Samantha Dorisca

Not having a chance to invest in major players in tech ultimately catapulted Serena Williams into the investment ring. During an interview on Bloomberg’s “The Deal,” Williams recalls a time in her tennis journey when she could have faced less pressure to win on the court if she had placed dollars in companies such as Facebook, Airbnb and Google — all companies valued at more than $100 billion today. “Tennis is all sponsor based, and I would see like some of these sponsors come up, but I’m like, ‘Well I have some little cash, like how did I not invest in Facebook? How can I invest in Airbnb or how did I miss Google? Or like, you know, all these companies,'” Williams said on “The Deal.” “ And I started to ask these questions like, ‘Why am I out here breaking my neck and sweating when I could have invested in these companies and I could still be doing the same thing, but it wouldn’t have to be such dire needs, ‘I’ve gotta win this U.S. Open this year. I’ve gotta pay these bills.’ So, I...

Ethiopian sustainable tech startup Kubik has scored a first for the country. According to a press release sent to AFROTECH™, it has raised $5.2 million in a seed round. Investors include East African venture capital firm African Renaissance Partners, Endgame Capital, and King Philanthropies. It will now further its work in using plastic waste to make affordable buildings and removing waste from the environment. “Kubik’s vision to build safe and affordable living for all speaks directly to King Philanthropies’ mission to catalyze solutions at the intersection of climate and livelihoods,” Kartick Kumar, managing director at King Philanthropies, said in a press release. “Kubik is at the forefront of innovation in Ethiopia and across the African market, and we’re proud to support the tremendous impact they’re making combatting plastic waste and providing safe, durable, and affordable housing.” The funding round makes Kubik the first Ethiopian country to earn a multi-million-dollar...

Kenny Smith has become a familiar face in sports broadcasting, and he’s being fairly compensated for his contributions. His background in sports can be traced back to his playing days on the basketball courts of the University of North Carolina, according to the National Urban League. Upon graduating with a degree in Industrial Relations, he would be drafted to the Sacramento Kings as a sixth overall draft pick in 1987, ESPN reports. On Oct. 14, 1987, Smith signed a multi-year contract with the team, RealGM mentions. He would go on to play for several teams, including the Houston Rockets, for six seasons. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) They would earn two National Championships in 1994 and 1995 during his tenure. “I was one of the perfect pieces that fit into that championship mix,” Smith told Houstonia Magazine. Smith played for a total of ten seasons in the NBA and also attached his name to the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic,...

Kevin Hart is laughing all the way to the bank. The comedian, actor, and entrepreneur scaled his presence in Hollywood, launching multi-platform media company, HARTBEAT in 2022. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, its launch was supported by a $100 million raise from Abry Partners to support content creation, hiring new teams, and the expansion of existing brands and franchises. HARTBEAT went on to debut 23 projects in TV, film, digital and audio in 2023, Variety mentions. Additionally, it has secured strategic partnerships with NBCUniversal, SiriusXM, Sundance Institute, P&G, Walmart, Chase, Draft Kings and even Netflix, releasing “Lift” on the streaming platform on January 12, 2024. His collaborations have proven to be a wise business move for HARTBEAT. According to Boardroom, it is now valued at $650 million. Reflecting on the feat during an interview on “60 Minutes” Hart explained, “I’m no longer just a comedian. I’m an investment. I’m a student. I’m a partner looking for...

The success of Usher Raymond’s Las Vegas, NV, residency was due to his focus on legacy over profit. During an interview with V-103 Atlanta, the 2024 Super Bowl performer, often crowned with the title of being the “King of R&B,” revealed his initial intentions when he was producing the show that would go on to sell more than 470,000 tickets. His catalog which includes classic hits such as “Superstar,” “Confessions, Pt. II,” and “U Got It Bad” have remained a fixture in culture throughout the decades. His fourth studio album “Confessions,” which includes some of the aforementioned tracks, is now 14 times platinum, per Entertainment Weekly. Today, Usher is still ringing out tunes, releasing his ninth studio album “Coming Home” in February 2024, Hypebeast reports. Indebted to his fans and understanding his on going contributions to the world of music, Usher reveals he invested every dollar that he was given during the first run of his residency into the show which was held at the...

East Chop Capital has closed its funding and will deploy capital to Black investors. According to a press release provided to AFROTECH™, the private equity firm’s founders and HBCU graduates Calvin L. Butts Jr. and Carrington Carter have closed an $11 million fund, which draws equity investments from 93 limited partnerships, including Liberty Financial Services. This brings East Chop Capital’s total raise to $15 million. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, $4 million in 2021 had been raised to support its presence in the global vacation market, which is projected to reach $132.7 billion in 2033, as reported by Future Market Insight. East Chop Capital is poised to achieve a 25% return, taking into consideration the fees or expenses involved in overseeing the fund. With additional capital at its disposal, East Chop Capital is poised to amplify its efforts in the initial round, with plans already set in motion to invest in Florida and Texas. “Fund II is about scale and pattern...

Venita Cooper’s passion for sneaker culture has led her to become an entrepreneur -turned-tech-founder. In 2019, Cooper opened Silhouette Sneakers & Art in Tulsa, OK, after working as a K-12 educator in the Mississippi Delta through Teach for America. She was brought to Oklahoma because her parents decided to retire, Cooper told AFROTECH™ in an interview. With no entrepreneurial background, the thought of launching her own business never crossed her mind until 2018, when the idea of opening a sneaker store was presented to her. “At first I thought it was crazy ’cause I was like, ‘I’m not an entrepreneur. I’ve never done anything like that before,'” Cooper said. “One of the things that I’ve learned is that to start a business and to run a business, to me, the No. 1 skill is the ability to make good decisions consistently and quickly. I always ask investors and other founders who have successful companies, what is the characteristic that they can identify as that No. 1 characteristic...

The “Prime Effect” should not be ignored. Deion Sanders, who first received the nickname “Prime Time” by a former high school teammate — with it later morphing into “Coach Prime” while coaching at Mississippi’s Jackson State University — has the title for earned reasons. The night the nickname was born, he scored 37 points and had back-to-back dunks for his basketball team, he recalls during an interview with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.” Sanders proved himself to be talented in various sports and would ultimately be chosen by the Atlanta Falcons as fifth overall NFL draft pick in 1989, per StatMuse. He played for 14 seasons in the NFL and walked away with two Super Bowl rings, Pro Football Hall of Fame states. Sanders’ background would lead him into the world of coaching. Between 2012 and 2019 he took on several coaching jobs at Texas high schools, including Prime Prep Academy (which he co-founded), Triple A Academy, and Trinity Christian High School. In September 2020, he...

Canza Finance’s co-founders are leaning into Web3 to financially empower the African continent. Pascal Ntsama IV and Oyedeji Oluwoye are looking to create “the world’s largest non-institutional-based financial system” through the creation of Canza Finance, the company website mentions. They both share distinct journeys on how they arrived to the company’s inception. For Chief Technology Officer Oluwoye — born in Nigeria, Africa, and raised in Sydney, Australia, before moving to the United States at 14 — he began taking various CompTIA Certifications, early-career data analytics certification, during his senior year of high school. After graduation, he headed to the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. While in college, he was able to secure a position with Adtran, a networking and telecommunications company based in the U.S., as a co-op engineer. He then transitioned to work at AT&T as a senior specialist-network...

Transcending her experience as a childhood star on Disney Channel, Zendaya is now a force in Hollywood. This can be credited partially to her forging her own path in fashion with the help of Law Roach and diversifying her roles, through HBO’s “Euphoria” — which landed her two Emmys for her role as Rue Bennett — and the big screen’s “Dune” and “Spider-Man” franchises, per Variety. Now, Zendaya is on to her next project, “Challengers,” directed by Luca Guadagnino, which was released on April 26, 2024. Unlike the aforementioned roles, the actress has the opportunity to move beyond portraying a teenager on screen and takes on Tashi Duncan, an adult character who plays tennis and winds up in a love triangle, according to People. “I’ve been playing 16-year-olds since I was 16,” Zendaya, 27, told Variety. “So it was nice to play a character that was not a child anymore. It was also interesting playing parts of my life that I haven’t experienced yet: I’ve not gotten married. I’ve not had a...

Will.i.am is immersing himself further in the media landscape. According to a press release, he has joined Jarret Myer and Rich Antoniello in forming Uproxx Studios. It is described as a brand solutions studio led by influential leaders in media and music who will consider culture and push it forward. The new entity has been established following the acquisition of Uproxx, HipHopDX, Dime Magazine, and other major media assets from Warner Music Group (WMG), such as the exclusive license to represent its YouTube content. Looking ahead, Uproxx Studios and WMG will remain in collaboration to guarantee seamless execution for their partners. Antoniello, partner and executive chairman of Uproxx Studios as well as founder and ex-CEO of Complex Network, commented, “This is a game-changer. We’re merging the agility and freedom of an independent entity with the reach and resources of a major music label. This is the recipe for groundbreaking content and unparalleled brand experiences.” Uproxx...

The Chicago Sky team are already reaping the benefits of Angel Reese’s arrival. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Reese, a current Louisiana State University (LSU) student, was drafted to the WNBA as the 7th draft pick in the first of three rounds on April 15, 2024, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, NY. She will be joined on the team by recent National Championship winner Kamilla Cardoso from South Carolina. “It’s a great moment. I’m super excited to go into the W,” Reese, 21, said in reflection during an interview on the “Today” show. “This has always been a dream for me and a dream come true. And then with amazing girls, only 15 girls get to be selected to come to New York and have this experience. And as a little girl, being able to put the dress on and actually go up there and hear a name called was amazing. So I’m just happy to be here and enjoy the moment.” Reese’s entry into the league is already being met with excitement. Within days of being drafted, the team’s...

Amid the attack on venture capital investments to Black businesses, Hello Alice has come out on top. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the fintech platform — created by Elizabeth Gore and Carolyn Rodz — that has helped small businesses through capital, had been named in a class-action lawsuit filed by America First Legal, Mitchell Law PLLC, and Ashbrook Byrne Kresge LLC in October 2023. The company was targeted for partnering with Progressive Insurance Co. to offer up to $25,000 in grants to 10 Black-owned businesses. “We were founded on the principle of equality, with the aim of ensuring that everyone — women, men, people of color, U.S. Veterans, and more — have an equal opportunity to launch their businesses and pursue the American Dream,” Hello Alice shared at the time in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. “From Texas to California to Florida to New York, small business owners are the most trusted voice in America and a critical engine of our economic growth. Today our...

Shaquille O’Neal’s Authentic Brands Group (ABG) deal continues to pay off. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, O’Neal’s agreement with the brand management company in 2015 allowed the group to profit from his name and likeness in merchandise and endorsements. The Hall of Famer joins its roster of other prominent names such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Jackson. “We’re thrilled to have a true business partner in Shaq,” Nick Woodhouse, ABG president and chief marketing officer, told ESPN at the time. “Through his bigger-than-life personality, he has turned himself into one of the strongest sports brands in the world.” In return for signing onto the deal, O’Neal became ABG’s second-largest shareholder, and to date he credits this as his turning point in business. “My Authentic Brands deal, I was able to ensure that hopefully I can stay around after I’m no longer on this earth,” O’Neal explained to AFROTECH™ . “And I was walking down the street one day and...

A bright future in education awaits the students of Benjamin E. Mays High School in southwest Atlanta, GA. WABE, a local PBS station, reports that on Friday, April 19, 2024, the class of 2024, made up of 272 seniors, gathered for assembly and were surprised with a visit by Kevin James, the 19th president of Morris Brown College in Atlanta. James, who has maintained the post since 2020, per 11Alive, had good news for them. He began by giving a brief history lesson on the college, which had lost its accreditation in 2002 due to challenges stemming from debt and financial mismanagement, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Nearly two decades following the defeat, it had announced in 2021 that the college had regained its accreditation, becoming the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to do so. “It’s so many HBCUs that have lost their accreditation that are still closed today,” James told the class of 2024, according to WABE. “That usually is a death sentence for an...