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Earlier this week, Gabrielle Union announced the launch of Flawless by Gabrielle Union , an affordable, moisture-rich haircare line for Black hair. However, this was not her first journey into the world of African American hair care. In fact, Union’s first attempt at launching the line came in 2017 but she quickly halted the project when she began to lose her own hair as a result of IVF treatments. “When we first launched in 2017, the brand coincided with a lot of hair loss due to my fertility journey and having multiple rounds of IVF. From ear to ear, where a headband would sit, I was bald,” Union tells Harper’s Bazaar . “When you’re launching a line called Flawless and you feel anything but flawless, you actually feel like a fraud. I didn’t feel confident or transparent, and the investors and ownership group we had at the time didn’t want to wait for my hair to grow back in. They only cared about deadlines, and I wasn’t being listened to.” It was then that Gabrielle Union had to...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The question of who controls your data and how it’s used has been a topic of discussion since the dawn of the internet. The rise of social media giants like Meta and X has only heightened awareness and concern around data privacy. What happens when data collection goes beyond your age and interests to your genetic makeup? That’s the concern surrounding the recent news about 23andMe. As reported by AP News, the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after former CEO Anne Wojcicki’s attempt to buy back the company’s assets fell through. Founded in 2006 by Wojcicki, Linda Avey, and Paul Cusenza, 23andMe was created to empower consumers with insights about their genetic makeup to inform health decisions. As reported by CTech, the company went public at a $3.5 billion valuation and was once valued as high as $6 billion. In addition to consumer-focused tests, 23andMe has contributed to genetic...
Money. Every single one of us is working for it, it’s why we’re logging into these computers everyday, but for some reason, it’s also something we’re scared to talk about. In a recent LinkedIn survey, 40% of Black professionals felt like they were underpaid, but get this; only 30% had plans to ask for a raise, and 34% of us feel the hardest part of job searching is salary and benefits negotiations. If we agree that we’re all working for money–Lord knows I work HARD for mine–then why are we so scared to talk about compensation? By traditional measures, the U.S. labor market looks pretty good on paper. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the U.S. economy added more jobs than economists expected in February 2024, however, on LinkedIn we’re still seeing just one job opening for every two applicants. My goal is to help people, who plan to stay in their roles, better understand how not to leave money on the table and to help folks negotiating for new opportunities arm...
A new generation of Black entrepreneurs is on the rise and they’re making major power moves in the business world. From creative spaces to real estate, these Black millennial business-owners are forces to be reckoned with. As they all work to increase diversity and inclusion in business sectors, Black millennial entrepreneurs are carving their own lanes to take over the industry and enhance the community. Check out the list below to see what Black entrepreneurs you need to be on the lookout for. DonYé Taylor Photo Credit: Donye Taylor/ Instagram Meet Donye Taylor, one-half of the masterminds behind The Digital Footprint, a Black-owned millennial-led agency that produces innovative content, design, and social campaigns. Taylor is a young entrepreneur with a background based in marketing, strategy, branding, and consumer psychology. Since founding her company with her business partner, Raymond Smith , Taylor has set out to help businesses increase their visibility among young...
Thanks to the magic of a free and open Internet and social networking, this generation has the ability to document every day of their entire lives. On the flip side, once posted there’s no way to erase the occasional stupid comment, regretful photo or random rookie mistake…or, is there? Photo: Giphy As co-founder of On Second Thought , Maci Peterson has patented a system that allows users to recall and edit their messages in real time. The inspiration came to the 30-year-old entrepreneur three years ago, when she accidentally texted an ex-boyfriend something she later wished she could take back. I mean, who hasn’t been there? In 2014, that inspiration lead Peterson to launch an app used to recall text messages. Now she and her partner are taking it a step further and expanding the technology for use on social networking platforms. In fact, the patented recall system will be made available on all forms of telecommunications. Brilliance! No one deserves a permanent, easily sharable...