Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Metta World Peace, has entered the world of venture capital by launching his own VC firm. The former Los Angeles Lakers player expanded his focus to the VC sector after retiring from the NBA in 2017 after 17 seasons in the league. According to Sportico, Sandiford-Artest pursued a deeper understanding of private equity and finance by enrolling in digital analytics courses and working toward a master’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). “I told people that I didn’t want my face to add value,” Artest told Sportico. “I wanted that to be my word and my (mind). That took a long time. There’s just so much that goes into that, especially how people perceive you. You’ll go into a meeting (before) and they’re just waiting to talk basketball.” In December 2024, Artest launched Tru Skye Ventures — in partnership with former Boost Mobile CEO Stephen Stokols. The collaboration builds on their existing business relationship, which...

Jerseys worn by LeBron James and his son Bronny performed exceptionally well at auction. On June 27, 2024, Bronny James made headlines when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, selected as the 55th overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft, notes USC Athletics. Shortly after, he signed a four-year rookie contract worth $7.9 million guaranteed, per ESPN. This historic move placed Bronny on the same team as his legendary father, LeBron. “Bronny is, first and foremost, a person of high character,”  Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka said, according to the NBA. “And second, he is a young man that works incredibly hard. Those are the qualities we look for in drafting players and adding to our developmental corps at the Lakers.” Speaking to his potential, Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick commented, per Sports Illustrated: “We view Bronny as case study No. 1. Because his base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defender, shooting, passing — there’s a lot to like about his game. And...

Goodr has opened a new grocery store in Atlanta, GA. The Atlanta-based company, which combines technology and logistics to combat food waste and fight food insecurity, is the brainchild of Jasmine Crowe-Houston. “[Goodr] uses technology to solve hunger — that’s our big focus. I think we are taking a radically different approach to how this country solves hunger and food waste,” Crowe-Houston told AFROTECH™ in a 2021 interview. “A lot of times people say to me, ‘How is this a business? How can this be profitable?’ But, the main thing is people have to understand that billions of dollars get spent every year on food insecurity and trying to make sure people have access to food. But, it typically only goes to the same organizations.” She added, “And what we’re trying to do is come in and kind of disrupt that and say, ‘Listen, we’re getting a lot wrong about solving hunger if we’re always going to give money to the same people. We’re going to keep on having the same results.’ Give Goodr...

Reginae Carter, the daughter of hip-hop icon Lil Wayne and actress Toya Wright, has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry and beyond. Known for her role as an actress, entrepreneur, and social media influencer, Reginae has carefully built her career while embracing her famous lineage. Whether it’s her acting roles, her influence as a social media personality, or her entrepreneurial ventures, Reginae continues to grow her personal brand. As the daughter of one of the most influential rappers of all time, she has access to significant resources and opportunities but has shown a strong commitment to creating a name for herself, independent of her father’s success. Reality TV Success Carter is best known for her role in the reality show “Toya: A Family Affair,” which helped launch her career in the public eye. She later appeared in multiple acting roles, including films like “Dear Santa, I Need a Date ” and “Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta” . Beyond her acting, Reginae has...

Nike, Inc . is one of the most iconic brands in the world, known for its athletic footwear, apparel, and sports equipment. As a publicly traded company, Nike’s market capitalization (market cap) serves as an important indicator of its size and economic standing within the global market. Market cap is calculated by multiplying a company’s current stock price by the number of shares outstanding. This value is used by investors to gauge a company’s overall worth in the market and can fluctuate based on stock price movements and overall market conditions. Understanding Market Cap Before diving into Nike’s current market cap, it’s important to understand what this metric represents. Market cap is one of the simplest and most commonly used measures to estimate the value of a company. It is broken down into three categories: large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap, with large-cap companies like Nike representing those valued over $10 billion. A higher market cap generally indicates a more stable...

If you tend to spend any time analyzing stock market data , you may have been struck by the sudden surge in Salesforce shares on Tuesday morning. Per reports, the shares saw a more than 12 percent single-day rise as Salesforce’s third-quarter earnings were reported in full. Not only did the corporation, listed as CRM on the New York Stock Exchange , manage to out-earn their Q3 projections in 2024, their recent pivot to artificial intelligence has led analysts to project significant additional growth in quarter 4 and beyond. Expectations for fourth-quarter sales have now been reported at highs of over $10 billion. Though these figures seem massive in scope, some analysts have successfully predicted this rise, as Salesforce has been on a financial uptick throughout all of 2024. To understand why these figures are significant, and what this means for the Salesforce market moving forward, we’ll have to take a brief look at the company’s existing business model, financial structure, and...

Byron Allen’s $10 billion lawsuit against a major fast-food chain is heading to trial. Allen Media Group (AMG) filed the lawsuit against McDonald’s in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles in May 2021, per Deadline. The lawsuit alleges that McDonald’s has engaged in racial discrimination by failing to allocate advertising dollars to Black-owned media companies, despite the fact that 40% of its U.S. sales come from the Black community. It claims McDonald’s refused to contract with AMG’s Entertainment Studios and Weather Group and sets Black-owned media at a disadvantage during the bidding process for advertising. Allen and other leaders of Black-owned media companies requested in a letter that McDonald’s commit 5% to 15% of its advertising budget to Black-owned media outlets. McDonald’s said at the time, “Together with our Owner/Operators, we have doubled down on our relationships with diverse-owned partners. This includes increasing our spend with diverse-owned media from...

Jay-Z is reportedly no longer affiliated with The Parent Company, which suffered significant revenue losses starting in 2022. In 2020, the rap mogul, born Shawn Carter, launched his luxury cannabis brand Monogram under The Parent Company, where he served as chief visionary officer, mentions Lawyer Monthly. Its flagship product, the OG Handrolls, was priced at $50, with the full lineup of strains primarily available at eight California-based dispensaries, including Caliva, Coastal, and Zen Garden, as well as an Arizona dispensary called Ponderosa. However, since then there appears to be trouble in paradise for both Monogram and The Parent Company. S FGATE mentions Monogram’s pricing did not fair well for cannabis consumers, especially since its products were marketed as high-end and premium. “Like many other things we’ve seen in cannabis surrounding rappers, the hype hasn’t met the reality. Monogram was supposed to be an ultra-premium product, and I don’t know anyone who tried it and...

The Forbes Union has walked out after publishing the company’s annual “30 Under 30” list. The list’s Class of 2025 features individuals across industries such as sports, entertainment, energy and green tech, artificial intelligence, food and drink, venture capital, marketing and advertising, science, and gaming, among others. Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum, country artist Shaboozey , actress Ryan Destiny, Miss EmpowHer founder Caitlyn Kumi, and Foundry Technologies founder Jared Quincy Davis are some of the individuals listed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Forbes (@forbes)   A total of 600 individuals are featured, collectively contributing $3.6 billion in funding and amassing over 300 million followers across social media, Forbes states. Unsurprisingly, the list generates significant buzz and excitement among readers. It’s precisely for these reasons that editorial staffers made a calculated decision to stage a walkout, drawing attention to a three-year-long...

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, President Joe Biden announced $600 million in new funding to support the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor’s rail infrastructure. The Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor is a series of railway networks connecting the Central African Copperbelt to the Angolan port of Lobito. Known as the Benguela Railway , the rail line is essential for transporting goods to global markets. According to the White House, the investment will support key sectors in the region, including agriculture, clean energy, transportation and logistics, supply chains, as well as health and digital access. “The United States understands how we invest in Africa is just as important as how much we invest in Africa,” Biden said, as Bloomberg reported . “To help Africa lead the way. We need more capital and more infrastructure to deal with these real solutions. That’s why we’re here today.” The U.S. has invested $2.9 billion in Angola’s energy, infrastructure, and telecommunications sectors. Earlier this...

Founder Craig J. Lewis is revamping his mission to empower the gig economy. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Lewis leads Gig Wage, a fintech platform aimed at improving payroll for 1099 employees. With his background in payroll sales at Payroll Plus Inc. from 2009 to 2010 and a two-year stint as a payroll technology consultant at CyberPay, Lewis has a deep understanding of the industry, as mentioned on his LinkedIn profile. “I helped to sell ADP’s [the largest payroll company in the world] first cloud-based product called ADP Run, and that’s where it all started for me,” he told AFROTECH™ in a 2021 interview. “I’ve seen the impact that technology has on the payroll space. After reading an article about the global independent workforce, aka the gig economy, I realized that there wasn’t a payroll space for that group, meaning, people who do work for a company but the companies aren’t really designed or don’t have access to the technology to pay these type of people. These are your...

Russell Westbrook is a nine-time NBA All-Star and 2017 MVP — accolades that speak to his skill set. When he isn’t dominating the court, the Denver Nuggets point guard dedicates his time to making a difference through his Why Not? Foundation. Founded in 2012, Westbrook’s foundation strives to lead, impact, and inspire underserved communities. With a focus on education, mental health, and career development, it seeks to bridge socioeconomic gaps and encourage people to believe in themselves and overcome obstacles, according to its website. “I started my foundation strictly based on education initially,” Westbrook told AFROTECH™. “I wanted to expand into other areas that I felt [would] be beneficial for the people, not just in Los Angeles, but globally, with mental health and in the workforce, and obviously keeping education as part of our pillars.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Russell Westbrook Enterprises (@westbrookenterprises) “Why Not?” has been hailed as a...

When it comes to investing , two common methods of portfolio construction and index strategies are value-weighted and market-cap weighted approaches. Both of these strategies offer unique ways of measuring the importance of individual assets within a portfolio or index, but they operate on different principles and have distinct advantages and drawbacks. Understanding these differences is key to making informed investment decisions, particularly for those investing in large indices or diversified portfolios. What Is Market Cap Weighted? Market cap weighted, or capitalization-weighted, is a method used to determine the importance of a stock within an index based on the company’s market capitalization. The market capitalization of a company is calculated by multiplying its stock price by the number of shares outstanding. In a market cap-weighted index, the larger the company’s market cap, the more influence it has within the index. For example, in a market cap-weighted index like the...

KSI , born Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji on June 19, 1993, in London, England, is a well-known British YouTuber, rapper, boxer, and entrepreneur. With a career spanning over a decade, KSI has made a name for himself in multiple industries, amassing wealth and a large following along the way. From his viral YouTube videos to his successful ventures in music and boxing, KSI has built a diverse portfolio of income streams that contribute to his impressive net worth. The YouTube Career Of KSI KSI’s journey to fame began in 2008 when he started posting gaming videos on YouTube. Initially, he uploaded commentary and gameplay footage of popular video games, particularly the FIFA series. His energetic personality and comedic style helped him quickly build a large fanbase. As his subscriber count grew, KSI expanded his content to include vlogs, challenges, music, and collaborations with other YouTubers. Over the years, KSI’s main YouTube channel, “KSIOlajideBT,” has accumulated over 25...

24-year-old actress Yara Shahidi felt protected when she entered the entertainment industry. At just 6 weeks old, she landed a photo shoot gig for a life insurance company, and by 6 years old, she had her first movie audition. In an interview with SoFi, led by Vivian Tu of Your Rich BFF, the actress reflected on her experience, noting that she was able to enjoy acting as a craft rather than as a means to support her family — a privilege she acknowledges isn’t always afforded to child stars. “My parents were able to set it up so that we had either family members or people that were helping us that were on set with another brother that were looking after me where they were able to dip out and do things for themselves,” she told SoFi. “So it was under that environment where I was able to have a fulfilling career at a young age and even be in my 20s, and say I’m happy I started that young. But it was so particular to being under those set of circumstances, which allowed me to enjoy...