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A group of HBCU students were awarded during the week of Super Bowl LIX for their innovative pitch in sports technology. Diverse Representation, a company focused on increasing the number of Black agents, attorneys, managers, and publicists across sports, hosted its inaugural HBCU Sports Business Pitch Competition in New Orleans, LA, in partnership with the talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, during Super Bowl LIX week. According to information shared with AFROTECH™, the competition was launched to provide local HBCU student entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch sports-related concepts for a chance to receive funding and connect with decision-makers in the industry. “When I initially launched Diverse Representation, I’ve always been very, very clear about what our mission is: to help Black professionals in the sports and entertainment industry,” Diverse Representation Founder Jaia Thomas told AFROTECH™. “Not minorities, not people of color—Black...
NiJaree Canady’s new beginnings are also being rewarded. The former Stanford Cardinal softball ace pitcher is heading to Texas Tech’s Red Raiders team next spring, per The Athletic. Canady is the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and has led her team to consecutive appearances in the Women’s College Series in 2023 and 2024, ESPN notes. She upheld a 0.67 ERA (earned run average) with 555 strikeouts in 365⅔ innings during her initial two years with the Stanford Cardinal softball team. Canady took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm her transition to the Texas Tech Red Raiders team. “These past two years have been amazing and I thank @StanfordSball for the ride of a lifetime. Excited for what’s ahead! @TexasTechSB,” she wrote on X. Canady has also cemented a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. She reportedly signed a one-year deal valued at $1.1 million with Texas Tech’s collective Matador Club, a source familiar with the deal confirmed to The Athletic. “I could...
Spelman College students have been reigning undefeated for the Goldman Sachs Market Madness Competition through the HBCU Possibilities Program. In April 2024, Victoria Cain, Makhi Frempong, Olivia Rivera-Spann, and Symone Thompson won the pitch competition and its $1 million top prize, according to a news release. The victory marks the HBCU’s third win in four years. “Emerging victorious in the Goldman Sachs Market Madness competition is a genuine reflection of our unwavering perseverance, meticulousness and the goodness of God,” said Frempong, who is an economics major, according to the news release. “This exceptional contest provided us with a platform to hone our abilities and visualize our forthcoming roles as analysts in the industry. It is a remarkable feat to be part of Spelman’s enduring heritage by virtue of our hard work. This journey has been truly extraordinary, demonstrating our growth as professionals in an astonishing manner.” The win came after Frempong, Cain,...
If you want to advance in your professional career, it is imperative to obtain guidance from the right supporter. Keith Chaney learned this while working at technology company Google as the strategy and operations lead of its global partnerships and at McKinsey & Co., where he served as a management consultant. That’s when he decided to exit those jobs to pursue his own career as a founder. During the South by Southwest (SXSW) 2024 pitch competition, he recalls his experience as a first-generation graduate navigating the intricacies of post-college life. He later realized the importance of gaining peer support to be successful in the long term. “When I started my career, I was surrounded by an amazing family. Unfortunately, no one in my family had worked for Google, McKinsey, or any of the places I found myself during my career. So, despite their best efforts, no one was ever able to tell me the information that I needed to win in those spaces,” Chaney said at SXSW 2024. His desire...
Even if you’re not a salesperson, the day may come when you need to convince someone — anyone — that they should take a chance on you. This could be a job interview , when you’re jockeying for a promotion, decide to start your own business and are trying to make sales or secure clients, or if you need to lobby for funding . Whatever the goal, you need to give your target audience a persuasive reason why they should give you the job or promotion, shop with you over a competitor, or fund your business instead of another startup. To do this, you need to sell yourself. This can include creating a thorough presentation that outlines the benefits of someone aligning themselves with you. But you need a good elevator pitch to draw them in before you get to that step. What Is An Elevator Pitch? Once upon a time, people literally did chase after executives, corner them in an elevator, and essentially pitch themselves as a viable option. Whether this was to get a job or secure a business deal,...
We’re still coming down from cloud nine after the experience we had at AfroTech Conference 2022. As we previously shared, around 25,000 attendees convened for sessions, panels, social link-ups, and more, from Nov. 13-17, after two years of meeting virtually in AfroTech World. While there was so much in store, we would be remiss to not talk about one of the conference’s most exciting moments — the pitch competitions.
Coming out on top is a dope feeling; these entrepreneurs know the vibe. Previously, AfroTech reported that Kwame Egerton II and Ackeem Kipp, co-founders of The Black Currency, hosted a virtual pitch competition in partnership with Neotribe. The competition awarded $6,000 in prize money to the selected winners. The pitch competition occurred via Zoom on July 27, intending to provide a space that recognized growth and offered an opportunity for Black business owners to raise funding. While there were only three spots for winners, four businesses were ultimately selected as there was a tie for third place. The first-place winner received $3,000, while the remaining total prize amount was dispersed among the second and third-place winners. You can check out the competition winners and their businesses below. TJL Collection – 1 st Place Winner Tiffany Lewis founded the TJL Collection, a women’s fashion brand exclusively for taller women. The brand caters to women 5’9″ and taller,...
Black women should shoot for the stars. To turn their dreams into a reality, Boss Women Media’s Black Girl Magic Summit returned for its fourth consecutive year. According to a press release, the summit was created to uplift and celebrate Black women professionals, entrepreneurs, and student changemakers. This year’s summit was pre-recorded in Los Angeles in late July, and is set to air on Aug. 27 on Amazon Prime. Black women heard topics centering on financial well-being, career development, advancing socioeconomic mobility, small business success, and more led by keynote speakers, including Allyson Felix, Meena Harris, Aurora James, and Meagan Good. “We are on a mission to provide Black women with the tools and education they need to take the next steps toward having more,” said Marty McDonald, Founder and CEO of Boss Women Media, according to a press release. “The Black Girl Magic Summit is a pivotal part of this mission as it gives us the stage and presence to amplify critical...
