News

Black-Owned Start-Ups are Flipping the Fintech Script

February 21, 2023

Kelly Ifill was raised in an entrepreneurial Caribbean household in Brooklyn. Her grandmother ran a cleaning business, her uncle and cousins had a contracting company, and her aunt operated a landscaping enterprise. “You look at the tapestry of small businesses in America, and it almost mirrors the systems that my family has started. That’s the stock that I come from,” Ifill says. Like her family members, Ifill was determined to build something that she was passionate about, and that fulfilled the needs of fellow business owners. Atlantic Re:think

 

Fintech Guava raises $2.4M to provide banking services to Black small-business owners

July 26, 2022

Guava, a banking and networking platform targeting Black entrepreneurs, announced today the closing of a $2.4 million pre-seed round led by Heron Rock. TechCrunch

 

5 Black Founders Working to Make the Financial System More Equitable

February 1, 2022

Black Americans face barriers in the financial system, from buying a home to building credit. Kelly Ifill, founder of Guava, was featured by Inc. as one of five entrepreneurs trying to help. Inc.

 

Google-backed startup contest awards top prize to digital bank for Black entrepreneurs

December 16, 2021

Guava, a digital banking startup focused on providing financial services to Black business owners, will receive a $100,000 grant from Google, Tech:NYC and Cornell Tech as the winner of the first-ever New York City Recovery Challenge. Crain’s New York

 

Digital Bank Steps In To Help Black Businesses Affected by COVID-19

July 2, 2021

Guava, a digital bank created to serve Black small-business owners, is working to close the racial wealth gap and provide resources for small Black-owned enterprises. Essence

 

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