnie Tyler. This milestone event, dubbed “The Homecoming”, brings together a powerhouse community of 7- and 8-figure business owners. Attendees can expect actionable strategies, high-level networking, and a celebratory Black Tie Gala honoring a decade of entrepreneurial excellence. The event is designed for serious entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their businesses and build lasting wealth. Grab your tickets here.

Date: June 26-28, 2025

Location: Atlanta, GA

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.

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Written by Stephen Oluwadara and produced by Gugu Nxumalo