Shannon Sharpe says he could have been a billionaire if he had moved forward with an investment in Google. During an episode of Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, which featured billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, the host reveals he lucked out of a six-figure investment in Google after receiving advice from his financial team. The opportunity to invest in what has become a major tech giant was while he was in the NFL signed to the Baltimore Ravens. He was under a four-year contract — although he remained with the team for only two seasons, during 2000 and 2001. The contract was valued at $13.8 million, which encompassed a 4.5 million signing bonus and $4.5 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac. “I remember when Google came out and they thought shares were gonna open up at about $85 a share. And I remember sending it to my financial guys, and I was like — ‘Oh, you know what?’ I had just signed with the Ravens, so I had some money. And I was like, ‘Man, I’d like to buy $300,000...

Uncle Nearest Whiskey’s founder has a word of advice for Beyoncé as she plants herself in the spirits industry. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the “Cowboy Carter” singer released SirDavis in August 2024. The American whisky brand was launched in partnership with Moët Hennessy, and its inaugural product is inspired by Japanese and Scotch whiskies with promises to maintain “the robust and deep flavors typical of classic American rye,” a press release mentioned. The venture is inspired by Beyoncé’s paternal great-grandfather Davis Hogue, who was a farmer and worked as a “moonshiner” in the midst of the Prohibition era. “Our whiskey’s legacy dates back over 200 years to a Black man in Alabama in the 1800s… a man who was a businessman and an entrepreneur, but would have never had the opportunity to create a mainstream whiskey back then. Systemic barriers would not have allowed it,” she mentioned, according to GQ. “But it turns out that my great-grandfather’s hands planted the seed...

Yo Gotti is seeing a return on his investment in D.C. United. The “Rake It Up” rapper purchased a minority stake in the league in 2021 at a time when it was valued at $730 million, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. His foray was driven by his admiration for Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, co-chairmen of D.C. United who have former ties to the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, which represents Yo Gotti’s hometown. “What I’ve seen them do in Memphis with the Grizzlies and just as businessmen in general; I wanted to be in business with them. D.C. United, I think, is a great organization and D.C. has always been, overall, one of my favorite markets, even as an entertainer,” Yo Gotti told The Athletic. “It’s always been one of my favorite cities to come to — the whole DMV area has always been one of my favorite places to come to. Being from Memphis, even when I was building outside of my tri-state area, I want to say that Maryland, Baltimore, those were some of the biggest shows I’ve ever done. So...

Former NFL player Terrell Davis had to get rid of an accountant for being unethical. During an interview with AFROTECH™, the two-time Super Bowl champion reflects on early financial decisions he made during his foray into the league. He had been drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1995 and entered into a three-year deal, worth $484,000, which included a $38,000 signing bonus, per Spotrac. “When I first got into the league, there was no financial education. It was just trying to figure things out the best way you could and that was it,” he mentioned. “There was no one who came up to me and told me, ‘Here’s the plan. Let’s do X, let’s do Y, let’s do Z.’ There was none of that. So I had to look around and just watch people and see what they were doing.” Among Davis’ lessons included the importance of hiring the right team to help him navigate the business of being an athlete. Early on, he worked with an advisor, who he was referred to by another individual. It became clear the advisor...

Melissa Pennington is leveraging the advancements of technology to improve her work in human resources (HR). Exposure To Human Resources The Queens, NY, native carries more than two decades in the sector, which she was first introduced to as a high school student. She took a Myers-Briggs personality test, which suggested she consider a career in HR. She was unfamiliar with what it entailed until further research. “I remember thinking, ‘What is that?’ The more I explored, the more I realized how perfectly it aligned with who I am,” she told AFROTECH™ in an email interview. “As I grew into my career, I started to understand the impact HR could have — not just as the department dealing with policies or consequences, but as a true catalyst for positive change.” Pennington’s focus in her work would settle on nonprofits and medium to small-sized businesses. This was inspired by her grandmother, who moved to the United States in pursuit of the American dream. She owned multiple beauty...

Activism has always been the center piece for Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson. Advocacy Was In His DNA Within his family home during his upbringing, his parents would often discuss issues faced by their eastern Long Island community. The family even once skipped out on a family trip to Six Flags in New Jersey due to his parents allocating the funds to support Jesse Jackson’s second run for presidency in 1988. “I remember really early on getting involved in protests and activism and knocking on doors with candidates well before I could even vote,” he told AFROTECH™. “So it’s always been part of my DNA… There was something about that I was always drawn to about social change and about the idea that I could be part of making the world a better place, making things better for my family, making things better for my people, making things better for myself.” To no surprise, Robinson’s community work also take root in Long Island, an area which he says had a small population of...

At this moment in time, a judge is washing his hands of a decision involving Jay-Z and Dame Dash’s shares. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, Dame Dash is soon having his shares in Roc-A-Fella Records sold at auction following an $800,000 judgement from a copyright infringement and defamation of character lawsuit. The auction has been gaining significant attention as the buyer and new stakeholder would have the rights to Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” Even Drake reportedly showed interest in purchasing the shares through a direct message, Dame Dash had said. “Based on feedback I have received from interested parties (and I can’t mention names), this auction will likely bring out many household names in the sports and entertainment industries as well as those interested in a piece of a historically significant company, which holds an interest in a timeless debut album,” Dame Dash’s attorney Natraj Bhushan explained to Billboard at the time. Jay-Z’s attorney’s has since...

Two-time Super Bowl champion Terrell Davis is taking the lessons of his past and educating the next generation of athletes. The San Diego, CA-native was once a student-athlete, playing for Long Beach State University in California before transferring to the University of Georgia after Long Beach’s football program was shut down. In 1995, Davis’ talents would bring him to the bright lights of the NFL field, with him being drafted by the Denver Broncos. The team signed him under a three-year contract valued at $484,000, which included a $38,000 signing bonus, mentioned Spotrac. Early Financial Mishaps He recalled having no prior financial education when he entered the league, but he had a realization about money management through veteran teammate Simon Raynard Fletcher who one day was driving him to a nearby hotel following training camp. “I noticed on the passenger side of his car when I got in, it was a bunch of envelopes and there was a bunch of checks,” Davis told AFROTECH™. “I...