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Co-founders Ife Johnson and Justin Ziegler have raised millions to improve cross-border payments in Africa. The pair is behind Juicyway, a platform that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to compensate vendors, contractors, and other parties locally or internationally and exchange currencies such as NGN, CAD, USD, USDT, and USDC, its website mentions. Photo Credit: Juicyway Johnson, who was born and raised in Africa, saw firsthand the barriers faced when platforms such as Juicyway did not exist. “Without access to American banking or platforms like Juicyway, as someone born and raised in Africa, I wouldn’t be able to participate in the global economy, you know, as free as I currently do,” Johnson told TechCrunch. According to data released by Remitscope, remittance flows into Africa were $90.2 billion in 2023. Additionally, the average fee charged to remittance senders was 8.4% in the first quarter of 2024, which is considered high. Juicyway addresses these concerns by offering...
Kim Roxie has opened a vegan makeup store in the historic district famously known as Black Wall Street. Roxie began her entrepreneurial journey in 2004 when she opened a makeup storefront in her hometown of Houston, Texas. According to Fox 23, her mother supported the launch with a $500 investment . “She gave me $500 and I saved up the rest of the money,” Kim told the outlet. “My mom loved makeup, she loved sitting in front of the vanity getting herself together and my mom did not have an office job, she was getting herself together to work at the post office.” Although the shop closed its doors in 2018, Roxie’s journey in the cosmetics space was far from over. The closure marked not an end, but a pivot — a chance for her to realign her mission with deeper personal connections and greater purpose. She was driven by two profound health challenges that reshaped her outlook on beauty and wellness. The first was her own struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune condition that caused hair...
Former NFL player Mark Clayton sketched his vision for entrepreneurship while in business school. Clayton founded LIVV Audio, which offers high-performing headphones designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The product was inspired by his experiences as an athlete. Drafted to the NFL in 2005 by the Baltimore Ravens, he signed a five-year deal valued at $8.2 million, according to Spotrac. Around 2008, he was among the many athletes sporting Beats headphones. Over the years, Clayton recalled breaking two pairs. In 2010, he was traded to the St. Louis Rams but suffered a season-ending injury. During his recovery, he turned to aquatic therapy but faced challenges using over-the-ear headphones during his sessions. “I made it to St. Louis and had a season-ending injury. And a lot of the rehab we did was in the swimming pool,” Clayton told AFROTECH™. “So, of course, I want to wear my over-ear headphones, but they would start to fall off, and then I have to take ’em off because I...
Celebrity hair colorist Kadi Lee has secured an investment from Meghan Markle. Markle became acquainted with Lee through a recommendation from Serge Normant, the stylist behind her wedding hairstyle for her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry. According to People, Markle has worked with Lee for more than four years. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Highbrow Hippie (@highbrowhippie) Markle joins a star-studded client roster that includes Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Brad Pitt, Lee’s bio mentions. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Lee operates out of her salon, Highbrow Hippie, and her work has been featured in renowned publications such as Vogue, Elle, and Vanity Fair, among others. Her career, which dates back to Frederic Fekkai in Manhattan, NY, where she received training under chemist and color director Constance Hartnett, now spans more than two decades, her LinkedIn notes. She also counts Normant as her greatest mentor. “I work with some of the most visible women in the...
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...
Former NBA teammates and Hall of Famers Tracy McGrady and Vinca Carter have invested in the Buffalo Bill’s organization, which is currently valued at $4.2 billion, per Forbes. According to a post shared on the team’s official Instagram account, the Bills announced 10 limited partners to join the franchise, marking the first time the team has added limited partners. According to ABC News, the group was approved on Dec. 11, 2024, by owners Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the team for $1.4 billion in 2014 and will retain a 79% stake. The Buffalo Bills’ ownership group now includes three former Black professional athletes: McGrady, Carter, and former U.S. Men’s National Team soccer player Jozy Altidore. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) Check out the breakdown below. McGrady McGrady is no stranger to the world of business. After retiring from the league in 2013 with $130 million in career earnings, he expanded his portfolio into real estate,...
Co-founders Audrey Djiya and Peter Nsaka have secured funding from Fearless Funding. TechCrunch reports that the pair became connected while attending Stanford University. Djiya attended its school of business, while Nsaka studied computer science. Although they pursued different educational journeys, they were united by a shared mission: solving the complexities surrounding international commerce. Their focus became streamlining the movement of goods across borders, addressing issues such as inefficient supply chains, inconsistent regulations, and barriers to trade. Their unique perspectives and expertise became the foundation for tackling the challenge with innovation and collaboration. For Djiya, she had taken note from her family, who were entrepreneurs. “Growing up watching family members move goods cross-border, the challenges around international commerce really stuck with me,” she told the outlet. Nsaka made his own observations while at Shopify. He took on the role in 2020...
A Black-led development is underway to revolutionize the Crenshaw, LA. Los Angeles Times reports that siblings Jamial Clark and Bridgette Reed are guiding a $24 million project. They secured the land from their parents, Henry and Lucretia Clark, who originally purchased it in 1995. Lucretia owned a hair salon , and the couple also rented out their building. This led to the establishment of a wig shop, shoe repair shop, frame shop, and a social services provider. The building had been a staple in the community, and now the siblings are looking to build on its legacy with new plans. “I invested over $100,000 of my money just to keep things going and to keep bills paid and the mortgage paid, ” Jamial told the outlet. “ Selling was never going to be an option, even though we got to a point where we had to think about it .” The land, situated at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and 54th Street, will be developed into a six-story apartment building with 48 units, with plans to include...
A cryptocurrency token tied to Ripple Labs is on the rise. What’s more, if you were compelled to invest in XRP following a private Consensus conference after-party hosted by Ripple Labs and featuring Snoop Dogg in May 2018, you’re likely on cloud nine. ICYMI: Snooperang @SnoopDogg #XRPCommunity pic.twitter.com/RWjBsKUVhI — Ripple (@Ripple) May 16, 2018 According to Forbes, the token has been fairing well, particularly after Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States. It also highlights optimism stemming from Gary Gensler’s planned departure as chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2025, with anticipation for him to be replaced by a U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump appointee. The SEC sued Ripple in 2020, alleging that the company failed to register its XRP token as a security before selling it, reports Business Times. Benzinga states that XRP had seen a rise of 87% between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3, 2024. In a 24-hour period ending Dec. 3, it...
Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Metta World Peace, has entered the world of venture capital by launching his own VC firm. The former Los Angeles Lakers player expanded his focus to the VC sector after retiring from the NBA in 2017 after 17 seasons in the league. According to Sportico, Sandiford-Artest pursued a deeper understanding of private equity and finance by enrolling in digital analytics courses and working toward a master’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). “I told people that I didn’t want my face to add value,” Artest told Sportico. “I wanted that to be my word and my (mind). That took a long time. There’s just so much that goes into that, especially how people perceive you. You’ll go into a meeting (before) and they’re just waiting to talk basketball.” In December 2024, Artest launched Tru Skye Ventures — in partnership with former Boost Mobile CEO Stephen Stokols. The collaboration builds on their existing business relationship, which...
Hello Alice’s steadfast commitment to supporting small businesses remained strong, even amid adversity. Founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Gore and Carolyn Rodz, Hello Alice is driven by a mission to support the growth and success of small businesses. This dedication was evident from the outset, especially when the company faced a financial setback due to the cancellation of South by Southwest (SXSW) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Instead of moving forward with a large marketing campaign as planned, Hello Alice redirected those funds to launch a grant program, offering critical support to small business owners in need during a challenging time. “It was the biggest amount of money we’d ever spent on anything at the time. And then the world shut down and there’s initially that moment of us saying, ‘Oh my gosh, like what’s gonna happen to us?’ And then we said, ‘If we’re dealing with this, and here we are that we had the luxury of having raised capital, we had investment...
Founder Craig J. Lewis is revamping his mission to empower the gig economy. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Lewis leads Gig Wage, a fintech platform aimed at improving payroll for 1099 employees. With his background in payroll sales at Payroll Plus Inc. from 2009 to 2010 and a two-year stint as a payroll technology consultant at CyberPay, Lewis has a deep understanding of the industry, as mentioned on his LinkedIn profile. “I helped to sell ADP’s [the largest payroll company in the world] first cloud-based product called ADP Run, and that’s where it all started for me,” he told AFROTECH™ in a 2021 interview. “I’ve seen the impact that technology has on the payroll space. After reading an article about the global independent workforce, aka the gig economy, I realized that there wasn’t a payroll space for that group, meaning, people who do work for a company but the companies aren’t really designed or don’t have access to the technology to pay these type of people. These are your...
A startup dedicated to preserving African languages has secured new funding. Founded in 2022 and backed by Techstars, Lingawa was established by siblings Frank Akinwande Williams (CEO) and Yvonne Williams (COO), along with third co-founder Uche Azinge (CTO). Previously operating under the name TopSet, its inception was driven by Frank’s and Yvonne’s difficulties in learning their native language, Yoruba. “As Nigerians growing up in the UK, my sister Yvonne W and I always felt a deep connection to our heritage—but also an uncomfortable distance. We struggled to speak our native tongue, Yoruba, fluently, and with that came a sense of loss and even shame,” Williams said on LinkedIn. “There’s an unspoken belief that understanding your language is tied to understanding yourself, your culture, and your place in the world. It was a feeling we carried with us for years.” He continued, “As we grew older, we realized that this experience wasn’t unique to us. Millions of Africans, Asians, and...
Russell Westbrook is returning to familiar ground with his latest investment. The NBA player, currently with the Denver Nuggets, began his journey into the league as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder, reports StatMuse. He spent 11 seasons with the team, becoming its all-time leading scorer with 18,859 points, according to separate data from StatMuse. “I spent a significant amount of time in Oklahoma City, so to me, that place is very special and is like a second home,” Westbrook told Bloomberg. Driven by his love for the city, Westbrook has reinvested in the community through sports and entertainment, partnering Russell Westbrook Enterprises with Christian Kanady’s firm, Echo. His contribution is estimated to be around $10 million. “My time with the OKC Thunder shaped so much of who I am, so becoming Christian’s partner and investing in the city’s continued growth is not only exciting personally, but Echo’s Sports and Entertainment...
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is making significant moves in the real estate sector. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the boxing world champion has invested $402 million in an affordable housing project in New York, which includes over 60 buildings with more than 1,000 units “Growing up, I used to dream about owning just one home by myself, when you work hard you can achieve anything,” Mayweather told TMZ. Mayweather’s investments in real estate also include ownership of nine skyscrapers in New York through a partnership with SL Green. “‘You see that building right there? Yeah, we own that. You see this building? We own it.’ So we was walking and walking . Then he said, ‘You know, a boxer makes money when he’s boxing. A football player makes money when he’s playing football. A basketball player makes money when he’s playing basketball.’ He said, ‘But New York real estate, you make money when you sleep.’” On Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, Mayweather also invested in a $10 billion office portfolio...