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Parity founder Bree Jones has learned the value of resilience on multiple occasions. In 2022, she held a TED Talk at TED 2022: A New Era titled “How to revitalize a neighborhood — without gentrification.” But before gracing the stage, the equitable housing developer had been rejected her first time applying to be a TED Fellow after making it to the second round.
To bring diversity into the healthcare space, it’s important for people to have access to all that is needed to thrive. The American Heart Association is on a mission to support more people from Black and Hispanic/Latino communities through its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institution Scholars (HSIs) programs. The programs are designed to equip them with all that is needed to land careers in the healthcare industry.
Let’s be honest—when it comes to beauty, Black women have always been the standard, even if the industry has been slow to give credit where it’s due. But while some are still playing catch-up, Danessa Myricks Beauty has already rewritten the rules—and ensured we’re front and center in the narrative. From melting down drugstore makeup in her kitchen to landing on Sephora shelves across the globe, Danessa Myricks didn’t wait for anyone’s permission. She built her own table—and now the world’s pulling up a seat. From “Accidental Artist” to Beauty Powerhouse Myricks didn’t come from a legacy of wealth or beauty school credentials. She came with hustle, vision, and a deep belief that makeup should be for everyone. According to her Closers 2025 Time Magazine feature, after getting laid off from a publishing gig, she took a chance on creativity and started doing makeup—teaching herself through trial, error, and audacity. Her early kits? Straight-up DIY magic. Melting down products to...
World Doula Week, from March 22 to March 28, 2025, highlights the vital role of doulas in improving maternal and infant health outcomes. Latham Thomas , founder of Mama Glow and the Mama Glow Foundation , is doing her part to raise awareness. Thomas, also known as Glow Maven , has been involved in women’s health for over two decades. While many doulas enter the field due to their personal and oftentimes negative or traumatic experiences, her journey began positively with the birth of her son, who is now 21 years old. “I would say that having had that experience where I felt very supported, there was safety, I felt dignified, I had a sense of autonomy with the care providers who were present that inspired me, I think, to sort of start this journey, but also I knew that I needed to protect the experience for other people,” Thomas told AFROTECH™. “I [not only] wanted to help reframe [negative perspectives], but also address what was obviously a challenge in our community.” Thomas...
Billionaires have long found ways to minimize their tax burdens, using loopholes and financial strategies that allow them to pay far less percentage-wise than everyday Americans. While many assume the ultra-wealthy contribute significantly to the nation’s tax revenue, the reality is that their effective tax rates — what they pay relative to their total wealth — are far lower than those of middle-class and working-class individuals. Their methods to shield their fortunes are legal, yet they contribute to widening economic inequality and an ever-growing fiscal deficit. The disparity between billionaire and working-class tax rates was highlighted in a live chat hosted by The Washington Post. Journalist Jeff Stein responded to a user asking about billionaires paying their fair share in taxes. He pointed out that while billionaires pay large sums in taxes, their effective tax rate remains much lower than that of the average American. He explained that one key reason is the ability of...
Mark Cuban believes Black women founders should prioritize bootstrapping their businesses. Cuban has found great success and is a well-regarded entrepreneur, businessman, and billionaire. His impressive list of business ventures and investments includes being the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks. In 2023, he sold most of his stake and now owns 27% of the organization, per NBC News. Cuban is also a serial investor with a portfolio that includes Black-led edtech company Beanstack. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the company, owned by married couple Felix Brandon Lloyd (CEO) and Jordan Lloyd Bookey, appeared on Shark Tank and scored a $250,000 investment from Cuban, who later participated in its $1.5 million seed round led by Riverside Acceleration Capital and Evoce Capital. According to CNBC, Cuban launched his journey into entrepreneurship by launching MicroSolutions with a personal investment of $2,000. The software company found itself in difficult circumstances after...
Carol’s Daughter has been sold to an independent entrepreneur in the beauty industry. Born in her Brooklyn, NY, kitchen with just $100 in cash, Lisa Price began selling her hair and body products in 1993 from the comfort of her living room and at flea markets and craft fairs. Her brand attracted the attention of notable names such as Jada Pinkett-Smith, Erykah Badu, and Halle Berry. Carol’s Daughter gained further momentum after Price appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which led to the company’s website crashing due to 17,000 interested buyers, Inc. reports . Two years later, Steve Stoute, CEO of UnitedMasters, joined the company as a partner, and the first Carol’s Daughter flagship store debuted in Harlem after receiving an investment from Jay-Z, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. By 2011, Price was leading a top haircare brand, and three years later, she sold the company to L’Oréal USA. Carol’s Daughter had a $27 million valuation at the time....
After her first business failed, Carolyn Rodz is now making it her mission to help other entrepreneurs succeed. Rodz was an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase between 2001 and 2005, per her LinkedIn. After exiting her job, she ventured into entrepreneurship , but that did not fare well, leading her to reenter the workforce. Although this was a trying time, it did not deter her from entrepreneurship altogether — she launched Cake, a digital media company, in 2009 and exited in 2015 — and it paved a pathway of opportunity for a wider community. “I knew very little about starting a company and my first business failed,” Rodz said in an interview with the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. “I went back to work, paid off debts, licked my wounds for a bit, started a second company that I ultimately sold, ran it very differently with the lessons that I learned and feel very fortunate that I got to start over again because many people don’t have that opportunity. I was young and single and...
Coca-Cola remains committed to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, saying that neglecting these efforts could do more harm than good for its business. According to Business Insider, Coca-Cola’s annual filing states that fostering an inclusive workplace culture is “critical” to its growth and success. “Our diverse, high-performing global employee base helps drive a culture of inclusion, innovation and growth,” the company stated. “We aspire to develop a global workforce with diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds that reflect the broad range of consumers and markets we serve around the world.” Coca-Cola warned that failing to entice and retain this specialized top-tier talent could lead to negative consequences for its growth and future success. The company added that it remained committed to “providing access to equal opportunities and fostering belonging both in our workplaces and the local communities we proudly serve,” saying the opposite could...
Black Unicorn Factory has set a historic precedent in equity crowdfunding. Black Unicorn Factory (BUF) is a business development accelerator and equity crowdsourcing platform established by Johnny Stewart in 2012. Through BUF’s Follow Me for Equity app, it uniquely allows individuals to secure stock in pre-IPO companies by simply becoming a follower of a company through the app. “Stop following for free and earn equity,” actor Anthony Anderson said in a promotional video for the company. BUF’s target audience is underserved communities who are being left out of opportunities in the venture capital space. “It is disheartening to observe that the venture capital industry only allocates funds to a mere 1% of businesses led by individuals from underrepresented communities. At BUF, we firmly believe that this disparity cannot persist, and we are committed to providing an alternative to the discriminatory practices prevalent in the traditional venture capital landscape,” a statement on...
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown remains committed to supporting Black-owned businesses, empowering communities of color, and fostering generational wealth along the way. On Feb. 14, 2024, Brown announced the launch of OaklandXChange, a sister project to his nonprofit, BostonXChange (BXC). Jaylen Brown announces a new business district and incubator program as part of his Xchange fund in a speech at a community luncheon at Oakstop in Oakland pic.twitter.com/kZwpd0HYEM — Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) February 14, 2025 Founded in 2024, BXC aims to create $5 billion in generational wealth within Boston, MA’s communities of color, AFROTECH™ previously reported. The organization provides funding, resources, workplaces, and mentoring from seasoned individuals to Black and minority entrepreneurs, helping them launch businesses that contribute to sustainable economic growth . According to Sports Illustrated, OaklandXChange, which launched in partnership with Jrue and Lauren Holiday’s JLH...
Jaden Smith, the son of Hollywood icons Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith , has built his own legacy as an actor, musician, and entrepreneur. While he balked at the idea of public schooling previously, that hasn’t stopped him from making a name for himself both in his family’s industry of entertainment, and in his own business ventures. Currently, he’s using his entrepreneur’s spirit to improve the world as he sees it, painting himself as a philanthropist as well. However, as a businessman, philanthropist and actor at the young age of 26 (and while having famous parents and a just-as-famous sister ), what is Jaden Smith’s net worth? Acting Career Smith made his acting debut alongside his father in the critically acclaimed film, The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006. His role as Christopher Gardner Jr., the son of a struggling salesman, garnered widespread recognition for his acting abilities at a young age. This performance opened doors to other significant acting roles, such as the...
Duane Martin is one of those actors who disappears and reappears like a Maxwell album. You know he’s “ in the lab cookin ” and will pop out when he feels like it. On Election Day, he asked men to fight for women’s rights. Then, after not-so-subtly hinting at his presidential pick, he stepped out of the limelight again. Still, when his fans want to see him, it’s not hard to find him in Bel-Air , The New Edition Story , The Seat Filler with co-star Kelly Rowland , Deliver Us from Eva, Out All Night , Any Given Sunday and his longest-standing project as Robert James Sr. on All of Us . But while he’s playing the background right now, his fans may still wonder what is Duane Martin’s net worth? Kevin Winter/Getty Images Martin’s Ties To Will Smith Martin and rapper-actor Will Smith have been seen together on more than a few occasions. They’re not just co-stars or business partners. They’re also friends. Even in Jada Pinkett Smith ‘s book Worthy , the actress told a comical story about a...
A Black-owned pharmacy has opened in Toledo, OH. After seeing health disparities within communities during his residency with Kroger, pharmacist Anthony Pattin was driven to provide better access to underserved citizens. At the time, Pattin had already completed an undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences and a PharmD from the University of Toledo, Toledo Blade reports. “One of my first projects was looking at African-Americans’ perceptions of vaccines,” he told the outlet. “I learned a lot. One thing is, not everyone feels the same way. I had a group of people who wanted vaccines but said ‘As a matter of fact, when I go to the pharmacy, they don’t offer it,’ and that’s how I found out that there are some pharmacies, even in their community, that didn’t offer that service. So that was a disparity — that you were saying that maybe they don’t want the service, but they don’t have it available.” While Pattin took note, the idea for a pharmacy was catalyzed by an elderly neighbor...
Co-founders Audrey Djiya and Peter Nsaka have secured funding from Fearless Funding. TechCrunch reports that the pair became connected while attending Stanford University. Djiya attended its school of business, while Nsaka studied computer science. Although they pursued different educational journeys, they were united by a shared mission: solving the complexities surrounding international commerce. Their focus became streamlining the movement of goods across borders, addressing issues such as inefficient supply chains, inconsistent regulations, and barriers to trade. Their unique perspectives and expertise became the foundation for tackling the challenge with innovation and collaboration. For Djiya, she had taken note from her family, who were entrepreneurs. “Growing up watching family members move goods cross-border, the challenges around international commerce really stuck with me,” she told the outlet. Nsaka made his own observations while at Shopify. He took on the role in 2020...