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Fireflies.ai, an AI meeting platform used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies, has officially joined the unicorn club, reaching a $1 billion valuation, according to a company news release . The milestone coincides with the launch of “Talk to Fireflies,” a voice-activated assistant built with AI answer engine Perplexity to bring real-time web search directly into virtual meetings. Founded by Nigerian-American aerospace engineer Sam Udotong and former Microsoft employee Krish Ramineni, as People of Color in Tech mentions, Fireflies has scaled rapidly without relying on traditional venture funding. Instead of raising another round, the company completed its first tender offer, allowing early employees to cash out some equity while keeping the firm’s cap table intact. Fireflies has been profitable since 2023 and hasn’t raised new capital since 2021, all while posting triple-digit annual growth, as the release states. “We wanted to recognize our earliest employees who’ve been vital to...
Even with being selective, AJ Dybantsa is winning big in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) arena. The Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars basketball player is not only the highest-ranking high school player on the court, he is also the top earner in college basketball — and he hasn’t even officially jumpstarted his college freshman year, notes Athlon Sports. A new graduate of Utah Prep Academy, he will begin representing BYU officially for the 2025-26 college basketball season. Dybantsa has deals that include Red Bull, which is historic. According to Out2Win, it is the first time Red Bull has signed a male basketball athlete to an NIL deal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AJ Dybantsa (@aj.dybantsa) “I think it was a great partnership because it’ll be beneficial for the both of us with the platform that they have,” Dybantsa said on “The Youngins Sports Podcast.” “I think we fit right in with each other, so it’s going to be good. It’s going to be special.” He later...
Here are some tips to consider to become a well-paid creative. The creator economy is projected to reach $500 billion by 2027, according to Sprout Social. If you are a creator, you don’t want to miss out on your piece of the pie. At NAB Show 2025 (National Association of Broadcasters) held in Las Vegas, NV, Rhea Allen, president and CEO of Peppershock Media, moderated a discussion that offers real-world strategies that can be applied by creators to increase your value and income. Niche Down And Specialize While it is OK to be a jack of all trades, it will be a better bet to narrow your focus on mastering one niche and to establish trust among an audience that will gravitate towards you for a particular subject matter. This can also be helpful as more companies seek expert commentary. “Companies tend to hire experts, and they’re more willing to pay for the expert,” Allen explained. “And so if you position yourself as the go-to person for a specific skill or industry, you naturally...
Twin brothers and co-founders Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham are now behind a multi-billion-dollar company alongside David Goaté. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the siblings founded U.K. -based digital car insurance startup Marshmallow to combat “unfair insurance prices” for migrants. “We now help 100,000s of UK newcomers get a fairer deal on their car insurance every year. We do this by building our own technology, developing pricing and fraud models that let us cater to their unique experiences, and investing time in getting to know them on a deeper level,” a statement on the company’s website reads. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Marshmallow (@getmarshmallow) According to TechCrunch, Marshmallow made history in 2021 as one of two Black-founded startups in the U.K. to reach a $1 billion valuation. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the company raised $85 million in a Series B funding round with investors that included Passion Capital, Monzo, Investec, and...
Dave’s Hot Chicken is considering a sale that would bring the company’s valuation to nearly $1 billion. The popular fast-food chain, founded by Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, Tommy Rubenyan, and Gary Rubenyan, has locations in states such as Arizona, Massachusetts, California, Missouri, and Texas. In total, the chain has over 250 locations worldwide, per Reuters. It all started in 2017 with a $900 investment that led to the restaurant’s grand opening as a pop-up in an East Hollywood, CA, parking lot, its website mentions. Its menu features chicken tenders and sliders with spice levels ranging from Lite Mild to Reaper. Sides include fries, mac and cheese, and kale slaw. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DavesHotChicken (@daveshotchicken) The company’s business model appears to be a success with each franchise earning on average $2.19 million in revenue (AUV) per year, according to Sharp Sheets. In total, its locations generate an estimated $1 billion in total annual...
It’s Travis Hunter’s winning season. The University of Colorado Boulder football player took home the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award for the Buffaloes on Dec. 5, 2024. What’s more, he is rumored to be the top choice for the Heisman Trophy and is expected to be among the top prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, Sports Illustrated reports. Multi-Year Deal Adidas Deal Hunter’s latest win includes signing a multi-year NIL deal with adidas, which will extend into his NFL career, notes Boardroom. The athlete has been seen sporting the apparel line on his podcast, Twitch channel, and during pregame warm-ups. View this post on Instagram A post shared by adidas Football (@adidasfballus) “Working with adidas is a special opportunity for me and something that I’m really excited about as I look ahead to what’s next,” Hunter expressed, per another Sports Illustrated report. “The partners they currently have are top tier with some of the best young guys like me. I’m pumped to join the three...
College football quarterback Shedeur Sanders still remains at the top of name, image, and likeness (NIL) earners. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Shedeur was listed at the top of the 2023 college football season, with an approximate $3.8 million valuation. This was also the highest NIL valuation at the time. In 2024, not much has changed. Shedeur — who now plays for the University of Colorado and is being led by his father and head coach Deion Sanders — has a NIL valuation that has soared to an estimated $5.1 million , according to the latest data from On3. He is joined by his teammate, Travis Hunter, who is ranked third with an estimated $3.1 million valuation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by On3 NIL (@on3nil) Signing To Nike The news follows just weeks after Shedeur made history as the first college football player to sign an NIL deal with Nike. His presence within the athletic apparel giant is now a family affair, as his father is also signed to a deal with the...
An interest in computer science has led Candace Mitchell to raise millions in funding for Black hair care. Forbes reports when Mitchell was 10 years old, she tinkered with installing software on the family computer, marking her official exposure to computer science. “I remember thinking, ‘I want to create software that can run on millions of computers like this one day,’” Mitchell told Forbes. She would study web design in high school, and in higher learning she attended the Georgia Institute of Technology and obtained a bachelor’s degree in computer science. She then ventured into the workforce landing IT roles at Siemens and Pepsi but made the decision that she no longer wanted to work for other companies. She wanted her own. With just $1,000 collected in a checking account, she became an entrepreneur and launched Myavana, a platform that taps her interest in technology for the purpose of disrupting the haircare market for Black women. Per the company’s website, it requires users...
TMRW Sports, co-founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Mike McCarley, has announced a new funding round. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, TMRW Sports has secured investors such as Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, and Jayson Tatum, as well as Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s 35V . Now, according to Bloomberg, TMRW Sports has received funding in a round led by Dynasty Equity Partners and Connect Ventures — bringing the sports, media, and entertainment company’s valuation to $500 million. “Our goal has always been to partner with world-class management teams in sports that have a big following,” K. Don Cornwell, co-founder of Dynasty Equity Partners, said per Bloomberg. “TMRW is taking intellectual property and applying it in such a way that’s going to not only get existing fans excited, but bring new fans under the tent. And, since accessibility and bringing diversity into sport is among our priorities, it’s a great fit.” According to...
Uncle Nearest is making history as the fastest-growing American whiskey brand ever, according to Forbes. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Fawn Weaver serves as founder and CEO and established the company to honor “Nearest” Green, a formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. The company has since received significant backing, even in the midst of Weaver’s clear stance that she has no intention of selling the business, which has grown to include a 458-acre distillery with the world’s longest bar (518 feet). Products are now featured in over 30,000 stores, bars, hotels, and restaurants in 12 countries. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey (@unclenearest) By November 2023, Weaver had raised $225 million in individual support. Per Forbes, the business is backed by 163 individual investors, providing an average check of $500,000 a person. “The most difficult thing in starting any business. It’s always the capital,” Weaver told...
Board-Certified Pediatrician Dr. Hokehe Eko is launching a virtual clinic for children with autism. The mother of three boasts over 10 years of experience working with children of all ages as well as those on the autism spectrum. She also completed training to conduct autism diagnostic evaluations using the CARS standardized test, her website mentions. “As a result of my experience, I am better able to differentiate between neuro-typical and neuro-atypical behaviors, and can also help identify if there are other factors at play, such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, OCD, intellectual delays, or other medical conditions,” she said on her website. Based in Oklahoma, Dr. Eko’s virtual clinic, Glow Pediatrics, is now open for consultations and will see patients located in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Maryland within a week, Black News reports. This is significant as the average national wait time for families seeking autism diagnosis evaluation is 27 months, per The Journal of Pediatrics. “Early...
Never underestimate the power of a good hobby! Following his retirement from the NBA, Dwyane Wade, like many greats who have since left the league, picked up a new golfing habit, which ultimately led him to become a minority owner in the NBA team Utah Jazz. According to Boardroom, the move made in 2021 by Wade continues to get better with time. When he initially joined the ownership group, the former Miami Heat star saw the team at a valuation of $1.75 billion. Today that number has increased to $3.46 billion, per an April 16 Instagram post by Boardroom. “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore,” said Wade on social media at the time of the deal. “Second act activated.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Boardroom (@boardroom) The Sporting News reports that the deal was made possible thanks to a friendship between the majority owner, Ryan Smith, and Wade that began on the golf course. Smith, a billionaire whose fortune was...
