He had\u00a0a successful exit<\/a>\u00a0when his start-up Tru Optik was sold to data giant Transunion last year.\u00a0 \u00a0But it was\u00a0 tough sledding, building an advanced media data business five years ago.\u00a0 Now a super-hot sector, Andre was ahead of his time.<\/p>\n While he made early progress with product development and industry partnerships, funded from a few early stage angel investors, access to venture capital was nearly impossible.\u00a0 While he says the adtech industry was open to him, he was shut out by VC\u2019s \u2014 unable to even to get preliminary pitch meetings.\u00a0 He blames racial bias.<\/p>\n With VC\u2019s investing\u00a0less than 1 % in Black-founded start-ups<\/a>, Andre is committed to changing the equation both by his example, advocacy and now personal investing in promising companies.<\/p>\n This is one of the topics covered in a wide ranging podcast session moderated by guest host\u00a0Ashley Swartz<\/a>, CEO of Furious Corp.\u00a0 They cover a number topics including the transformation of TV, the background and promise of the acquisition by Transunion.<\/p>\n Editor’s Note: This episode was published in January of the year.\u00a0 \u00a0It is as compelling and important as ever, so we are republishing it this week.<\/p>\n