It’s no question that Malcolm Jenkins has continuously been on the frontline in support of Black and brown entrepreneurs. Spearheading change through Broad Street Ventures, the first Black athlete-led venture capital fund, the two-time Super Bowl champion has been on go-mode since its launch. As previously reported by AfroTech, the $10 million investment fund further created space for Black and brown women after bringing India Robinson and Sara “Lovestyle” Hood on board as investors. Now, less than four months later, Jenkins is onto his next impactful venture under Malcolm Inc. — his holding company.

“Capitalists are gonna capitalize.” Following social media backlash, which included the aforementioned comment, Walmart has removed a red velvet and cheesecake ice cream from its shelves that was meant to celebrate the upcoming Juneteenth holiday. I better not see yall buying this. Capitalists are gonna capitalize, but this is ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/ngBPZDzWKk — CHUCK JIGSAW CREEKMUR (@chuckcreekmur) May 22, 2022

Neobank First Boulevard is not only for the culture, but it’s by the culture. Not to be confused with a traditional bank, First Boulevard is a fully inclusive financial services company that not only believes that banking should be inclusive, but has a plan in place to help Black America build generational wealth, control spending, and receive paychecks up to two days early. “Through representation, our goal is to show others that the solutions we need can be effectively developed within our own communities,” said First Boulevard Founder and CEO, Donald Hawkins in an exclusive interview with AfroTech. “Our company looks like the market we serve and as a result, we have an unfair advantage when it comes to building products that Black America needs. Our diversity is our intellectual property and our members are the driving force behind what we do.” As an institution dedicated to the betterment of the community, it was only right that the neobank’s beta launch took place during...

This Juneteenth, it’s not only important to commemorate the value of Black liberation, but health and wellness as well — according to this New York city-based fitness club. Blaque — known as the first luxury fitness experience designed by Black people, for Black people — understands that our community has specific needs for wellness services because of the disproportionate rate at which preventable diseases affect us. This is what prompted the platform to launch The BLAQUE Movement App — the first all-in-one fitness app that caters to Black people. “Our mission [at BLAQUE] is to help Black people live their best lives through optimal fitness and wellness,” the company shares. “Our app-driven coaching program is built by fitness and wellness professionals and provides a customized, interactive and focused approach on cultivating members’ optimal well-being.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by BLAQUE.INC (@blaque.inc) According to BLAQUE, the new app’s features include...

When it comes to wealth, Black Americans have always gotten the short end of the stick. In part, a lot of this is due to the lack of financial literacy which comes from a deep history of racism that has held our community back for centuries. “It is the most important issue facing Black Americans. Period,” said Kevin Cohee, Owner, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of OneUnited Bank. In an interview with AfroTech, he told us the role that the largest Black-owned bank in America plays when it comes to not only teaching the importance of financial literacy but providing the community with the tools and resources needed to survive and thrive in a place where the playing field has been everything except level. “It’s fairly understandable how we got into this situation,” continued Cohee. “We were slaves, then we weren’t but we were given no education, we were given no money, no compensation, and we were denied the opportunity to do things like for example, live in neighborhoods where...

Juneteenth has historically been a day in American history that’s not celebrated enough, but major brands and companies are hoping to change that this year. In light of recent tragic events, Black people and POC’s demands for social justice and real change in this country have sparked the start of a new revolution encouraging the world to take notes and listen. Storytelling during this time has taken on a new meaning for Black voices and to amplify those voices, Instagram is continuing their #ShareBlackStories initiative by partnering with three Black artists — Andrea Pippins , Marco Cheatham , and Mina Elise — to design a series of new stickers in celebration of Juneteenth. Credit: Instagram #ShareBlackStories has become a year-round storytelling movement on Instagram that amplifies Black voices and encourages freedom of expression and unique perspectives. For this year’s Freedom Day commemoration, Pippins, Cheatham, and Elise wanted to share their art which shows who they are as...

Amid conversations and uprisings surrounding racial justice, Juneteenth is quickly becoming a company holiday . However, with all of the increased awareness, Goalsetter is launching the #SavingOurSelves initiative to help reverse the wealth gap. Founded by Tanya Van Court, Goalsetter —a Black-owned app that provides culturally-relevant financial literacy tools for kids and families to save money—is committing to getting one million Black kids signed up for savings accounts. “Juneteenth is a celebration of our freedom from slavery, but African-Americans can’t truly celebrate freedom until we are financially liberated and the wealth gap is closed,” said Chairman of Vista Equity and Goalsetter investor Robert F. Smith. “By giving Black kids a savings and financial literacy app created by a Black entrepreneur, we can change the way a whole generation of Black kids learns about money and thinks about building wealth. And that can have a profound impact on our entire community.”...