Tamar Huggins
Tamar Huggins | |
|---|---|
 Tamar Huggins in 2025 | |
| Born | January 7 |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | Founder of Tech Spark AI |
| Website | tamarhuggins.com |
Tamar Huggins is a Canadian tech entrepreneur, author and AI transformation strategist, based in Houston.[1][2] She is an advocate for culturally responsive technology, whose work focused on the development of the Black tech ecosystem in Canada.[3] Huggins founded DRIVEN Accelerator Group,[4] a tech accelerator for underrepresented founders in Canada. She founded Tech Spark, a Canadian technology school for Black youth, girls, and other youth of colour. She also created Spark Plug AI, the first generative AI tool to center Black culture, to make learning more relatable and empowering for youth.[5][6]
Early life and education
[edit]Huggins was born in Etobicoke and grew up in Brampton, Ontario as the youngest of eight children. She is of Jamaican and Kittian descent and Nigerian ancestry.[citation needed] She graduated in 2007 from Centennial College, where she studied creative advertising with a major in media planning.[7]
Career
[edit]Huggins pursued entrepreneurship in 2009 after losing her advertising job during the recession.[8] In 2012, she created the first tech accelerator for BIPOC leaders in Canada, called DRIVEN.[2] The accelerator raised $1.1 million for Black, Brown and women-led tech startups in Canada. In 2015, Huggins launched a technology school in Canada focused on BIPOC students, called Tech Spark.[1][9] The school educated 1500 students in the first two years.[10] In 2017, Huggins released her first book, Bossed Up: 100 Truths to Becoming Your Own Boss, God's Way![3] In November 2019, Huggins founded EDUlytics, later rebranded as Spark Plug,[11] a digital tool that uses data, hip hop culture and artificial intelligence to personalize education and inform education policy.[12]
In 2021, Huggins' technology company was awarded $1 million from TD Canada Trust, to scale Spark Plug to 40,000 North American students.[13]
Honours and awards
[edit]- Harry Jerome Awards, Young Entrepreneur, 2015[14]
- Canadian Living Magazine, Canadian Superhero, 2015[15]
- CIBWE, 100 Black Women to Watch, 2015[16]
- Canada's Top 150 Black Women Creating Impact Across the Country, CBC and Herstory in Black, 2017[1]
- Move The Dial, Dial Mover, 2019[17]
- The City of Brampton, Innovation Award, 2020
- TD Canada Trust, TD Ready Challenge Winner, 2021[18]
- Centennial College, Alumnus of Distinction, 2021
- Womxn in Data Science Toronto, Trailblazer Award, 2022
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Rebels and rocket scientists: Ten Canadian women who blazed a trail in STEM". The Toronto Star. 2020-02-11. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ a b Thompson, Wanna (2021-05-25). "Black tech founders to watch in 2021". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ a b "Meet Tamar Huggins Grant: Entrepreneur, Author and Tech Trailblazer". Robertson College. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ^ Evans, Mark (2012-04-23). "Digital startup accelerator targets minorities, women". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
- ^ Jackson, Stacy (2023-11-21). "Mom, Daughter Raise $1.4M For AI Product That Changes Literature To AAVE". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ^ Okine, Dollita (2023-11-17). "13-year-old developing ChatGPT alternative for Black Gen Zers with her mom after raising $1.4M". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ^ "Centennial College - Advertising Grad Tamar Huggins Talks Social Entrepreneurship & Her Company Tech Spark | School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design Blog". www.centennialcollege.ca. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ^ "This Woman Is on a Mission to Increase the Number of Women and Minorities in STEM". Black Enterprise. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ "TVO | Current affairs, documentaries and education". www.tvo.org. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ^ "Tamar Huggins". Black on Track. 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ "Two Black-lead charities get $1.75 million support from TD Bank". The Caribbean Camera. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ "Tech Education for the Next Generation". DISRUPTION MAGAZINE. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ https://ca.style.yahoo.com/first-black-woman-raise-1-141300343.html
- ^ "Tamar Huggins among 15 Harry Jerome award winners". CBC News. April 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Tamar Huggins Grant Superpower Increasing Educational And Economic Opportunities For Youth In Underserved Communities". Canadian Living. 1 Mar 2016. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-16 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Meet Tamar Huggins Grant: Entrepreneur, Author and Tech Trailblazer". Robertson College. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ "#DialMovers Part 4". #movethedial. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-25.[dead link]
- ^ "Meet the 2021 TD Ready Challenge grant recipients". stories.td.com. Retrieved 2022-07-25.