Amanda Spann

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Amanda Spann is an American marketing consultant and app entrepreneur, known for creating tech businesses to support and engage with the Black tech community. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Spann is a graduate of Florida State University and Georgetown University. [3] [4]

Career

Alongside her partner Kat Calvin, Spann co-founded Blerdology: The Science of Black Nerds, a social platform that unites the black tech community. [5] [6] [7] [8] Initially known as Black Girls Hack, [4] Blerdology is tailored towards the African American community and encourages engagement from tech enthusiasts through events such as hackathons. [5] [6] [9] The first Blerdology hackathon was held in November 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia and consisted of fifty black tech enthusiasts competing to create mobile apps. [7]

Spann serves as the communications and content manager for the IBM Cloud Category. [5]

Spann is the co-founder of TibHub, a platform designed for entrepreneurs in the African diaspora. [10] [11] Founded in 2014, TipHub serves as a community for sharing ideas and innovations, empowering its members to collaborate and succeed in their ventures. [10] [11] Annually, Tibhup hosts an annual US-based residency program, called the Diaspora Demo Day, in which 14 individuals from the African Diaspora are provided with mentorship and support for their start-up businesses. [11] [9]

Another contribution of Spann's is Happii, an initiative that provides young entrepreneurs with accessible tools and support they need to start and grow their businesses effectively. [10] Happii is divided into several business verticals, which includes products like TipOff App, CultureCrush App, and DubbleTap.com, online coaching, and e-learning and produce development. [10] Spann is also known for her involvement with AfriDate, a dating app specifically designed for African American singles, connecting users through shared ethnicity and nationality. [10]

Spann is recognized as a key partner in an App Accelerator program that collaborates with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), such as Clark Atlanta University. [1] [12] The App Accelerator program provides a framework to first time app building for non-technical individuals. [3] With the support of Clark Atlanta University, along with PNC Back, The App Accelerator program hosts a 15-week program designed for non-technical individuals, called Idea to App, which allows them to bring their app ideas to fruition. [12] This initiative aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship within the HBCU community, enhancing access to technology and business development opportunities for underrepresented founders. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Nxumalo, Gugulethu (2024-08-30). "Amanda Spann Partners with HBCU to Help Founders Scale Tech Ventures". UrbanGeekz. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  2. ↑ Dickey, Megan Rose. "The 30 Most Important Women Under 30 In Tech". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Doug C. "Inspirational Women Leaders Of Tech: Amanda Spann of The App Accelerator On The Five Things You Need To Know In Order To Create A Very Successful Tech Company". Authority Magazine. 2020. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  4. 1 2 Ford, Winston (2013-02-25). "5 Future Leaders in Technology". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  5. 1 2 3 "A Day In The Life: Women Tech Innovators". NPR. 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Black Girls Hack holds first non-profit hackathon targeting African-Americans in tech". TheGrio. 2012. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  7. 1 2 Evans, Erin E. "Hacking the Science of Black Nerds". BET. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  8. ↑ Kim, Larry. "20 Women Entrepreneurs Worth Watching These inspiring leaders prove there are unicorns among us". Inc. 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Women's History Month: Black Women in Tech". LA sentinel. 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 McDonough, Ashley. "This Black Woman Is Opening The Door For People of Color In Tech". Essence. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  11. 1 2 3 Christian, Bonnie. "Celebrating Black History Month: the men and women blazing a trail in STEM and modern culture". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  12. 1 2 Moore, Kianga (2024). "How Amanda Spann’s App Accelerator Is Helping Non-Technical Founders Thrive Through HBCU Partnerships and Tech Automation". Ebony. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
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