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Briana Marbury grew up in Detroit, seeing barriers to financial freedom for people in her community. Traditional banking institutions were rare, and when the recession hit in 2008, small banking businesses closed as well.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Marbury initially started at a major computer company, before realizing her dream to work at an organization aligned with her beliefs. Those beliefs included breaking down barriers to financial freedom for people from marginalized communities.
And Ms. Marbury now does so in an unusual way: through what’s known as the tech ecosystem. Specifically, she works with individuals and organizations to create accessibility for people around the world who are typically left out of conversations surrounding finances and technology.
Briana Marbury empowers Black tech
In fact, many Black entrepreneurs in the US, along with under-resourced communities around the globe, lack the opportunity to raise capital for their ideas, but Ms. Marbury helps them do so. Through grants and awards from her organization, the Interledger Foundation, Ms. Marbury is helping people reach their dreams.
The Interledger Foundation is unusual in the tech ecosystem because of its commitment to supporting people from marginalized communities. Financial organizations are still seen as an old White man’s purview, but Ms. Marbury works to change that.
“Sometimes it’s difficult for a person who is outside the insular tech world to break in,” Marbury said in an interview with The Black Wall Street Times. Additionally, many innovators must contend with a day job on top of their creative pursuits.
Yet through the Interledger Foundation, creators and entrepreneurs can pursue their goals.
And that includes students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), an often-overlooked source of future entrepreneurs and innovators. Interledger Foundation provides grants and awards to people who meet one of the three criteria: a person of Color; someone with a diverse team; and projects that benefit overlooked communities.
To learn more about Interledger Foundation and how it supports opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators around the globe, go to Interledger.org.
According to Marbury, a new call for proposals is starting soon, with plans to address financial needs in June.