Nakia Booker’s introduction into the art world began as a young child learning different mediums of art from her grandfather. Decades later, the Southern University and A&M College graduate has returned to her roots through her brainchild The Black Artivism Capsule. The curated collection is now a home for 26 creatives to share their realities with the world through a Black lens. Featured artists include Raphael Adjetey Adjei Mayne, Ashley Nesmith, Khalid Thompson, and the late Crystal Kirk. The spread will feature the Black experience through all its facets such as civil unrest, health crises, and snapshots of a more hopeful future. “The place where I was at this time when all this was going on — I was feeling upset, angry, frustrated, like everybody else.  This project I started during the pandemic gave me hope and joy because it is timeless. It captures the past, present, and future so when you look at it you’ll be reminded of where we used to be and where we are now,” Booker...

It’s never too early to begin looking ahead to the future, especially not for Trey Brown, who is a young entrepreneur with a very promising one. As previously reported by AfroTech, Brown continues to level up whether it be through his second retail store for his brand SPERGO or wooing the sharks on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” He is the future and from the looks of it, the kids are indeed alright. Brown, a true wealth generator, first began his entrepreneurial path at the age of 12. Now, at 15-years-old, he has managed to bring in millions of dollars in sales — even landing an investment deal that could set him on the right path to fulfilling his dream of becoming a millionaire by the time he is age 21. The teen originally launched SPERGO, a boutique fashion collection for men, women, and children, after receiving a birthday gift. Today, the business has two storefronts, one located in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA, and the second in Washington, D.C. at Pentagon City Mall. Brown...

Most pre-teens have their minds on tons of things but building an empire as a digital architect may not be one of them. As previously reported by AfroTech, at age 12, Nyla Hayes created the Long Neckie Collection — a non-fungible token (NFT) collection worth about $3.4 million in digital currency. She is also TIMEPiece’s First Artist-In-Residence and the founder of NFT Children’s Day, an initiative launched to encourage more youth to get involved in tech. For Hayes, her first introduction to tech and the metaverse started with Roblox. Hayes has had a love for art since an early age. She started drawing at the tender age of four and the rest has truly been history. AfroTech sat down with the young artist to discuss her collection, making money doing what she loves, and what the future holds.

All geniuses don’t wear lab coats. Sometimes, they ditch the lab coat and lead the way for innovation in technology! When Josh Aviv first conjured up the idea for SparkCharge, he was simply just trying to create a solution that would provide accessibility to the smart car industry for more people! “I started this company in my dorm room,” said Aviv in an exclusive interview with AfroTech. “While on the campus of Syracuse University, we were the definition of a dorm room startup. From there, we had the opportunity to really receive some really good investments.” He continued: “And we were able to grow the company from one founder to a team of just about 40 employees.”

This Florida A&M University student bet on herself and landed in national stores. Kah’Milah Ledgester submitted her designs for Target’s 2021 HBCU design contest and JCPenney’s Young, Gifted and Black design challenge. And, putting her hands in various baskets paid off. Ledgester was informed she won both competitions during the spring of 2021 and to expect them displayed on a national scale for Black History Month of 2022. FAMU senior graphic design student Kah'Milah Ledgester recently appeared in a @Target commercial showcasing her work for their 2022 Black History Collection! Way to strike from the top, Kah'Milah! Check out the commercial below! #famu #rattlers #blackbeyondmeasure pic.twitter.com/q2k7HukC3F — FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (@FAMUSJGC82) November 26, 2021 “I always get a little excited because of the fact that I did the Target challenge, and I also did JCPenney and won both of them. It made me feel very good because I took a chance,” said...

When taking a look at Mattaniah Aytenfsu’s resume, your first guess wouldn’t be that she had no prior experience within her pursued field going into her freshman year of college. While balancing being a student in college, the young science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) student worked with the likes of NASA and TaskRabbit — which eventually led to Google. At 24-years-old, Aytenfsu is a UX engineer for YouTube and a budding TikTok influencer.

We promise this is not your average vending machine. Shania Morris is the mastermind behind Blinkz On A Budget, a luxury vending machine that allows you to purchase lashes on the go. The unconventional route found favor in the eyes of the 24-year-old as it forged a connection between customers while cutting down operational costs. The Jamaican native stirred up the idea to launch a vending machine after recognizing the ever-growing popularity within the United States. Morris’ passion project soon went from an idea to reality after scoring a vendor in Florida who could provide a home for her human lashes. She planned to debut her machine at a local outlet mall in Florida but she soon realized to stand out among competitors, her dispensary would need a unique twist. In decked-out fashion, the vending machine received a stellar makeover sporting an adorned floral wall perfect to snap a few selfies while operating as a hidden marketing strategy. @thelashdoc #minklashes...

The first Black-owned contactless grocery just hit the Atlanta market thanks to husband-and-wife, Jamie and Jilea Hemmings. According to TechCrunch, the dynamic duo created Nourish + Bloom Market to provide more than 1,000 locally sourced, healthy food products to the community, which includes baked goods, dairy, meats, prepared meals, and produce. Their journey to entrepreneurship began for the pair when their eldest child was diagnosed with autism at the age of six. After researching the impact that autism can have on one’s diet, the husband-and-wife built a food company that took “child favorites” and turned them into healthier options. Now, the sentiment is the same after finding themselves in need of healthier food options upon moving to Atlanta two years ago. “We thought of the idea a year ago, during the pandemic, to provide a solution for customers where they wouldn’t have to wait in line or touch anything while checking out,” said Jamie Hemmings in an interview with...