HarbourView Equity Partners just landed a major financial boost to supercharge its growing empire. The Black-founded investment firm, led by Sherrese Clarke Soares, has secured $500 million in debt financing from KKR, according to a press release. The funds will be used to expand the firm’s portfolio of music, media, and sports-related intellectual property. The financing was structured by Barclays, with Barclays and KKR Capital Markets serving as placement agents and Fifth Third Bank as passive placement agent. “We are thrilled to have KKR’s continued support as we further scale the firm,” Soares said in the press release. “This additional capital will help us accelerate our strategy to align with where the media, sports, and entertainment markets are headed. We see a tremendous opportunity to continue investing in evergreen intellectual property, which we believe is historically uncorrelated to broader market volatility and forms a powerful diversification tool.” The new capital...

Fearless Founder and CEO Delali Dzirasa has secured $17 million in financing to expand his digital services company.

Corlex Capital — a minority-owned private equity firm founded by Jason Bedasse — proved that they weren’t afraid to flex their financial muscle with their recent WingStop deal. Now, it’s upping the ante with a new deal. In a press release, Corlex Capital announced that they’ve secured the refinancing and growth capital for Bandon Holdings, which is the largest franchisee of the 24-hour fitness club, Anytime Fitness. The growth capital that Corlex will provide for Bandon will help grow the franchise further — and this growth capital, according to Corlex’s vice president, has proved elusive to get in the wake of COVID-19. “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented fiscally fit companies in the gym industry, such as Bandon, with attractive opportunities to grow their businesses,” said Jon Marchel, Corlex’s vice president who led the financing, in a statement. “However, accessing growth capital during a time of industry disruption can be challenging and requires industry experience, trusted...

TIAA — a Fortune 100 financial services company and pension fund giant — has been a longtime supporter of diverse and unique suppliers, but now has plans to strengthen its commitment by spending more on goods and services from those minority firms. According to a statement from the company, TIAA launched its Supplier Diversity Program nearly 30 years ago to support the need to build relationships with diverse and diverse-conscious enterprises. TIAA recently published its Supplier Diversity Economic Impact Report , in which it includes initiatives to develop strong working relationships with suppliers owned by minorities of unique backgrounds, including women, veterans, disabled people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. “We are proud of the work we’ve done to support and celebrate diverse and minority-owned businesses, but we know we must do more,” said Glenn Richter, Chief Financial Officer at TIAA, in a statement . “As our nation continues to reel from...

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...

Russell Westbrook has launched an AI startup inspired by the loss of a dear friend. Eazewell According to a news release shared with AFROTECH™, the Denver Nuggets guard joins Donnell Beverly Jr., a former NCAA National Champion at the University of Connecticut, and Kemba Walker, an NBA All-Star, as co-founders of Eazewell, an AI-enabled funeral planning platform. Westbrook’s inspiration for the company was the loss of Khelcey Barrs III, his best friend who died at 16. Beverly Jr., who had also been a friend of Barrs as well as experienced the loss of both parents, shared that through these difficult times he gained insight into the challenges families face with funeral planning and accessing resources. Eazewell is now working to close this gap through its platform, which leverages 24/7 autonomous AI agents and offers users personalized funeral home-matching based on quotes, location, and individual needs. The platform also automates paperwork for filing death certificates and...

Howard University is not aligned with the Trump administration’s request to revert funding levels back to 2021. Why Federal Funding Proposal Was Made The Hill reports that the nation’s only federally chartered Historically Black College and University (HBCU) received a one-time payment valued at $64 million to support the construction of a hospital at the school. That hospital has been completed, therefore the Trump administration is not looking to provide that extra funding for the 2026 year. Trump also shares that he doesn’t intend to cut the federal funding budget for HBCUs that is already in place. “I got them more money than they ever dreamt possible, and they’re in great shape now,” Trump said referring to a 2019 bill that started allocating over $250 million yearly to HBCUs starting in 2021, according to the outlet. “They have long-term financing. Nobody did that but Donald Trump.” Howard University Responds Howard University is requesting that its budget for the 2026 year...

President Trump is back on his trade war wave — and this time, it’s rolling straight through the auto industry. With a fresh round of 25% tariffs on cars and auto parts set to take effect on April 3, people from the auto industry, from C-suites to dealership floors, are bracing for the impact. The administration says it’s about protecting national security and strengthening the U.S. manufacturing base. But if you’re thinking about buying a car this year, or if your job has anything to do with auto production, here’s the truth: You may be paying more, waiting longer, and dealing with fewer options. And that’s just the beginning. Why The White House Is Saying This Is Necessary According to an official statement from the White House, these tariffs on cars are aimed at keeping America safe. The administration is emphasizing that too many imports are “undermining” the “domestic industrial base” and weakening the U.S. supply chain. The idea is to hit foreign-made cars and parts with a 25%...