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Florida’s only Black tech hub has launched a new startup competition for underrepresented tech founders in South Florida. SPARC South Florida The Source announced SPARC South Florida, a competition geared toward Southern and Caribbean startups, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKLEfB6JR4g/ “While there are systemic barriers, one thing that we’re doing at The Source is we’re always focusing on solutions, particularly solutions here in South Florida and right where we are in Downtown Miami,” The Source Co-Founder and Partner Hilmon Sorey, an ex-Silicon Valley executive with over 500 companies within his portfolio , told AFROTECH™. Sorey added, “What we saw was an opportunity for this competition to bring investment and infrastructure directly to founders. So it’s really not just a pitch competition. It’s a launch pad. And the idea is that founders can access tools and funding and the relationships that they need to scale.” The company was...
Married couple Mike and Nicole Nicholas prioritize making an impact in their community through their business. In fact, a gentleman who met them through their plant-based Caribbean cafe and concept shop, Aunts et Uncles , in Brooklyn, NY, ended up becoming close friends with the pair and even invited them on a trip to Colombia to celebrate his 50th birthday, a major milestone as he had survived cancer and overcome two heart attacks. The friend had first met the couple after his cardiologist suggested he dine at Aunts et Uncles for its heart-healthy options, and after his last surgery he even wanted to have his first meal at the cafe. Mike and Nicole opened the shop in 2020 with menu items such as a smash burger, a lobster roll made with hearts of palm, sweet potato oatmeal, and various bowls and salads, along with coffees, cocktails, and teas. “He wanted to make sure he had his first meal and it had to be Aunts et Uncles,” Mike said during an interview with AFROTECH™. “You realize...
Kofa , a Ghana-based energy tech startup, secured $8.1 million in a pre-Series A funding round to expand its AI-powered battery-swapping network across Africa, as Techpoint Africa reports. According to the outlet, the investment consists of $3.25 million in equity, $4.32 million in debt, and $590,000 in grants, and was co-led by E3 Capital and Injaro Investment Advisors. Additional contributions came from the Shell Foundation and the UK Government’s Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, as well as Penso Power’s CEO Richard Thwaites, among others. “This funding validates our vision to transform urban Africa’s energy landscape, and we are committed to building the ecosystem necessary to make this a reality,” Erik Nygard, Kofa’s founder and CEO, said in a press release. “The shift to cleaner energy, for both domestic and commercial use, goes beyond sustainability — it drives real economic impact, but for this transition to succeed, several key elements must come together.” Nygard...
A new venture has launched to amplify Caribbean founders. Caribbean Venture Collective Caribbean Venture Collective — founded by Daniel Smith (Keepingly) and Mita Carriman (Adventurely), both Techstars alumni of Caribbean descent — has launched to help founders realize their full potential, a ccording to a news release shared with AFROTECH™ . Entrepreneurs will be supported across eight impact verticals: travel/hospitality tech, logistics and supply chain, proptech, agritech, climate tech, fintech, healthtech, and edtech. The move will also help to improve a region that spans over 30 countries and territories, with a combined population of more than 40 million. “Having been a founder in Trinidad and then moving to The U.S, realizing that one of the biggest issues that most founders face is around funding and being able to have access to funding and understand the market sizes, etc… What we’re doing is to ensure that we build a pipeline,” Smith told AFROTECH™. “One of the biggest...
Yale University students Nathaneo Johnson And Sean Hargrow have launched what they call “the first AI social network.” Business Insider reports that the duo was inspired to found Series because vanity metrics, such as likes and follower counts, were becoming a barrier to connection on platforms such as LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. “I see it within our generation, the FOMO, the ‘I’m not good enough, I won’t reach out to that person, he’s better than me,'” Hargrow told Business Insider. “Forget your likes, forget your followers, let’s focus on who you are and what you can bring to the table and what you need, and what somebody else can bring to your table if it makes sense.” In 2024, Series was founded with a focus on student entrepreneurs . The platform allows people to chat with an “AI Friend,” whether they’re using an iPhone or Android, to gauge what kind of connections they’re looking for. From there, the AI agent matches them with another Series user who fits...
Tisha Thompson is among the 2% of female founders who have successfully secured funding. Thompson launched LYS Beauty in 2021, a clean color cosmetics brand designed to serve a diverse range of skin tones and types, according to its website. Her journey in the beauty industry began during college when she worked as a makeup artist to support her education while studying accounting, Fortune reports. After earning her degree, she secured an accounting role at PÜR Cosmetics, where she quickly advanced through the ranks, eventually becoming VP of Marketing and Innovation. “During my tenure there, I wore a lot of hats, similar to what I do now as a startup founder. I helped to innovate clean beauty product development, supported brand management and marketing, and also oversaw finance and operations,” she told the outlet. Now, Thompson is successfully leading her own business and has stacked on wins since. This includes making history as the first Black-owned clean makeup brand to launch...
On March 15, 2025, the U.S. bombed Houthi terrorist targets across Yemen. But two hours before the world knew, a Signal message had already mapped the strike. The sender? Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The recipients? Top intelligence officials, but also Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic — a journalist inadvertently folded into the highest levels of American military planning. This wasn’t a clandestine leak. It was a raw, unfiltered display of the fragility of power in the digital age. It was a breach not orchestrated by a hostile foreign actor but self-inflicted — executed casually, almost thoughtlessly, by the nation’s top security officials on a consumer messaging app. For those of us who approach these matters with a deep understanding of U.S. statecraft and a critical perspective shaped by intellectual and resistance traditions, the story may demand more than mere procedural outrage. It calls for an unflinching analysis of how an empire, when unmoored from...
At a time when public trust in government is already on shaky ground, the latest actions by the IRS and ICE are only deepening the divide. Word is spreading fast: the IRS is reportedly finalizing a deal that would give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to confidential taxpayer data to locate and deport undocumented immigrants. For many, this isn’t just another policy shift — it’s a direct betrayal of a system that asked for participation and is now threatening punishment in return. At the heart of this issue is more than just bureaucracy — it’s about survival, privacy, dignity, and the weaponization of information against some of the country’s most vulnerable communities. This marks a potential turning point in U.S. immigration enforcement strategy, raising significant privacy and civil liberties concerns across the country. A Dangerous Shift In Tax Data Use According to CNN, the proposed agreement between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would...
From breaking records on the field to securing lucrative endorsements, DK Metcalf has established himself as a wide receiver to watch in the NFL. Since being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, he has quickly risen to elite status, becoming one of the league’s most dominant offensive weapons. Known for his rare combination of size, speed and athleticism, Metcalf has delivered performances that showcase his stamina and strength, cementing his reputation as a game-changing playmaker. Off the field, the 27-year-old has successfully transformed his football stardom into financial success . His endorsements include partnerships with major companies such as Nike, Gatorade and Beats by Dre, further boosting his income and public profile. Additionally, he has ventured into business, capitalizing on opportunities in industries ranging from fitness to fashion. With a keen eye for branding and entrepreneurship, he has positioned himself as more than just an athlete – he’s a savvy...
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painting “Sabado por la Noche,” or “Saturday Night,” will be the centerpiece of Christie’s evening sale in Hong Kong on March 28, 2025. Basquiat’s striking hot pink and maroon artwork, created in 1984 and measuring 6.5 feet by 7.5 feet, is estimated to sell for between $13 million and $16 million, according to a March 13, 2025 news release. “It is a privilege to present Sabado por la Noche (Saturday Night), an iconic masterpiece that reverberates with Basquiat’s inimitable visual language,” said Ada Tsui, Christie’s Asia Pacific head of evening sales and 20th/21st-century art. “Sabado” was created when Basquiat collaborated closely with Andy Warhol on over 150 paintings, ARTnews reported. The painting is filled with Basquiat’s signature motifs and imagery, featuring two of his “Griot” figures and depictions of animals, simplified female nudes, spirals, doubled gyres, references to the solar system, and the Fibonacci golden ratio. Tsui said the auction house...
Master P is a multifaceted rapper, record producer, record executive, actor, entrepreneur — and now president of basketball operations. On Feb. 26, 2026, Louisiana’s University of New Orleans (UNO) Privateers announced that the local legend, born Percy Miller, was joining them in this new role. As a former college basketball player, Miller, 54, has spent the past two decades coaching the sport. During that time, his Amateur Athletic Union team, “P. Miller’s Ballers,” won three national championships, and he coached future NBA players Demar Derozan , Brandon Jennings, Lance Stephenson, and Jalen Suggs, the news release notes. “As a kid growing up in New Orleans, I can honestly say that basketball changed and saved my life,” Miller said. Despite his significant success in the music industry, Miller said he finds the most fulfillment in coaching the next generation of basketball players and giving back to his community. He asserted that UNO used to have one of the best basketball...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. While President Donald Trump has delayed the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for another month, tariffs have already been imposed on China. Tariffs on China include a 10% tax, along with closing a loophole that helped boost China-owned brands like Temu and Shein. When a foreign shipment arrives, it goes through customs and gets inspected, and the importer has to pay an import tax depending on the size of the shipment. For almost a century, there’s been a loophole where small packages under a certain value would be exempt from that tax, called “de minimis.” Ten years ago, Congress expanded the exemption to include packages worth under $800. Stores like Temu, Shein, and Chinese drop shippers that sell on Amazon and the TikTok Shop have used the loophole to their advantage. The majority of retailers ship products in bulk to U.S. warehouses as they go through the traditional customs process. Shein and...
Black-owned edtech company Beanstack has secured another investment from Mark Cuban. The platform was launched in 2013 by Felix Brandon Lloyd (CEO) and Jordan Lloyd Booke, a husband-and-wife duo with extensive backgrounds in education. Booke served as Google’s head of K-12 education outreach from 2011 to 2013, while Lloyd worked as a teacher and dean at the SEED Public Charter School for seven years. The idea for Beanstack was sparked while they were reading to their 2-year-old son, inspiring them to focus on increasing literacy rates. “The early idea for our company came one night when [me and Jordan] were reading a book to our 2-year-old son and soon-to-be big brother,” Lloyd told AFROTECH™ in a previous interview. “He pointed to biracial characters on the page that looked like him and said, ‘That’s me, and that’s little sister.’ The power of reading was so clear. We immediately decided to put our backgrounds in education to work on a new business idea.” Beanstack initially...
According to Jamé Jackson, whether you recognize it or not, you are a brand. Jackson, the founder of the entrepreneurship website and podcast “TheBlondeMisfit,” serves as LinkedIn’s community manager of community segments, overseeing over 17,000 individuals. Her tenure with the social networking platform for professionals has centered on scaling its video content and viewership. According to her LinkedIn, coaching, workshops, and initiatives have led to an increase of 0.05% in video creation and attracted VIP and executive clients from tech companies to the platform. “My contributions have positioned LinkedIn as a leader in video-first professional storytelling, further reinforced by my role in ramping the video tab beta to over 10 million members, resulting in a 16% month-over-month expansion within just 12 weeks,” she describes on her LinkedIn profile. Jackson joined the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast, hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas, where she emphasized the...
A new Detroit, MI, coffee shop has opened its doors. Crain’s Detroit Business reports Charity Dean, president and CEO of the Michigan Black Business Alliance, has launched Rosa Cafe + Market at 222 Third Ave. This isn’t Dean’s first venture either — she previously opened a Rosa Cafe, named after her great-grandmother, in 2022. “We just wanted to make sure we were open for the people,” Dean explained to the outlet. “There’s been a lot of excitement about the new cafe, so we wanted to get it open.” The new 800-square-foot storefront, which is currently being stewarded by five employees, is in a luxury residential property close to the Detroit River. The Cafe will be able to seat nearly a dozen customers at once inside while more can gather in its outdoor patio. Customers can expect to sip on various coffee items including an Ethiopian house roast coffee made by Faust Haus Roasting Co. Additionally, there will also be snacks and food options available for purchase. Dean is looking...