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If you’ve ever hesitated at checkout, wondering whether you need that grocery haul, electronics upgrade, or self-care splurge—you’re not alone. And Klarna, the AI-powered payments and commerce platform, is betting big on that exact moment of hesitation. Klarna has joined forces with DoorDash and Walmart to give shoppers flexible pay options. These strategic partnerships don’t just mark a shift in how we handle money at checkout—they reflect a deeper story about consumer habits, trust, and the evolving economy in 2025. Klarna And DoorDash Team Up According to an announcement from Klarna, DoorDash customers in the U.S. will soon see Klarna listed as a payment option when ordering from the app or website. This will make it even easier to snag groceries, electronics, beauty items, and even the DashPass Annual Plan without having to pay the full amount upfront. The options? Pretty straightforward and stress-relieving: Pay in full at checkout Pay in 4 equal, interest-free installments Pay...
Klarna, the popular pay-in-four app, has announced that rapper A$AP Rocky has joined the company as an investor and CEO for a day. In a press release announcement, it was revealed that the New York rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, will also join the company’s GiveOne sustainability initiative. His participation in this program involves pledging 1 percent of his initial Klarna investment to impactful planet health projects focusing on climate and biodiversity. His chosen project is the Miti Alliance in Kenya and its founder Michael Waiyaki. According to the organization’s official website, the Miti Alliance — which began in 2018 — has a mission to replant indigenous trees in water catchment areas. The organization has had the impact of planting more than 10,000 trees since its inception. “Klarna is a company that looks ahead and challenges the status quo, which makes partnering with them so appealing to me,” said A$AP Rocky in the press release announcement. “I’m excited to begin...
These celebs aren’t playing any games when it comes to influencing the masses! Last time, it was Nicki Minaj causing a spike in pink Crocs sales — this time it’s Zendaya’s yellow dress. Zendaya has never been one to shy away from stealing the show with fierce red carpet looks. Whether it’s showing up as a warrior woman in fuchsia at the 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards or showing up in Gen-Z Hollywood glamour in a custom Vera Wang gown, the “Malcolm & Marie” star is already a fashion icon in the making. This year marked the 10-year anniversary of Zendaya’s first major Hollywood premiere when she posed for cameras at Justin Beiber’s “Never Say Never” showcase as one of Disney’s biggest stars. In a previous interview with British Vogue , the actor’s stylist Law Roach shared that he has been executing a long-term plan to evolve her image from sweet princess to Gen-Z trailblazer. During the 2021 Oscars, Zendaya’s fluorescent-yellow dress with a cutout across her waist stole the show and now...
The topic of Hip-Hop and money have always gone hand in hand. Initially, rappers were seen as financially irresponsible and victims of shady record deals that often left them in a sea of debt. However, in the past decade or so more and more artists have assailed to financial freedom by venturing into fintech. Snoop Dogg is one of the latest rappers benefiting from making successful investments. According to Crunchbase, the 49-year-old LA native has investments in both of today’s most valuable startups, Klarna and Robinhood, and did so at a price way lower than its current valuation. Klarna, a financial risk management company, is Europe’s most successful startup allowing users to make break up payments with no interest. And Robinhood is a free trading platform with a growing membership rate and a near $40 billion IPO. Snoop Dogg’s investment portfolio dates back to as early as 2010, according to Crunchbase. In 2014, he was a part of a Series B for Reddit which is now valued at $6...
Rap icon, Snoop Dogg is investing in Klarna, a Swedish online payment platform. Klarna is now one of Europe’s largest banks and provides payment solutions for shoppers across 100,000 retailers in 14 countries. The unicorn is valued at more than $2.5 billion. “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to expand my tech investment portfolio to Europe and seeing the way Klarna operates and how they challenge the status quo, I think it’s a match made in heaven,” Snoop Dogg said in a press release. Snoop is set to be the face of the company’s latest “Smoooth Dogg” advertising campaign. “Snoop is not only a rap legend, but also a successful businessman, with a genuine interest in tech, retail and e-commerce,” Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said in a press release. “Teaming up with one of the smooothest persons alive, opens new doors to Klarna as we grow and develop as a company.” The rapper joins other artists like Jay-Z in the world of venture capital. Jay-Z’s firm Arrive targets...
Entrepreneur Evan Fay has a new venture launching. In 2024, Fay, a U.S. Air Force veteran and California native with experience in real estate, celebrated the grand opening of his French-inspired coffee shop, Café Noir, in North Detroit, MI. He and his business partner , Asher Van Sickle, opened the shop to “provide a welcoming space for people to connect, socialize, and build community,” the Detroit Metro Times reports. “Yes, we want to offer coffee and really good food but we also want to be community-centric… We just want to offer a space that is inviting and if you need to use it or there’s a private event or whatever, we want to make sure that we’re that space,” Fay said at the time, per the outlet. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, a lot of people have been very excited about coming to the space and showing support. We’re really thankful to the community in the North End. We’re really excited. We’re here to be consistent and be available for people to come.” View this...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The tech industry has faced a wave of shutdowns and layoffs over the past three years, but there may finally be some hope on the horizon. Recently, there’s been an upward trend in companies announcing M&A activity and plans to go public. These announcements not only matter to those who work at or invest in these companies, but they also create opportunities for those looking to break into the tech world—whether as employees or founders. While these signals point to progress, we must not lose sight of the challenges the industry has faced over the past four years—challenges that make even the smallest signs of change feel significant. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, venture capital-backed startups experienced a surge in activity. Historically low interest rates made capital easy to borrow and invest, leading to increased funding for early-stage startups from venture capital firms. Crunchbase...
When we talk about wealth, sometimes it can feel like Black people are excluded from the conversation. Thanks to systemic and systematic discriminatory practices, countless Black Americans are often shut out of the surest path to personal wealth — property ownership. And often, when Black wealth is touted, it’s almost exclusively limited to celebrities from actors and directors like Tyler Perry to media moguls like Oprah Winfrey, and of course countless entertainers and athletes . More importantly, when the conversation turns to billionaires , the number of Black folk, whether that be male or female, shrinks even further. But Black wealth isn’t limited to people that travel in celebrity circles: there are several Black entrepreneurs that are influencing the U.S. economy that have also accumulated quite a nest egg and reputation. In particular, the story behind the richest Black man in America is an inspiring one that shows you that our community is amazing whether they’re in the...
Snoop Dogg is crip walking all across every industry as he builds his music portfolio. Snoop Dogg Crip Walk GIF from Snoop Dogg GIFs From acquiring Death Row Records to making investments in Klarna, Snoop Dogg is putting the world on notice that there is no limit to his business pursuits. New to the list of his assets is the world’s first NFT restaurant group.
A$AP Rocky is adding yet another creative title to his resume. The Harlem rapper has reportedly been named the first-ever guest artistic director of PacSun in which he will be overseeing designer collaborations, brand campaigns, in-store activations as well as supporting launches in both the Pacsun DTLA and Soho stores, a press release reports. For the next 18 months, Rocky will be responsible for driving a “new wave of premium streetwear and style” to the LA-based multi-brand retailer as part of his role. “Our community of customers is looking for something unexpected, that elevates their daily experience and lets them express their personal style. Nobody bridges the gap between high fashion and streetwear like A$AP Rocky,” Alfred Chang, co-CEO of Pacsun, said in a statement. “We are proud to welcome him to the Pacsun family and energized about making his ideas a reality that can be shared (and worn) by millions and lead a global style conversation.” Through this new partnership...
If you work alongside Zendaya, sis will fight to get you paid! According to Showbiz CheatSheet, the actor’s co-workers on the set of her recent film, “Malcolm & Marie,” will reap some great financial benefits. The team reportedly enacted a “points system” that would allow crew members to get more money as the film drew in more coins. Zendaya appeared alongside John David Washington in the film that took place in California’s Caterpillar House with a crew of 22 and was born out of the thought on whether or not a story could be told given the restrictions of the pandemic. The actor was an advocate for her co-workers on set as they filmed in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic when most had lost their jobs at the time. “We got to create this financial structure where all of our crew members also got points on it, so when it sold, they made money as well, so hopefully that will be a system that can continue,” Zendaya shared during an HFPA panel for the Golden Globes . “I think it’s...
Cannabis startups are having a tough time raising funds due to ambiguous state laws and conflicting federal laws. Although there are 11 states and the District of Colombia that have legalized recreational marijuana use, it is still illegal — according to federal law — to possess or sell marijuana. As a result, big banks and investors are skeptical of investing in cannabis startups but not Snoop Dogg, who isn’t new to the world of venture capital (VC). The rapper’s venture capital firm, Casa Verde Capital, stepped in to lead the charge of providing marijuana startups with access to funds. GreenMarket reports that Casa Verde led a $7 million funding round for Bespoke Financial, an investment firm created to provide startup founders with business loans that they otherwise would not be privy to because of investor’s skepticism of the cannabis market. In a Penta interview , Casa Verde’s partner — Karan Wadhera — explained that Snoop approached him in 2014. He encouraged him to become...
Snoop Dogg just added esports to his resume. The hip hop legend has created his own league called the “Gangsta Gaming League,” for Madden NFL 2019 in partnership with Merry Jane, a cannabis-focused news platform. Snoop and eight of his closest gaming friends participated in a Madden tournament that was streamed on Twitch, Mixer, YouTube and Facebook for a $10,000 jackpot. This latest move by the rapper could prove beneficial for him in the long run. According to a report by the Entertainment Software Association and NDP Group, the video gaming industry reached a record $43.4 billion in revenue in 2018, up 18 percent from 2017. For esports alone, the market is set to hit $1.79 billion by 2022, according to estimates from Newzoo. Football has had a special place in Snoop’s heart for quite some time. He served as a youth football league coach for more than a decade and now he’s taking his talents online. Snoop Dogg, along with other rappers like T.I. and Soulja boy are seeing gaming as...