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Queen Latifah is helping a Black woman-owned soul food restaurant receive a well-deserved blessing. During a taping of “Street You Grew Up On,” hosted by actress Kerry Washington, it was revealed that Latifah selected Newark, NJ-based Vonda’s Kitchen to receive a $10,000 financial award. The investment is made possible through a partnership between fintech platform Intuit QuickBooks and Washington, aimed at fostering discussions around entrepreneurship, community, and mentorship. As part of the initiative, featured guests are given the opportunity to select a small business to receive funding, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. As a Newark native, the selection was full circle and Latifah emphasized its importance, believing the funds would be well-used under the leadership of owner Vonda McPherson. According to the company website, McPherson transitioned into entrepreneurship after a corporate career with Fortune 500 companies, opening her first restaurant in 1988....
Betting on himself took Newark, NJ, native Vaughn Crowe from initially wanting to be more involved in finance as a career to being a managing partner of a VC firm. During his time working at philanthropist Ray Chambers’ family office, Wesray Social Investments, Crowe was a founding limited partner in Newark Venture Partners (NVP) — founded by Audible’s Don Katz — on behalf of the family office. At AFROTECH™ Executive Newark, Crowe recalled investing in NVP as he had a desire to be an entrepreneur. “ When the opportunity presented itself to go and run a fund and run a firm that I had backed as an investor, it was a natural transition for me doing what I was doing inside of a single-family office to becoming a fiduciary of a number of different investors and having responsibility for catalyzing next-generation software businesses and backing extraordinary founders,” Crowe shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. NVP focuses on health tech, industrial, and fintech with plans to build “a...
Half the battle of achieving career goals is being in the right room at the right time. For Black professionals in tech, AFROTECH™ Executive is a time to get the ball rolling further to learn what it takes to reach new career heights. As a reminder, AFROTECH™ Executive is an event that brings founders, executives, and techies together to join discussions revolving around today’s pressing topics and gain important knowledge that is imperative for the community. In addition to the engaging fireside chats, AFROTECH™ Executive has time carved out specifically for networking. During the networking reception, attendees can connect with fellow professionals from the local area of the events, as well as from across the U.S. “It was a really great opportunity to bring people together in the community, and it was also really great to see people fly out for the event,” shared Christina Tymony, senior diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) strategist and enablement manager at...
In case you missed it, AFROTECH™ Executive is heading to New Jersey. If you’re unfamiliar with the event, previous stops included Seattle, WA; Washington, D.C.; Brooklyn, NY; and more. As the event heads to Newark, NJ, on June 28, attendees will have the opportunity to explore topics like practical AI applications, equitable resources for entrepreneurs, tech advancements, and innovative economies. In addition, the highly anticipated AFROTECH Executive Newark will allow attendees to hear from speakers like A ngela Rye, principal and CEO of IMPACT Strategies and co-host of the Native Land Pod. Her fireside chat will focus on bridging the gap for an equitable community. The conversation, moderated by Black Tech Green Money host Will Lucas, will explore a world where opportunities and access are endless, ensuring that entrepreneurs who represent the community are equipped with the tools needed to be successful and can inspire others to build a more accessible, diverse, and thriving...
AFROTECH™ Executive is back on the road for 2024! Last year, the multi-city series made stops in Seattle, WA; Washington, DC; and Brooklyn, NY. The discussions led by tech leaders and founders ranged from finance and fintech to artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, the likes of Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, Fearless Fund Co-Founder and CEO Arian Simone, and Esusu Co-Founder and Co-CEO Wemimo Abbey were in the room for AFROTECH™ Executive. As previously shared by AFROTECH™, in 2023, for the closing event in Brooklyn, NY, the fireside chats focused on the critical role of corporate responsibility in addressing the wealth gap and the impact that fintech has in creating new avenues for wealth-building and financial inclusion. “One thing that I really took away is that these speakers are all very authentic and just made me feel very welcomed and comfortable to be in this space,” first-time attendee Annellyse Munroe shared at the time. “And they gave us real tangible tips to be...
Raekwon is cooking up a storm. The Wu-Tang Clan emcee’s application for his cannabis dispensary and lounge, Hashstoria, has been approved by the Newark Central Planning Board, according to NJBIZ. The decision comes after the board initially rejected the business operating as a Class 5 cannabis retail facility at 799-805 Broad St., Newark, NJ.
Rutgers University has canceled its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) conference following changes in the White House administration. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, President Donald Trump placed federal employees in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles on paid leave that went into effect immediately and “no later than 5:00pm EST” on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. This followed Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 as “the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs,” CNN reported . Now Rutgers University, a predominantly white institution, has stated they have been asked to “cease all work under the auspices of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility HUB at Jobs for the Future, which the U.S. Department of Labor funds,” NorthJersey.com reports. This was confirmed by the school’s spokesperson, who stated it “was canceled at the direction of the U.S. Department of Labor, which ceased all work that it funds through the Jobs for the...
A new venture undertaken by Wu-Tang’s Raekwon and “Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne Tha God has officially broken ground. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Hashstoria, a cannabis lounge, was slated to open in Newark, NJ, and would fulfill a long-held dream of Raekwon’s. “My own life compass has been great to me and can only become greater…these are goals and admirations on my vision board. I’m just marking them off,” the rapper said in a previous Instagram post. In 2023, there were initial roadblocks to overcome when getting the business up and running, as they were first rejected by the Newark Central Planning Board to operate as a Class 5 cannabis retail facility. However, their application was later greenlit by the same board, per NJBIZ. Fast forward to November 2024, and Raekwon and Charlamagne Tha God have officially opened Hashstoria’s doors to the public in partnership with civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers and entrepreneur Jedd Canty, a news release shared with AFROTECH™...
Many of the top successful founders all share something in common: sacrifice. Whether it’s sacrificing time, energy, or something else. For Calendly Founder and CEO Tope Awotona, he put his earnings on the line. As previously shared by AFROTECH ™, Awotona drained his bank account and 401(k) to build his scheduling company from the ground up. What’s more, he faced countless rejections along the way when seeking venture capital but kept pushing ahead. “Being a foreigner really helped,” the Lagos, Nigeria, native said, according to Inc . “I grew up in a country where 99 percent of the people looked like me, so race wasn’t something I consciously thought about. It’s good to have that mentality. You can dwell on all the reasons you shouldn’t do something or why it’s harder for you. Or you can just go out and do it.” The hustle and grind led to multi-million-dollar investments, which transformed Calendly into a billion-dollar company. For founders seeking to reach success like Awotona’s...
Drake is once again proving himself as a dominant force in the music industry. According to an Instagram post by Genius, the rapper’s “It’s All a Blur Tour” has grossed $320.5 million across 80 shows in North America, making it the highest-grossing Hip-Hop tour of all time. Each of the 80 shows sold out, reached 100% capacity, and totaled 1.3 million tickets sold. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Genius (@genius) The first leg of the “It’s All A Blur Tour” started on July 5, 2023, in Chicago and wrapped in Toronto on Oct. 7, 2023. The second leg commenced on Feb. 2 in Tampa and ended in Newark on April 4. Fans enjoyed an unforgettable experience with a setlist of chart-topping hits and a star-studded lineup of guests that included 21 Savage, J. Cole, Sexyy Red, and Travis Scott . During the tours, Drake made his charitable spirit more evident than ever. The “God’s Plan” rapper repeatedly made headlines for surprising fans with cash gifts, Billboard reported . From...
The AFROTECH ™ community continues to push the mission and discussion of inclusivity in the tech space. As we gear up for AFROTECH™ Conference 2024, let’s dive into a session of the past. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH™ Conference (@afrotech.conference) On the Executive Stage at the 2023 AFROTECH ™ Conference, Kapor Capital’s founding partners Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor were part of the panel “Closing The Equity Gap: C reating Wealth and Fostering Justice in Startup Investing” — titled after their book, released in March 2023. Alphonzo Terrell, co-founder and CEO of social media platform Spill, moderated the panel, addressing equity gaps in the startup landscape and how to build a more inclusive future. Klein and Kapor shared that the company has invested more than $106 million into over 170 companies, 62% of which are women-led or underrepresented founders , according to their website . In addition, Kapor Capital has achieved an internal rate of...
Being in the NFL shifted Brandon Copeland’s perspective on money. Entrepreneur reports Copeland was raised in an environment that supported his journey in sports as a child. However it came because his mother chose not to spend money on extras like soda from a fast food restaurant or candy at the store. His understanding of money would be shaped while he attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and interned at Union Bank of Switzerland, but it was further strengthened when he signed on to play for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens in 2013. The league’s Players Association informed him about benefits that include a matched 401(k). “I had to make it to the Baltimore Ravens to learn what a 401(k) is,” Copeland told the outlet. “This is a tool that most people who interact with an employer may have the ability to use, but who taught my mom about a 401(k)? Who taught my brother about a 401(k)? Who taught anyone I love about these things that are just real facts of...
Whoopi Goldberg is being honored. The veteran-actress-turned-television-host has received the Key to West Hollywood! The honor was a result of her commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and for her work as an entrepreneur, owning the first branded and tested woman-owned cannabis brand in California, Gold Derby reports. Goldberg’s foray into cannabis dates back to 2016. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, she launched Whoopi & Maya alongside co-founder Maya Elisabeth of Om. The company existed to provide medical cannabis to those experiencing menstrual pain, according to CNN. However, that company shut down in 2020 following a string of conflicts. “They wanted to include menstrual cramps in the list of things you can prescribe medical marijuana for but the governor said that will never happen in New Jersey because our doctors only prescribe marijuana for ‘real’ pain,” Goldberg said in an interview with The Cannabist at the time. “The fact that people think of (women’s health) as a niche...
Missy Elliott’s lyrics traveled all the way to space! According to a news release, lyrics from Elliott’s song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” were transmitted about 158 million miles away to reach Venus through NASA’s DSN (Deep Space Network). NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California transmitted the lyrics at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12. “Transmitted at the speed of light, the radio frequency signal took nearly 14 minutes to reach the planet,” the news release reads. “The transmission was made by the 34-meter (112-foot) wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, located at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, near Barstow in California. Coincidentally, the DSS-13 also is nicknamed Venus.” The rapper also acknowledged the significance of Venus, as it’s her favorite planet. “I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe,”...