Today, almost all of the wealthiest people in the world are Tech royalty, from Mark Zuckerberg to Jeff Bezos, so here are the top 5 black female tech royalty.
Ursula Burns, Xerox (Board member of VEON, Uber, Scratch, ExxonMobil, American Express)
Perhaps the pioneer of Tech royalties, Ursula Burns is an American businesswoman. Burns is mostly known for being the CEO of Xerox from 2009 to 2016, the first among black women to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and the first woman to succeed another as head of a Fortune 500 company. She additionally was Xerox’s chairman from 2010 to 2017. U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Burns to help lead the White House National STEM program in 2009, and she remained a leader of the STEM program until 2016. Today she is known for serving on the board of directors of multiple large American companies, including Uber, American Express, and ExxonMobil. She was the chairman and CEO of VEON from late 2018 to early 2020, and the Chairwoman of Teneo. The estimated Net Worth of Ursula M Burns is at least $1.25 Billion dollars as of 8 May 2022.
Julia Collins, Zume Pizza
San Francisco-raised tech boss, Julia Collins, founded Zume Pizza, a robotic food prep company that automates the making of the savory dish. In late 2018, after a $375 million investment, Zume was valued at $2.25 billion, making her the first Black woman to co-found a billion-dollar company. Today, she is the founder and CEO of Planet FWD, a regenerative agriculture startup to help reverse climate change. Planet FWD is currently backed by Cleo Capital.
Kathryn Finney, digitalundivided
Tech pioneer Kathryn Finney wants to empower economic growth in Black and Latinx communities. With digitalundivided, Finney uses data and research to expand women’s entrepreneurship and thought leadership to shift the culture toward inclusion and give women-led companies more access to resources. These ecosystems of change are self-funded by Finney as she works to provide capital for others’ success.
Jessica Matthews, Uncharted Power
Jessica Matthews founded her renewable energy startup Uncharted Power in 2011. The smart tech company addresses the generation, transmission, and storage of power in underserved communities. Over the years, Matthews has raised $12.5 million, including investments from Disney, according to CNBC.
Asmau Ahmed, Plum Perfect
Ahmed is a Columbia Business School grad helping women find their skin’s perfect beauty matches with Plum Perfect, a color-analyzing mobile app. The technology scans users’ selfies and based on variables extracted from the image, it recommends a variety of products. The idea was born of the chemical engineer’s frustration with finding a lipstick hue that complimented her complexion. Now, she is helping women better identify looks without the hassle of fruitless shopping. Ahmed has raised over $10 million in investments, according to Crunchbase.
