Back in 2022, Felecia Hatcher shared with AfroTech that the 2023 Black Ambition Prize was on its way. Now, she and Pharrell Williams’ nonprofit initiative has returned with not only the prize competition but also a new program for Black and brown entrepreneurs.

Throughout 2022, news of tech layoffs hit the nation, especially over the past few weeks. In CNBC’s rundown of the announcements that have piled in, Meta had the most cuts of about 11,000 jobs — its biggest round of layoffs ever. As previously reported by AfroTech, Elon Musk also cut 3,700 employees after his Twitter takeover.

As an innovator of the culture as we know it today, Pharrell has racked up quite the collection over the years. Now, the 49-year-old entertainer says everything must go in an exclusive auction of some of his most personal valuables. “My business manager was like, ‘Hey, at this point, you have 11 different storage units,'” said Pharrell in an interview with Financial Times. He has keepsakes that include everything from a leather jacket featuring “Women’s Rights” across the front to a gold-plated Blackberry.

Today, Black Ambition founder Pharrell Williams announced the winners of the Black Ambition and Black Ambition HBCU (Historically Black College and University) Prizes during the initiative’s Prize Celebration. “These are the founders I dreamed would represent Black Ambition. Today we celebrate their determination, resourcefulness, and creativity. Because of Black Ambition, the world will be much more equitable. More people of color can pursue their ventures and get what they need to thrive,” said Pharrell Williams. “There’s been too much disparity and discrimination. Black Ambition will continue to create and push for more seats at the table, so that your talent, not your color, determines your results.” The winner of the $1 million grand prize, according to Billboard, is Livegistics, which features a collective of software developers, accounting professionals, and former construction managers that used their combined expertise to create a new cloud platform for civil projects....

The last few weeks should make Pharrell fans very happy. The multi-hyphenate artist launched his Humanrace skincare line and released the gospel-music show “Voices of Fire” on Netflix, and now he is helping Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. According to ESSENCE, Williams announced Black Ambition, a non-profit initiative that will support underserved entrepreneurs who are launching tech, design, healthcare, and consumer products/services startups. In addition, part of the initiative will include two competitions for investments, The Black Ambition HBCU Prize and The Black Ambition Prize. “With Black Ambition, the goal is to help strengthen the pipeline of talented entrepreneurs and close the opportunity and wealth gaps derived from limited access to capital and resources,” Williams said in a statement. He added on Instagram, “We see a future where ideas flourish, ruinous risk is diminished, and Black and Latinx entrepreneurs are positioned to realize America’s promise.”   View this...