Black-owned Detroit-Based Software Company Wins $ 1 Million Grant Through Pharrell Williams-Supported Initiative

A black-owned, Detroit-based software startup has received a million dollar award as part of a program launched by musician Pharrell Williams, which seeks to bridge the country’s wealth gap through the entrepreneurship.

Livegistics LLC this week won the Black Ambition Award competition, which “provides mentorship and access to capital to high-growth startups founded by black and Latinx entrepreneurs,” according to a press release.

The 4-year-old cloud-based software company operates primarily in the construction waste management industry and claims its software helps customers reduce time and manpower and eliminate waste of revenue from lost tickets, and provides data analytics.

“Winning this competition is more important than the cash prize,” CEO and co-founder Justin Turk said in the statement.

“When we first entered the tech startup world as two black entrepreneurs, we didn’t know how to navigate that space. Now we’re taught not only to navigate, but also to dominate in a industry that has just decided to grant access to people of color.The information, skills and tools we learn will not only help us thrive in our business, but they will open doors we never even knew existed. We don’t just want an invitation, we want to create the guest list. “

Citing data from the Federal Employment Commission for Equal Opportunities, the release notes that African Americans make up less than 5 percent of the tech industry’s workforce in Silicon Valley. , and the percentage of African Americans in leadership positions in the tech industry can be as low as 1 percent, according to the commission.

As Crain’s reported last month, Southeast Michigan entrepreneurs are starting to report subtle changes in the region’s startup economy, as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts slowly take hold. form.