*Meet Iddris Sandu… a 25-year-old tech guru who owns a software development firm and developed key algorithms for Instagram, Snapchat, and Uber.
Sandu has worked with A-listers such as Kanye West and Jaden Smith, and his talents caught the attention of former U.S. President Barack Obama. Earlier this year it was reported that his company Spatial Labs (sLABS) acquired $10 million seed in funding. Speaking to Ebony in January, Sandu reflected on this accomplishment.
“With the brutal killing of George Floyd, there was roughly around $1.2 billion in funding that was available for founders of color and ever since then, it’s dropped by 30% every year,” he said.
“We’re at a stage now where $120,000,000 has been allocated within the last year. If that is the case, then Spatial Labs raised 10% of total funding that was allocated to Black founders—that’s a problem,” Sandu continued.
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“The reality is that although raising a total of $14 million puts us in a position that no founder under 30, even being a person of color under 30, my concern with that is we should technically be able to raise more because we’ve been held back so much,” he explained.
Sandu added, “There is so much gatekeeping of information that can actually create much more equity across various industries. With the continued mission of Spatial Labs and an investment of this magnitude, we’re paving the way for younger people to know that they can be in these spaces as well.”
In 2021, Spatial Labs collaborated with JAY-Z, who said at the time “Iddris has a conscious world view and a youth centric vision that is innovative and refreshing to witness. We share similar parallels in how we imagine impacting people in our lifetime. Partnering with him on this journey and others is very exciting.”
Sandu partnered with the hip-hop star to make the metaverse more accessible to the hip-hop community, AfroTech reported.
“Nipsey Hustle delivering me to the gates of hip hop which led me to work with major figures in the culture gave the credibility for folks to receive my message a bit differently and holistically but not everyone has that privilege,” Sandu told Ebony.
Born in Ghana, the young entrepreneur reportedly hosts student workshops to teach African kids to build digital latforms.
“The next tech leaders are going to come from Africa. Why? Because they are exposed to problems which they have the solutions to,” he said in a 2018 interview, Black Business reports.
Watch Sandu’s story below:
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