Black women in tech are coming after big tech companies to be the new contenders in the market.
Parent company Urrgent Technology — led by founder Shantell “Charisma” Graham — recently announced a huge launch into the big tech market, unveiling two inaugural digital platforms — StoopUp and Urrgent.com — according to a press release.
StoopUp — a free social networking app that allows users to create a digital “Neighborhood” based on shared and given support from others — and Urrgent.com — an online platform for freelancers that creates more opportunities for people of color — are both a part of Graham’s mission to uplift underserved communities and push consumers to accrue economic wealth in the sector.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel but we are headed in a more positive direction for the end-users, said Graham in a press statement. “Two separate platforms – each bringing a conscientious, user-first standard, because we have to work and uplift each other as a whole.”
According to Graham, many big-tech companies aren’t dedicated to the audiences they’re targeting, but her hope is to change that notion through her parent tech company.
“So many social media apps and freelancing platforms are just mining their users – treating them as nothing more than a monetized pool of advertising dollars and valuable data,” she said in a statement. “That’s not us. Our users are people – and we treat them as such.”
Graham — a working force leading the charge for Black women in tech — understands what people in her community need and her proposed solutions come in the form of these newly launched platforms.
“Breaking into the big-tech market is difficult, to say the least, but breaking in as a woman of color has its own particular challenges,” she shared. “You have to start with a unique and innovative product, and that product has to include both heart and vision. StoopUp and Urrgent.com are my answers.”
There are few small-scale tech companies taking such brave steps for marginalized populations, but Graham and her company Urrgent Technology are making strides to position themselves as a threat in the big-tech market.
To learn more about Urrgent Technology and its initiatives, click here.
