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Maya Angelou once said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” Autumn Lockwood’s collegiate and professional journey embodies this spirit of resilience and perseverance. Her story isn’t just about accolades—it’s about the power of persistence to overcome barriers often encountered in a male-dominated industry. From the classroom to the sidelines of football’s grandest stage, Lockwood’s path proves that Black History still happens daily. Lockwood’s Educational Foundation And Academic Journey Autumn Lockwood’s educational journey paved the way for her career in sports performance. According to the Philadelphia Eagles’ official website, she earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Arizona, where she built a strong foundation in athlete development and sports science. She furthered her expertise by completing a master’s degree in sports management at East Tennessee State University, gaining valuable experience and insights that...
Serena Williams and her family are investors in what has now become the most valuable women’s sports franchise. In 2020, the tennis star, alongside her husband and Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian , joined a star-studded ownership group to establish Angel City FC, a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team representing Los Angeles, CA, which officially launched in 2022, according to BBC Sport. Investors at the time included actresses Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Garner, Uzo Aduba, and America Ferrera. Williams and Ohanian also added their daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., who was just 2 years old at the time, as one of the team’s investors. This led Olympia to make history as the youngest owner of a professional sports team at the time, and she held onto that title until it was taken by her younger sister Adira River Ohanian, as AFROTECH™ previously mentioned. “We come together with a collective passion for bringing about change,” Julie Uhrman, Angel City FC co-founder...
A wise investment made by Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian has greatly benefitted their daughters. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the couple has been very intentional about investing in their children’s futures. When their first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., was 2 years old, she made headlines as the youngest owner of a professional sports team when she was listed alongside her parents as an investor in Angel City, the National Women’s Soccer League team based in Los Angeles, CA. “As someone who spends hours kicking around a football with my two-year-old daughter, I want her to have a front-row seat to this revolution,” Alexis Ohanian said at the time. “I’m personally investing on behalf of my family because creating more opportunities in women’s sports is important to my wife and me, and we want to be a part of making a better future for our daughter.” In August 2023, the couple welcomed the birth of their second child and daughter, Adira River Ohanian, Today reported....
A new powerhouse has joined forces with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s tech-infused golf league, TGL. Shonda Rhimes revealed that she has become a part of the ownership group for the California-based Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC), TGL’s first team. “I’m beyond excited to announce my involvement as the newest owner of Los Angeles Golf Club, the inaugural team in the @tglgolf league,” Rhimes wrote in an Instagram post. “I can’t wait to bring my passion for golf to this incredible venture.” She continued, “Joining this team is an honor and, as someone who believes in the power of storytelling and community, I’m eager to see how we can elevate the game together. Let’s tee off on this new journey. We are LAGC.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shonda Rhimes (@shondarhimes) The renowned TV producer and creator is now standing alongside fellow Los Angeles Golf Club owners Serena and Venus Williams, Alexis Ohanian Sr., and Antetokounmpo brothers Giannis, Thanasis, Kostas, and...
Andre Swanston is one of the few Black men to sell a tech company for nine figures. Swanston founded Tru Optik in 2013. He was driven to have a solid work ethic by his father, who ventured from the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United States and worked several jobs to support his family, according to Forbes. The younger Swanston obtained a finance degree from La Salle University and a business degree from the University of Connecticut between 1999 and 2004. He would then secure a job as a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial and later take on a post at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as vice president of investments between 2010 and 2012, per his LinkedIn. During the early 2000s, he owned nightclubs and restaurants, he shared in a Q&A with TransUnion. He also invested in local advertising to bring more exposure to his businesses. It was then that Swanston made a discovery that would prompt his pivot to the tech industry full time as the founder of Tru Optik. The system is “an...
There is more to being an athlete than just playing in a game. Andrew Hawkins, better known as “Hawk,” is a third-generation athlete. He has learned the mistakes made by previous professionals in the space and is using his unique journey to carve a path, not only for himself but for other athletes to come. Hawk has always approached sports from the business lens and as the co-founder of StatusPro, a sports and technology company combining data and augmented and virtual reality to provide a suite of training and gaming products, he is still using those wits to change the whole landscape of gaming for users across the nation.
TikTok has a new creative addition on its hands that’s looking to take creators’ content to the next level. TechCrunch reports that the company has launched Effect House — its own augmented reality (AR) development platform. TikTokers will now have access to AR effects within the video app to grow their reach and level of creativity. While already known for its extensive library of effects, the launch allows for creators to build their own effects, according to the outlet. The new expansion further tightens its competition against Snap and Meta. “Effect House brings your storytelling to life through powerful, intuitive, and expressive features,” its website describes. “Our built-in capabilities — from advanced tracking to rich interactions — enable you to experiment, create, preview, publish and manage all your effects on TikTok.” Effect House has been in close beta since its creation in 2021. Now, after it’s officially gone public, TikTok is opening up beta access from its initial...
Virtual reality gaming just hit a new level courtesy of StatusPRO. In a previous interview with AfroTech, StatusPRO founders Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and Troy Jones explained their plans to combine augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) to enhance the sports industry as we know it. Now, it looks like they are here to deliver. According to a press release, the former football players have officially inked a deal to create the first VR NFL-licensed football game. “We are a company that wants to democratize what it is like to be an athlete. In XR and VR specifically here, we want to really immerse fans into the shoes of people they watch on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis and give them something they have never experienced,” Hawkins told Boardroom. “As an athlete, being able to continue to bring those experiences to life is amazing. This is the first of many athletes from our company but as football players, you can imagine we want to bring the most authentic version of this to the...
The future of sports and technology is here. As the two worlds continue to collide thanks to advancements in tech, leaders in the sports industry are continuing to emerge with digital collectibles like non-fungible tokens (NFTs). On Dec. 13, Arizona Cardinals’ offensive tackle, Kelvin Beachum, became the first professional athlete to do a live NFT drop during a professional football game. And, AfroTech has all of the details. In a live auction held during the game hosted on OpenSea, fans had the opportunity to bid on a 68-piece open edition and a limited edition four-piece auction curated by Beachum in collaboration with the South Carolina-based company, BandwagonFanClub, Inc. “When it comes to following our favorite entertainers, teams, and athletes, there are lots of opportunities for collectibles,” said BandWagonFanClub, Inc. CEO Harold Hughes in an official press release provided to AfroTech. “From tickets to memorabilia, the ability to collect artifacts is endless. Still, as we...
When Rick Ross recently announced that he was interested in investing in the Miami Heat, he became one of but a handful of Black men and women who expressed an interest in equity in sports teams. “I’m still interested in getting a small percentage of an NFL or NBA team,” he shared during an episode of Uninterrupted’s Certified Buckets podcast when asked his stance on making a sports investment move. “I’d just invest in the Heat because we got some beautiful additions. And like I say I’m one of those people that can look three seasons ahead… I’m confident, we’ll bring them big trophies back.” This isn’t the first time Ross has expressed interest in investing in sports teams. As AfroTech reported, he expressed an interest in the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014. Back then, both Ross and Diddy were eyeing the possibility of buying the team but ultimately lost out to Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion offer. Currently, there are only six people of color with ownership across all three major U.S....
Rick Ross, the biggest boss, is always thinking of his next move. According to Kulture Hub, Rick Ross could soon make his stake in the sports industry as an investor in the National Basketball Association’s Miami Heat. The move would be only right for the rapper and entrepreneur who has been an avid supporter of the team and is considered by many as a Miami legend. “I’m still interested in getting a small percentage of an NFL or NBA team,” Rick Ross shared during an episode of Uninterrupted’s Certified Buckets podcast when asked his stance on making a sports investment move. “I’d just invest in the Heat because we got some beautiful additions. And like I say I’m one of those people that can look three seasons ahead… I’m confident, we’ll bring them big trophies back.” As someone who was raised in Dade County, Rick Ross has been a fan of the Miami Heat since day one. He went from watching games from awful seats to garnering relationships with the players, President Pat Riley, and the...
StatusPRO continues to go against the status quo! As previously reported by AfroTech, the sports technology and gaming company combines player data and XR (augmented and virtual reality) to create a suite of training and fan engagement products for enterprise and consumers. Founded by Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and Troy Jones, StatusPRO is a part of the less than one percent of Black entrepreneurs who receive funding from traditional venture capital firms. Plus, they have announced a list of strategic investors made up of industry leaders that will join KB Partners, TitletownTech, Greycroft, Verizon Ventures, Haslam Sports Group, 49ers Enterprises and SC Holdings. “Besides the immense credibility our new investors bring to the business, they have proven the value of creating companies and brands that prioritize empowerment, diversity of thought, experience, and culture,” said StatusPRO Chief Executive Officer, Troy Jones, in an official press release shared with AfroTech. “These are some...
This fraternity is putting brotherhood to the test with a new initiative to help startups and their respective communities build wealth. According to Watch The Yard, 18 members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. from all over the nation have partnered with 12 Black and brown executives to form an Equity Crowdfunding Portal. Seed At The Table is FINRA approved and a win-win situation as that it will provide access to capital for diverse founders and allow investors to place their stake in private businesses at lower minimums. “[Seed At The Table] is committed to spurring economic advancement and firmly believes both a founder’s ability to access capital and an individuals’ ability to invest in the business and products they consume are paramount to the viability of Black and Brown commerce,” said founding member and brother of Kappa Alpha Psi, Pierre Le Veaux, in an interview with Watch The Yard. Generally to invest in an early-stage startup, one must have an accredited investor...
This is the future! C.L.Ai.R.A made her debut last week (Sept. 8) and is the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) woman of color. She is an Afro-Latina, bilingual A.I. known to have the “sharpest brain in the A.I world.” Now, she’s making her way into school systems nationwide. C.L.Ai.R.A was introduced through Trill or Not Trill, an institute founded by Lenny Williams and Jeff Dess to provide innovative strategies and solutions that speak to the culture with leaders that are committed to enhancing the voices of today and developing the change agents of tomorrow. Now, the company will join forces with Create Lab Ventures to continue the mission of providing underserved communities with the resources and skills needed to thrive in the media and tech industries. “We are beyond excited to introduce your students to C.L.Ai.R.A.,” Dess said in a press release shared with AfroTech. “This next-level partnership with Create Labs offers us a game-changing way to enhance the educational...