All results
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has done it again. Cécred The iconic entertainer, who earned her first Grammy in the prestigious album of the year category for “Cowboy Carter” in 2025, shows no signs of slowing down. Her influence stretches far beyond music and into the business world, where she has made a significant mark in the haircare industry. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Houston, TX, native launched the science-backed and self-funded haircare brand Cécred, drawing inspiration from her early years spent at her mother Tina Knowles’ salon. This venture highlights her entrepreneurial spirit and deep connection to the beauty industry. “Hair has always been a very big part of our lives,” Tina, who served as Cécred’s vice chairwoman, told Essence. “Just as fashion saved our family, hair is how we made a living.” The inception of Cécred was six years in the making. Its hair repair technology has led to its first line of products, which includes Clarifying Shampoo and Scalp Scrub...
Ramatu Kandakai wants to help you level up ahead of AFROTECH™ Conference 2025. The personal brand consultant leading her own agency attended the annual tech mecca for the second time, but her appearance at its Houston, TX, debut in November 2024 marked her first time attending in person. She invested in her ticket, and through her AFROTECH™ Insider membership at the time, she received a corporate ticket discount. Photo Credit: Ramatu Kandakai Now, Kandakai shares tips and strategies to help future attendees stand out and make lasting impressions. Pre-Planning Before stepping into the conference arena to secure your badge, it is essential to set a clear intention and pathway to success. This includes researching panels and events that align with your career goals, networking opportunities, and personal branding. The AFROTECH™ Connect app is a valuable tool to maximize your experience, offering access to events, tickets, and the ability to create a personalized schedule. “I wouldn’t...
Aaron Samuels has revealed his roadmap into the venture capital space. Samuels, co-founder and former chief operating officer (COO) of Blavity — w ho now leads a venture capital firm Collide Capital — has worn various hats in a career that spans more than a decade. He was a performance poet who spent nearly 10 years traveling and went on to secure roles as a director of operations (Dialogue Arts Project); senior associate consultant (Bain & Co.); and product manager (TeleSign) between 2011 and 2016, his LinkedIn mentions. For the next seven years, Samuels helped co-found Blavity Inc., a platform catering to Black Millennials and Gen Z amplifying areas of entertainment, politics, technology, and culture. It was created alongside Morgan DeBaun (CEO), Jeff Nelson (now COO), and Jonathan Jackson. Serving as the COO laid the footprint for Samuels’ foray as founder and managing partner of Collide Capital, which was founded in 2022 alongside Brian Hollins to provide resources, operational...
A movement that was birthed out of the COVID-19 quarantine has raised millions of dollars to support Kamala Harris’ quest as the first Black woman president of the United States. “Win With Black Women” (WWBW) is a mantra and group conceptualized by Jotaka Eaddy, a social impact consultant in politics and technology who founded Full Circle Strategies. She understood the importance of community early on as a high school student looking to attend a conference geared towards those seeking law careers, Fortune reports. Raised in a humble environment in South Carolina, the $3,000 cost for the conference was out of reach for her parents. However, through the support of Black women church-goers she was able to attend. “Black women in my church and in my community sold chicken dinners and held bake sales to raise money to send me to that conference and to put me on an airplane that many of them have still never been on,” Eaddy said, according to Fortune. She went on to make history as the...
This mother-daughter duo’s story is a testament to the power of timing.
Saweetie is reminding female athletes that the ball is in their court! Rolling Stone reports the rapper and businesswoman just joined forces with Champion becoming its first-ever Global Culture Consultant. Already putting her new title to work, 12 female athletes in college will be featured in Champion’s “Get it Girl” campaign using Saweetie’s song to honor the collegiate stars. In addition, two-year name, image, and likeness deals (NIL) have been announced to empower the athletes. Now, selectees will become brand ambassadors, receive mentorship, and career development opportunities with Champion executives in sports, entertainment, media, and marketing. “We’re proud to name Saweetie as our first-ever Global Culture Consultant to help empower women to be their own Champion,” Vice President of Global Marketing for Champion John Shumate said, according to Rolling Stone. “Saweetie is an inspiration for self-expression and with her “Get It Girl” anthem, we want to unite all women with...
Camille Rose — one of the largest Black-owned hair-care brands in the U.S. today — is not new to mass retail partnerships, as it has existing relationships with retailers like Target, Sally Beauty, CVS, and more. After being in business for over 10 years, Camille Rose has announced today that it has scored its most distinguished partnership deal to date with Ulta Beauty, launching in both physical U.S. stores and online, according to Glossy. Retail Brew reports that after becoming the most-requested brand from Ulta shoppers, the retailer reached out to form the new partnership. “Ulta will heighten our awareness and provide a different consumer, one who may be more ingrained in the beauty experience,” founder Janell Stephens told the outlet. The news of this new partnership arrives after Ulta announced a grand diversity plan to do a bigger push behind Black-owned beauty brands and double the amount of brands stocked at its store locations. Similar to the retailer’s action plan, we’ve...
The R/GA consultancy firm has announced the launch of the Coalition Venture Studio. Led by R/GA Entrepreneur in Residence Davyeon Ross, the studio is backed in part by Verizon’s investment arm, Verizon Ventures, according to TechCrunch. Ross is perhaps best known for being the founder of ShotTracker, a sports analytics company, and he said that the point of the Coalition Venture Studio was to give a proverbial leg up to Black-led startups. “It’s not going to be cohorts or batches of companies,” he said to TechCrunch. “The thought process is, it’s an ongoing initiative [ … ] A big piece of this is, it’s not an application process, it’s a registration process. Once we work with R/GA to vet the companies, we can start positioning them for projects within the R/GA agency.” Ross said he got the idea to form the Coalition Venture Studio when he saw how R/GA helped catalyze so many relationships for Black men and women. To qualify for participation in the studio, startups must be majority...
Ulta Beauty has reiterated its commitment to investing in Black-owned beauty brands. Not only has the beauty retail giant announced Tracee Ellis Ross as its new Diversity and Inclusion Advisor, but it will also invest $25 million into providing more access to the industry for BIPOC brands along with more shelf space for Black-owned brands. In her new role, Ross will provide insight and counsel while driving accountability to Ulta Beauty with a primary focus on diverse leadership development, BIPOC brand development, and supplier diversity. “I look forward to formalizing an already existing dialogue and partnership around diversity and inclusion with Mary Dillon and the Ulta Beauty team,” said the “Black-ish” star in a press statement. “This work requires commitment and accountability from Ulta Beauty to ensure measurable goals are achieved. I am hopeful and optimistic our work together will create foundational change.” Inclusive branding within marketing campaigns is another...
Kwame Egerton II shares what he loves about Accenture’s culture of learning through experience. Watch now to learn more about his career as a Technology Consultant Find your fit with Accenture. Click here to submit your resume and they will match you with current Accenture jobs aligned with your skills and interests.
If you are creating impact as a founder and leader or are a corporate catalyst interested in joining a board, look no further than AFROTECH’s Board Readiness Summit. From 10 a.m. ET to noon ET on March 25, 2025, this virtual event will deliver exclusive insights and strategies to empower you with the tools and confidence to secure a board seat. Landing a post whether for a nonprofit, which is often a good starting point, or for-profit, will require experience and skills such as strategic planning and development, leadership, collaboration and more, Forbes notes. Learn From Nancy Twine To position you for success, discussions will be led by industry leaders, starting with former Goldman Sachs VP Nancy Twine, who launched Briogeo Hair Care in 2013 and turned it into a $100 million business within nearly a decade, according to Forbes. She also made history as the youngest Black woman to launch products at Sephora. The brand went on to land placement at Ulta Beauty. What’s more, Twine...