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Clutch Your Pearls !……It’s The Glam Foodie’s HAUTE COUTURE CONFECTION TRIFECTA! ♥ via [#sipchatchow, @tricia002 #couturecereal, #candycouture,#coutureconfections]

13 Nov shd logo cereal


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CHECK OUT CANDY COUTURE – CANDY GONE GLAM! ♥

via Sip,Chat, Chow

Click on each photo to enlarge

Dior Peppermint Pattie


Dolce & Gabbana Candy (Play off of Now&Later)


Chanel Crunch Bar

LV’s Chocolate Candies

Burberry Baked Beans

Gucci Pops

If you like Candy Couture, you’ll love my other chic collections- Couture Confections and Cereal Couture.

CEREAL COUTURE! ♥

via Sip, Chat, ChowTake a look through The Glam Foodie’s lens: Fashion For Breakfast

BURBERRY FLAKES

CARTIER CRUNCH

GUCCI LOOPS

COCO CHANEL

LOUIS VUITTON CHARMS

WANT MORE? CHECK OUT COUTURE CONFECTIONS!

COUTURE CONFECTIONS! ♥

Via  Sip, Chat, Chow

Take a look through The Glam Foodie’s lens: Frozen Fashion

Gucci Ice Cream Sandwich

D&G Sundae

Chanel Ice Cream Cone

Louis Vuitton Popsicle

Burberry Milkshake

Cartier Ice Cream Pint

Tags:#sipchatchow, #sipchatchow, @tricia002 #couturecereal, #candycouture,#coutureconfections, Gucci, Chanel, Cartier,

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SOPHISTICATED HIPSTER's DIGEST™

SOPHISTICATED HIPSTER’s DIGEST™ Featured Website: CRUNK & DISORDERLY {Side Eye Fever Pics}

13 Nov shd mini-side-eye1


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SUBMIT A SIDE-EYE!

Contact Fresh: Fresh.Crunkjuice@gmail.com

THE FINE PRINT: Use don’t abuse (ie. adding me to your site’s mailing list). And for the love of God please stop sending mp3 files of your music. I am not Clive Davis and to be frank I probably don’t want to hear the shit anyway. You should also know that I take my slow, precious time responding to email. And sometimes I don’t respond at all.

SIDE-EYE FEVER

You Sent It: Sibling Side-Eye Fever

Posted by Fresh on November 6, 2011

sibling side eye You Sent It: Sibling Side Eye Fever Here is a pic of my 2 children dressed in their Halloween costumes on Monday. My son was a cheetah and my daughter was . . . well . . . we’re still not sure what she was, but she was cute! Anyway, here they are in this pic during their costume parade around school, and my son gave his big sis the side-eye business when she put her hand on his shoulder. I thought it was hilarious and had to share it with somebody I knew could appreciate serious side-eye fever! Enjoy it!

Signed,

Proud Mom from the Bay!!

The “You Ain’t No Creole” Side-Eye

shade eye The You Aint No Creole Side Eye

We all can’t have genetic blessings from Agnez Dereon showered down upon us but we sure can damn throw shade at the bitch that does. Thank you Noah!

Canine Side-Eye Action

Here goes a picture of my dog and I. He’s been over my shit for a minute now, and that side eye is a proof of it. I am/have been a huge fan of your pictures and couldn’t believe that one day, I’d have my own.

Love, Giovanna

Queenof da’ N.O
LMAO.
LaShun
LMAO!! I That dog’s eyes are saying “Seriously. Stop taking pictures and get over yourself”! LOL

NYE
ROTFLMAO!

Take The Cake Side-Eye Action

Oh lawd! There is just waaaaay to much going on in this. Peep the side eye the bride is giving the “cake.”

- – Tara

Wesson
her eyes are saying “who da fuk told dem i wanted yellow on my tities, i ain’t that black and crispy like dis hoe, and dis shit don’t even look like me… damn muthafuckin’ shame!” side-eye.

The “What Did I Sign Up For?” Side-Eye

Thanks Wig Crypt Security for the devastation!

Wesson
michelle side-eye ” kel, look at this bitch planning shit for her own album without tellin’ us first… imma get in dat ass later, oh, yes mamn i’am!

Historic Side-Eye Action

I had to share my all tiem favorite side-eye with you.

This took place in Spring of 2008. Dubya was having some sort of photo op with the children and the photographer snapped this little girl’s reaction to him getting all friendly. This never fails to bring me to giggles. I always try to guess what was going through her mind:

1. “You don’t know me like that, but I’m gonna be nice ’cause my Mama said not to show my ass up in the White House.”

2. “Don’t even act like I don’t know you tried to cut the school lunch money  out of the federal budget last week.”

3. “You know what? I got a tic tac in my backpack with your name on it.”

4. “I think this qualifies as a ‘bad touch’…I’m glad there are witnesses”

5. “I haven’t forgotten what you said about Obama.”

- – Moreleesafer

The “Who Do You Think You’re Messing With” Side-Eye

I found this pic of Cameron Diaz screaming at her assistant Carmelita Lopez (that’s probably her name) to get her another latte. Check out Carmelita’s major side-eye action.

- – Mook

Fresh
This still slays me

The “You Old Enough To Be My Daddy – - Back Up!” Side-Eye

This side eye happened during a street party when an old drunk man tried grindin on one of the youngins.

- – Delroy

Side-Eye Fever of Royal Proportions

Posted by Fresh on April 29, 2011

tumblr lkeu1tkUy01qahdn2o1 500 Side Eye Fever of Royal Proportions

Hey Fresh,

I am one of the fools who stayed up to watch the wedding, don’t ask me why. I was bored and BET went to informercials that weren’t Time Life.

Anyway, I believe that I have the first side eye of the prince and his princess. I like to call it the “watch it, you’re still a common bitch” side eye. Hope you find some use for it!

– Kia

The “Bitch Lemme See Some I.D.” Side-Eye

Hello Fresh!!!

Just wanted to give you a shout out from Heidelberg Germany and let you know your blog is the bomb (do people still say that in America) LOL!!! ANYHOO this is the most keen side-eye I have seen in a moment the chinese girl looks like a toddler !!!

Keep up the good work I had so many people looking at your webpage at work in the government facility your site got banned by the IT department but it is all good we can still check you when we get home.

ICH Liebe dich crunk and disorderly
Mädchen Sie sind so verrückt!!!!!

- – Lexdiamonz

Shouts out to Lauren for finding this joint Find out more about this too!  More info on this Olympic side-eye after the jump!

READ MORE

The “I Hope Your Ass Got A Ride Home” Side-Eye

Hi Fresh,

I have a picture of my sister who visits your site faithfully. She was at work (tipsy) and took a picture with the bartender. The side eye he is giving her is lethal. They work in the Bronx and he is always wondering about fake hair and I think he just realized hers is a weave. Lol Enjoy!

- – Queen Jones

Sam
You’re sister SURE looks like a man in a wig. I thought this picture was taken in a gay bar!

Playground Frenemies Side-Eye Fever

Posted by Fresh on September 1, 2010

mini side eye1 Playground Frenemies Side Eye FeverEverything about this picture is adorable, side-eye and mini pursed lips included!

Hey Fresh,

I have been reading your blog for years and just love it to death especially when you feature those “side eye photos”. I came across this one and damn near peed my pants when I saw the shade your boy is throwing on this one. Even if you don’t feature it I hope you get the giggle that I did!!

Father please forgive me for I am sinning,

Erin Nicole

Multiple Side-Eye Action

Hey Fresh,

I came across this pic while looking for new pics of MJ, and his new face. I counted 3 full S/E offenses in this one. Check out Jesse’s (and the chick behind him) full side-face at Rev. This is straight up “You really gon’ sit up here and pretend you dont see this shit” side-eye. But the cherry on the fuckery pie, is that Rev is giving “Naw, this ni**a aint with me!!!” side eye!!!

Jesus, wash my soul of this sin!

Well, hope you enjoy it!

- – Q

The “Riggggght” Side-Eye

As soon as I saw this photo I thought of you and your site. Check out Kate Moss’s mom giving Marc Jacobs’ celebrity crazed boyfriend the side-eye.

- – Malcolm

You Sent It: Direct Micro Side-Eye Fever!

direct side eye fevah1 You Sent It: Direct Micro Side Eye Fever!

Truancy Police Side-Eye Action

While browsing a friend’s pictures, I came across this white dude delivering the “shouldn’t you hoes be in school?” side-eye. Hope you enjoy!

- – Miguel

yoyomaaaaaaa

that’s a “how you doin’” side-eye.

The “Get The Hell Away From Me You Dieseased Bitch” Side-Eye

The title says it all. Thanks CreoleLatina!

Side-Eye Pooch

Hey

Fresh! I’ve been an avid reader of your site for two years and I’ve always loved that you give an honest and hilarious opinion on what you’re posting. Many times I’ve come on your site when I’ve felt depressed. Finally, I’m able to contribute something to the side-eye category. I bought me a Pomeranian puppy and I came across this picture. Enjoy!

- – Kaylah

Keisha
too cute

The “Whatever Bitch, You Still Crazy” Side-Eye

Thanks K. Hayes!

The “Who Invited The Token?” Side-Eye

Fresh,

Here’s a picture I found that would be perfect for another side-eye fever installment. I guess it could be called “Who let this Negro in here?” side-eye.

- – Angelyca

The “My Mama Taught Me Better Than This . . . Damn!” Side-Eye Action

Hey Fresh,

First I just want to say THANK YOU for maintaining this blog. You keep me in stitches with your commentary. I wasn’t sure if you had used this one, but I ran across it online and DIED when I saw the side-eye action going on with Usher. If this picture doesn’t appear to say it all about their relationship, then I don’t know what does.

- – Tonisha

The “Touch My Tittayball In Anger” Side-Eye

Big girl side eye aka big girl devil stare!

Now, I’m all for Team Chunk, but Big Red’s been consuming too many Double Whoppers as of late. Not that it matters, but I blame Burger King because she should NOT have been able to have it her way.

But I digress.

Big Red is giving homegirl, homeboy, or the invisible carrot cake in the background a MEAN side-eye. It breaks my heart inside. You know what, now that I think about it, she’s probably upset with homeboy’s golden leaves. She’s wishing he’d discard them while I’m wishing he’d just take a seat. SMH

Why must this grown man cry?

Sincerely,
Nick

The “Forgive Me Father For I Know Not What I Do” Side-Eye

What’s Up Fresh!!!

This is one of your most loyal readers Pre-Pre, and I just thought I’d drop of some classic side eye action. This is Madonna and Sean Penn back in ‘86 when they were newly weds. It looks here like Sean is giving the Material Girl that “Hold up! I married “you”!? Oh hell naw!” side eye. They divorced just 3 years later.

- – Pre-Pre

The “It’s Too Early For All Your Stunt Queen Antics, Boo” Side-Eye

mini side eye The Its Too Early For All Your Stunt Queen Antics, Boo Side Eye

I absolutely live! Thanks Meeka for spreading the wealth!

Hey Fresh!

My day is never complete without visiting crunk and disorderly nor is complete without my daily Tang multivitamin but i digress..I always love the side eye fever and was on a friends facebook page when i spotted his 2 kids in the crib and his older daughter was hardly impressed by her younger siblings stunt queens antics..anyway love the site as always!

The “I Hope You Hired A Driver” Side-Eye

Fresh,

The “Trick You Are Not Relevant” Side-Eye a.k.a The “Girl, You Only Funky as Your Last Cut” Side-Eye

I was surfing the net and I came across this pic. Look how Senorita Lopez in the back is sweating Sonja’s lil girl. She’s looking like, “I hope you didn’t drive here Moesha.”

I’m loving how both Brandy and Monica are staging the paparazzi shots. Maybe they should flash some tittay balls so they can land a coveted spot on TMZ or US Weekly. That’s a good look!!

Anyway, I enjoy the site. Many blessings, keep up the good work!

- – Wayne

The “Fuck That I’m Hating” Side-Eye

Fresh!!! My friend posted up some nu myspace pix and when i saw this one i said i’m going to send this to c+d.

- – ruth

Side-Eye Hall of Fame Selection

side eye body Side Eye Hall of Fame Selection

And then a hero comes along.

The holy grail of all shade is the side-body. Anybody can slip a side-eye of  death to an unsuspecting recipient in passing but it takes a highly trained expert to twist their body to let whores for propaganda know they aren’t having it.

That’s a “Back the fuck up, bitch” face if I ever saw one. Baby is probably wondering why the rotten orange it was playing with earlier now has hair like a toy pony and eyelashes like a dust brush. If baby didn’t have such tiny arms, she would’ve slapped the grease right off of Katie’s face. (Dlisted)

The “You Smiling Now But You Weren’t This Happy When I Asked For Gas Money” Side-Eye

Fresh,

The attached pic is from my 10 year high school reunion. I don’t quite know what she was saying, but homegirl in the red doesn’t look like she is buying it.

Cheers!

- – Erin

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SOPHISTICATED HIPSTER's DIGEST™

Our TOP Picks of The Occupy Wallstreet Inspired Art via [@cultistmiami, #occupyart, #hangingbanker,#miaminewtimes, #occupywallstreet]

13 Nov shd Hanging Banker


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The Hanging Banker and Other Occupy Art

By Victor Gonzalez via  Cultist

above_003.jpg
Primary Flight

​Because the 99% includes everybody–except of course the blindly über rich–all types of folks are contributing to the movement. Musicians have partnered up to hold demonstrative jam sessions, poets have written endless lines reflecting the 99%’s overall sentiment, and of course, artists have tackled the message the best way they know how, visually.

From publicly humiliated Wall Street bankers to a broke Rich Uncle Pennybags, the Occupy movement has produced some incredible art. And with Art Basel Miami Beach just a month away, we can’t help but wonder how much of it will end up right here in our city.

Check out some of our favorite pieces inspired by the Occupy movement after the jump.

k-Guy Carpet.jpg
Photo by K-Guy via Vandalog

7. Carpet Bagging
The Occupy movement has gone international, and at Occupy London, artist K-Guy dropped a “carpet bomb” last month in the form of visual social commentary. Dude has a lot of neat work you should check out.

6. Crocheted Cube
The Alamo, better known by New Yorkers as The Cube, was originally installed in 1967, but last month, Polish-born, American-based artist Olek gave it an Occupy facelift. The artist crocheted the 1,800-pound cube and knitted the words, “I’m still proud of what I do for a living.” Take that, business school.

fist.jpg
Adbusters

5. Raise Your First
Not sure who designed this poster, but we found it on Adbusters and thought the message literally embodies everything Occupy’s about. If you know the artist who designed this, let us know.

banksy-artwork-occupy-london-2.jpg
Demontix, Flickr

4. Rich Uncle Occupier
It was only a matter of time before legendary street artist Banksy got in on the Occupy fun. He recreated the monopoly board with a 99% twist at Occupy London. Rich Uncle Pennybags is now broke, sort of like our dreams.

s-SHEPARD-FAIREY-large640.jpg

3. You’re Invited
The dude that brought you Hope cordially invites you to Occupy Wall Street. Shepard Fairey channeled ’60s Black Power and created this dope poster calling for a peaceful uprising.


2. 23 Wall Street
For a little under a month, the space at 23 Wall Street in New York was occupied by socially-charged art. It housed some of the best visual pieces inspired by the Occupy Movement. Today, however, it houses a Warner Bros. set. How’s that for ironic?

Hanging Banker.jpg
Primary Flight

1. Death to the Banker
To all the Occupy Miami naysayers, how’s this for activism? Street artist Above took a mannequin, dressed him up like a banker, and hung him from a phone line. The mural underneath the suspended body reads “Give a Wall St banker enough rope and he will hang himself.” Now bankers know what we feel like.

Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.

Tags: @cultistmiami, #occupyart, #hangingbanker,#miaminewtimes, #occupywallstreet, Victor Gonzalez, Cultist

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SOPHISTICATED HIPSTER's DIGEST™

What Does Silicon Valley and Pre-Civil Rights Selma, Alabama Have In Common???…… [#cnnmoney, Silicon Valley, #techracism, tech diversity, @NewMEAccel]

13 Nov shd silval


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Training new leaders

To bring more diversity to Silicon Valley, the NewMe Accelerator created a specialized incubator: Eight African-American entrepreneurs spent nine weeks living and working together. CNN’s Soledad O’Brien chronicled their journey in Black in America 4, which premiers November 13. Watch the trailer on CNN.com. Follow NewME Accelerator (@NewMEAccel) on Twitter

Black in America: The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley via cnn/money

Silicon Valley fights to keep its diversity data secret

Some of the tech industry’s biggest and most influential employers in Silicon Valley fight hard to keep private details about the diversity of their workforce.  More
Training new leaders

Eight African-American entrepreneurs are spending nine weeks living and working together. CNN’s Soledad O’Brien is chronicling their journey in Black in America 4, which airs November 13.

8 entrepreneurs diversifying the tech scene via cnn/money

Silicon Valley‘s startup scene is mostly young, male and white. In response, the NewMe incubator brought 8 black entrepreneurs together for a two-month immersion in San Francisco. CNN’s Black in America 4 and CNNMoney will track their journey. Here are their stories, as told to CNNMoney’s Julianne Pepitone.

Hajj Flemings
Company: Gokit
Age: 39
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.

I am all about personal branding. I have an 11-month-old daughter, and I told my wife that if the domain name was taken, we’re not naming her Kennedy!

I hail from the great Midwest — Detroit specifically — and I love it. People might be surprised to hear it, but Detroit is really starting to build a startup ecosystem. Still, it’s nothing like the environment in Silicon Valley. I knew that if I wanted to get a startup off the ground, I needed to get out and go to events.

It’s so cliche, but I literally launched my startup on a napkin at South by Southwest this past year. It’s called Gokit, and it’s a one-stop shop for your professional online platform. It encompasses who you are professionally, personally and socially — and puts it all in a package that’s downright sexy to look at and share.

I’m turning the big 4-0 this year, and I always joke that I’m AARP old in startup years. I’m nontraditional in that sense, but I see it as an opportunity rather than a hindrance. -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone

Wayne Sutton
Wayne Sutton
Company: Vouch
Age: 36
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.

I’m a partner in NewMe, along with Angela Benton. A bunch of us startup types knew each other via Twitter. We’re all from different parts of the country, and we knew the best way to get funding was to be in Silicon Valley.

We were also interested in different types of minorities getting a voice. It’s true that race was a main cause, but we’re also talking about women and other groups that are underrepresented in the tech space.

We started kicking around the idea of an accelerator back in February, and the whole thing has moved pretty fast. I’m focusing on managing the house; I will clean the toilets if I have to. We’re trying to make history here.

In addition to helping with the house, I’m participating in NewMe myself. My startup is called Vouch, and with it you can tweet recommendations of a person in your network. It lets others know this person is professional, a great public speaker, an expert in technology — you name it. -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone

Pius Uzamere
3 of 8
Pius Uzamere
Company: BeCouply
Age: 27
Hometown: Washington, D.C.

My startup, BeCouply, helps couples have epic social lives. I realized there wasn’t a lot out there for couples who don’t want to fall into the trap of dinner and a movie every Friday night.

I got the idea when I met Becky Cruze, my girlfriend and co-founder. I really wanted to impress her by building something we could use, and the more we talked to other couples the more we realized it could be a real business.

BeCouply helps couples discover new date spots and ideas, capture special moments and then connect with their couple friends. Our goal is to have every couple using BeCouply to advance their relationship — both at home on the computer and mobile on the go.

Becky and I are fortunate in that BeCouply is all about having a fun, loving relationship. Ironically enough, before this Becky was working at a law firm that did a lot of divorce cases! -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone

Anthony Frasier
Anthony Frasier
Company: Playd
Age: 25
Hometown: Newark, N.J.

After graduating from high school, I was living a seriously bum life. I was sitting around doing nothing on the couch, playing the video games I’d loved for years. Eventually I knew I had to change something, and I had an itch to start creating.

I started contributing a lot of content on forums for a certain video game website, and my commentary attracted so much attention that I brought the site a lot of extra traffic. I figured, if this is going so well, then I might as well do it myself. So I started The Koalition, a gaming site aimed at urban youth. It was a new approach, and it really took off.

I started working with some other startups, which was great, but I still wanted to do stuff with video games. I thought, why not an app? That’s how Playd was born.

Playd is like Foursquare for gamers: You can “check in” when you’re playing a game on a console or your phone, and rate how much you like it. You can also discuss and share with your friends. We’re launching a beta test in August. It hasn’t been easy, but I am so excited. -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone

Tiffani Bell
Tiffani Bell
Company: Pencil You In
Age: 26
Hometown: Fayetteville, N.C.

I’ve been programming ever since I was a little kid. When I was about six, my parents got me a V-Tech Precomputer 1000, a computer-type toy. I got bored with the games and checked out the manual, which explained ways to program with QBasic. Many years later, I ended up getting a full ride to Howard University for computer science.

I interned at IBM, then twice at HP. At IBM it was a team of all white guys. I could tell they had never worked with a woman, or a minority. They would make little jokes. It’s never everybody, but it’s always a few. By the end of my internship, they said I fit in because I learned to talk about Porsches and golf.

I graduated from school in 2008 and took about 18 months off. Then I picked up a job as a Web developer for my uncle’s company, a government contractor. It was fun, but I always thought about doing my own thing. I kept coming back to an idea I had in college. During my senior year, I was really busy and it was tough to make an appointment with my hairstylist. First he missed the call, then I missed the call and we were playing phone tag for a while.

That’s how I came up with Pencil You In: a site where people can book salon appointments online, making the process much easier for customers and businesses. We also help salons expand their social media presence on sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Coming in as a double minority — a black woman — has been tough in the tech space. It’s also hard being located in North Carolina. I live about an hour from Raleigh and Durham, where there’s a pretty healthy VC community. But the tech scene there is just as homogenous in some respects, plus you just don’t have the access to people like you do in Silicon Valley. It’s been great to talk to these big names — and to show that a lot of us in the tech space might not fit the image of what you’d expect. -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone

Hank Williams
6 of 8
Hank Williams
Company: Kloud.co
Age: 46
Hometown: New York, N.Y.

“I’ve started several tech companies. My biggest was an Internet radio company called Clickradio, which I launched in 2000. It was somewhat like Pandora; you could give a song a thumbs up or thumbs down, and learn more about the artist. We scored licensing deals with the big five music studios and secured $40 million in funding.

But when the dot-com bubble began to burst, Clickradio wasn’t able to reach full velocity. I left the company in early 2001. That was disappointing, but it’s just another in a long string of ventures for me.

My current company is Kloud.co, which puts all your personal data in the cloud and lets you search it. It’s like a Google search engine for your information universe. You can explore your e-mails, tweets, documents, contacts, calendar and more.

We’re starting with this consumer product, but I definitely plan to expand into companies. It does seem like the way to get attention is to start with consumer and move to enterprise. -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone

Crisson Jno-Charles
7 of 8
Crisson Jno-Charles
Company: Fetchmob
Age: 26
Hometown: Stoughton, Mass.

Last year I quit my job at a hedge fund to start my own company with a co-founder, who happens to be my girlfriend Alisa Boguslavskaya.

A friend of ours in North Carolina was in a lot of pain and needed to pick up some Tylenol, but he didn’t have a way to get there. It would’ve been great if someone who lived in his area and was already out shopping could have bought Tylenol for him.

So Alisa and I founded Fetchmob, a site where users can post shopping requests for friends to take on. Maybe your friend is at the grocery store and wouldn’t mind picking up some tomatoes for you. Or you could drop off an item for another student in your dorm. It’s all about making it simpler to help your friends and people who live near you.

I’m so excited about the idea of the accelerator. [Tech entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa has said] we need a black Zuckerberg. Not one or two minor successes; someone who just takes any misconceptions and smashes them to bits. -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone

Angela Benton
Angela Benton
Company: Cued
Age: 30
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.

Four years ago, I was trying to do research before my first day at a new job about what black-focused companies were doing in the tech space. I checked all the tech blogs, and I could barely find anything — even about big companies like BET, which is owned by Viacom.

In response, I started Black Web 2.0 in 2007. It’s solely about what African-Americans are doing in technology and new media. It really took off and developed a strong community that exists to this day.

Wayne Sutton was an early reader, and he and I developed a relationship via social media. We talked a lot about how it seemed like people were waiting for something. That they felt physically disconnected from the strong startup environment in Silicon Valley. That people needed someone to step up.

We got the idea of creating a “startup house” to get people out to California, and that eventually morphed into NewMe. Wayne and I put the whole thing together in three months, which shows how well we work together as a team.

Running the accelerator and my own startup has been a lot to balance, and some days are better balanced than others. I’m working on Cued, an app that gives you recommendations based on where you are, what you like and your past experiences. For example, if you tell Cued that you like a specific bar and you also like karaoke and draft beer, the system will make recommendations for more places you’ll like. -As told to CNNMoney staff reporter Julianne Pepitone <

War of words breaks out over Silicon Valley diversity debate

By Laurie Segall @CNNMoneyTech

‘I don’t know a single black entrepreneur’

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Weeks ahead of the premiere of a CNN documentary focusing on diversity in the tech industry, the charged issue is already generating sparks. A heated debate broke out on Twitter Wednesday night after a preview screening of Black in America 4.

Blogger-turned-investor Michael Arrington ignited a controversy with his comments about the visibility of minority-led companies. In the documentary, which airs November 13, Arrington talked about his difficulties finding African-American entrepreneurs to launch their ventures at his TechCrunch Disrupt conference — and suggested he would accept almost any black entrepreneur, regardless of merit.

“There’s a guy, actually, his last company just launched at our event, and he’s African-American. When he asked to launch — actually, I think it was the other way around. I think I begged him,” Arrington told CNN’s Soledad O’Brien.

“His startup’s really cool. But he could’ve launched a clown show on stage, and I would’ve put him up there, absolutely,” Arrington said. “I think it’s the first time we’ve had an African-American [be] the sole founder.”

It’s a remark that didn’t sit well with some in the tech community. Female and black entrepreneurs fired off tweets saying they didn’t want to be treated any differently because of their skin color or gender.

“I don’t want to be funded b/c I’m a woman, and I certainly don’t want ppl to believe that’s why I’m funded,” wrote Katrina Stevens, co-founder of LessonCast, a training website for teachers.

Arrington, who has not yet seen the finished documentary, mounted a vigorous defense on Twitter. About two-thirds of his Crunchfund investments so far have gone to female or minority-led ventures, he said — and the entrepreneurs landed the cash solely on the strength of their ideas.

“We funded 100% of the black founders who’ve pitched us (2). And it had nothing to do with skin color,” Arrington wrote.

But he also maintained that women and minorities no longer face any extra obstacles in the tech industry. In his words: “there’s zero race or sex bias in silicon valley.”

Dozens of commenters fired back against that remark.

“Even after all this time, still amazes me when @arrington presumes to speak as an authority on the experiences of women & people of color,” Anil Dash, a prominent blogger and veteran of the startup scene, tweeted back at Arrington. “You’re saying ‘women and people of color never have issues in SV’ but how could you possibly know that?”

There’s plenty of evidence that active — if often subconscious — bias plays a role. Legendary investor John Doerr made a telling, offhand remark a few years ago at a venture capital conference. He observed that the “world’s greatest entrepreneurs” are almost all “white, male, nerds who’ve dropped out of Harvard or Stanford.”

“When I see that pattern coming in — which was true of Google — it was very easy to decide to invest,” he added.

“I have personally experienced the discrimination and bigotry,” tech industry researcher and writer Vivek Wadhwa tweeted back at Arrington. “Know what it feels like and how it discourages.”

In CNN’s documentary, The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley, Wadhwa made similar remarks.

“When I did raise venture capital, my buddies’ advice to me was, they said, ‘Get a white guy to be your front man.’ And I did that. I hired a very impressive, six-foot-tall, impressive, polished white guy, and let him do all the talking,” Wadhwa told a group of aspiring entrepreneurs. “That’s the way the system works here. You might as well understand it, and then use it to your advantage.”

But Arrington made a second point on Twitter that touched nerves: He thinks the pendulum has swung the other way, and that female and minority entrepreneurs now get an extra boost from investors “dying” to diversify their portfolios.

That kicked off a wide-ranging discussion on Twitter. Is there a “negative” bias in Silicon Valley? Are women and minorities given an extra edge because the tech scene needs more diversity?

And, taking the issue a step further, where are the roots of the problem? Is it that venture capitalists shy away from funding minorities, or are there too few minorities entering the field?

“The problem isn’t there is barriers, the problem is that they aren’t entering the field in the first place,” college student and self-described “startup enthusiast” Mikey Tom opined.

The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley, the fourth installment in CNN’s Black in America series, will premiere November 13 at 8 p.m. ET. Watch the trailer on CNN.com, and check out CNNMoney’s full coverage of the project.  To top of page

From the Crowd

Commentary and analysis from outside voices in venture capital, hedge funds and economics

Racism in tech

By Brad Feld, contributor | cnn/money

There was a huge kerfluffle over the weekend about racism in Silicon Valley which tried to end when Michael Arrington wrote a post titled Oh Shit, I’m A Racist. But it didn’t end – on Monday there were stories by CNN reporter Soledad O’Brien defending herself with an article titled Michael Arrington is right (about one thing) and then a well reasoned post by Mitch Kapor titled Beyond Arrington and CNN, Let’s Look at the Real IssuesAnd I’m sure there will be more posts, including this one.

If you don’t know me, I’m white, Jewish, second generation American, born in Arkansas, grew up in Dallas, lived in Boston for 12 years and now live in Boulder, Colorado. My grandparents immigrated from Russia, Germany, and Austria – there were people in those countries trying really hard to kill them before they managed to immigrate to America. I say this not because I’m going to prognosticate about racism, but rather I’m going to tell a story. Of something that happened last week. Just to remind all of us that racism is alive and well in the U.S. and in tech.

On Thursday, I got a call from a CEO of company I’m on the board of. He was very upset as he relayed a story to me. He had just heard from one of his employees who had been at a customer site for the past three days with another employee. The first person (person A) is white; the second is Indian (person B). The customer site is a government-owned military installation.

Upon arrival, the customer would not shake hands with B. The customer would not acknowledge B’s presence directly. Over the course of the three days, the customer made endless racial and ethnic slurs directed at B. While it was extremely uncomfortable, A and B did their work, put up with the nonsense and were professional.

While the CEO was relaying this to me, I was pacing outside a room that I was about to give a talk in. I was furious at the customer. I was sad that A and B hadn’t called the CEO immediately – I know he would have told them to pack it up and come home right away and he’d deal with the customer directly. The notion that B, and A, had to put up with racist behavior for three days was appalling to me. Especially at a government facility. In the United States. In 2011. In the tech business.

Everyone on this planet gets to believe what they want to believe, but I’ll assert that racism is alive and well in the U.S. I’ve seen it many times, including in Silicon Valley. Rather than get into arguments about the existence, or lack thereof, I’d encourage anyone who cares about this to listen to some wise words from Mitch Kapor.

“Being meritocratic is a really worthy aspiration, but will require active mitigation of individual and organizational bias.  The operation of hidden bias in our cognitive apparatus is a well-documented phenomenon in neuroscience.  We may think we are acting rationally and objectively, but our brains deceive us.”

When you see racism, don’t tolerate it. Take action. And don’t deny reality.

Brad Feld (@bfeld) has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur for over twenty years. Prior to co-founding Foundry Group, he co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures, a company that helped launch and operate software companies. Brad is also a co-founder of TechStars, and blogs at www.feld.com  

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Tags: NewMe Accelerator, Silicon Valley, Brad Feld, Angela Benton, Cued, Black Web 2.0, cnn money, Wayne Sutton, Vouch, NewMe, #cnnmoney, VC discrimination, #techracism, tech diversity, @NewMEAccel, Discrimination Lawsuits, Racial Hiring  Quotas,  Civil Rights,

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