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This athletic apparel line is headed down the fast track to success! According to PR Newswire, Courtsmith — a fast-growing fashion forward sportswear brand — has officially closed a $300,000 equity investment from ICA’s Growth Fund. What makes Courtsmith an emerging leader in the athletic apparel industry is the fact that it is a high-tech sportswear brand and a lifestyle brand too. The company aims to connect both form and function by designing athletic wear that catches the eye of both athletes and casual consumers. Founded by Courtney “Court” Smith, the company first made headlines when it became the official sportswear line for team uniforms and basketball apparel for local youth teams. According to the press release, “ICA’s $300K equity investment is structured as a convertible note and leads Courtsmith’s $575,000 round.” The funds will help expand its marketing efforts, the manufacturing of its clothing and more. Along with the new ICA investment, the brand is set to launch a...
Founder of Red Bay Coffee, Keba Konte , is no newbie to innovation. In 2014, the San Francisco native combined his passion for photographic journalism and coffee to create a Coffee Dojo that simultaneously served as the headquarters of Red Bay Coffee and a daily art exhibit that showcased his photography. With such creative ingenuity, it’s no surprise that Konte honed his entrepreneurial acumen when the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard. Due to coronavirus, Forbes reports Red Bay Coffee’s retail stores had to shut down resulting in an 85 percent decline in sales and a drastic reduction in his workforce. Now, that some of his six retail locations are reopened, he says the decline is only about 40 percent. However, according to Forbes , the Oakland, California coffee hub has seen a 350 percent increase in e-commerce sales since the start of the pandemic. Before the stay-at-home regulations, Red Bay Coffee’s supermarket sales from Whole Foods and Safeway made up 17 percent of overall sales....
What if you could transform a part of your everyday morning routine into a charitable act? This was the mission behind BLK & Bold, a Black-owned coffee company founded by Rod Johnson and Pernell Cezar. The childhood friends decided to venture into the billion-dollar industry to make each cup of joe count. Five percent of their business is donated to eradicating social issues, including youth homelessness and food deserts, according to Cuisine Noir . “We really wanted to find a way to impact that vulnerable demographic by doing something we do every day, which is enjoying a cup of coffee or tea,” Cezar said. “The vision of the brand goes back to amplifying contribution and awareness of how for-profit can be this engine for domestic impact.” Johnson and Cezar, whose previous careers involved higher education and retail merchandising, noticed a lack of representation in the coffee business. With the Des Moines-based startup, they hope to help educate Black consumers about the beverage,...