Washington, D.C. — Nov. 18, 2024 — Black-owned media-tech company TANTV was awarded a $50,000 pre-seed investment from Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition, an organization dedicated to supporting underrepresented Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs. This funding, which contributes to TANTV’s current round total of $250,000, will accelerate the development of SYNDEX, an AI-driven solution for multicultural publishers and creators. TANTV is working toward raising its $1.5 million funding goal.
TANTV is among the 30 visionary companies awarded a share of over $2.7 million at the Black Ambition Demo Day—an event celebrating the months-long journey that 3,000 entrepreneurs embarked on with TANTV emerging as one of the top finalists. Since its inception in 2020, Black Ambition has awarded approximately $13 million in capital to 131 entrepreneurs, with its network of founders generating over $265 million in revenue.
Co-founded by Adedayo Fashanu and Abolaji Omitogun, TANTV’s innovative product SYNDEX is the first AI-intelligent driven local news aggregation and distribution tool for multicultural publishers and creators. “The funds will be utilized for product development (AI/ML) and team expansion,” said Fashanu.
“We are in the midst of a news and misinformation crisis. Information deserts are expanding, and local newsrooms and small publishers are disappearing across America,” said Fashanu, a journalist-turned-media entrepreneur and publisher. “Local, multicultural, and independent newsrooms like ours face systemic algorithmic bias, struggle with monetization, and experience challenges in audience growth and advertiser attraction. Through our work, we found that other minority publications encounter the same obstacles.”
SYNDEX addresses these challenges by providing:
- Hyperlocal News: Delivering personalized, zip code-based recommendations to users while fostering community engagement.
- Publisher Support: Unlocking new revenue streams, expanding audience reach, and enabling predictive analytics for news pipelines.
- Advertiser Solutions: Offering highly targeted access to niche audiences with real-time performance tracking, all powered by advanced AI/ML and TANTV’s proprietary SYNDEX algorithms.
“SYNDEX bridges a critical gap in today’s media landscape by connecting independent multicultural publishers with communities through a unified, personalized platform,” added Omitogun.
Beyond the investment, TANTV gained mentorship and educational opportunities from Pharrell Williams and leading entrepreneurial experts, including Tope Awotona (Founder, Calendly), Jeff Hoffman (Co-Founder, Booking.com), Pinky Cole (Founder, Slutty Vegan), Matt Story (VP, Global Brand Integrated Marketing at Visa), and Charles Phillips (Former CEO, Infor).
“We’re thrilled to receive this investment,” said Fashanu. “This recognition validates our mission to amplify diverse voices and ensure historically overlooked communities have access to timely, relevant information.”
TANTV’s selection as a Black Ambition finalist highlights the platform’s potential for transformative social impact and market success. With SYNDEX, TANTV aims to revolutionize how multicultural publishers drive audience engagement, diversify revenue streams, and address inequities in the media ecosystem.
For more information, media inquiries, or to schedule an interview with the founders, please contact:
engage@tantvstudios.com
About TANTV
TANTV is a Black-owned media-technology platform dedicated to connecting the world with timely, relevant news and information. Through its innovative solutions, TANTV empowers multicultural publishers and creators to thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape, offering tools that enhance audience reach, engagement, and monetization.
About Black Ambition
Founded by Pharrell Williams in 2020, Black Ambition empowers Black and Hispanic innovators and communities to excel. To date, the organization has awarded approximately $13 million to 131 entrepreneurs, whose collective efforts have generated over $280 million in funding and revenue.