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Angel Reese and Magic Johnson have more in common than just their love of basketball. Both Johnson and Reese have found success beyond the sport. In the business world, this has translated into significant achievements for the two: Johnson is now a billionaire , and Reese has established herself as a multi-millionaire student-athlete who successfully transitioned to the WNBA and now holds a multi-year partnership extension with Reebok. Furthermore, the pair share even more common ground: a vision for financially empowering communities. According to its website, the Magic Johnson Foundation’s mission includes providing economic empowerment in ethnically diverse urban communities, while the Angel Reese C. Foundation shares a similar mission, with a specific focus on girls. “The Angel Reese Foundation is dedicated to fostering equity for girls and underrepresented groups through innovative and impactful initiatives. Our main objective is to ensure equal opportunities for all girls in...
Aisha Bowe nearly failed high school but she never allowed her dreams to escape her, leading her into space. Choosing Her Own Path In high school, a guidance counselor suggested that Bowe, a first-generation Bahamian-American, consider a career in cosmetology, since school had not been her strong suit at the time. However, it was through her father — who passed away in 2025 — that she found encouragement to pursue mathematics and reject the limited path the counselor had envisioned for her. On the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas, Bowe acknowledges that the counselor’s restrictive views made her feel “demoralized,” so she chose not to apply to a four-year university and instead enrolled in a community college. Following a reality check, Bowe decided she wanted to become a NASA rocket scientist, a dream first envisioned by her father, who had initially moved to the United States to pursue this goal, notes Travel Noire. “I wanted to do...
Morgan Hewett didn’t explore alternative funding options when she launched her first company. In June 2020, Hewett, a former health lead at Facebook (now Meta) who generated $100 million in profit for the company, launched her own company, OptionsMD. The telehealth platform uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) to predict which treatments and medications individuals with treatment-resistant illnesses are most likely to respond to. The venture was inspired by her older brother, who suffered from severe mental health issues and suicidal ideation. Despite having great doctors, it was still hard to find the right medication, leading him to try nearly 12 antidepressants before finding a match. “That made me wonder, ‘Why didn’t the doctors know which medication was gonna work for him?'” Hewett told AFROTECH™. “So I started becoming obsessed with the psychiatry industry and interviewing doctors, and they kept on telling me, ‘When a patient walks into our office, we have five...
Symphonic Capital has launched its inaugural fund targeting overlooked founders in fintech and health care. Symphonic Capital’s Inception Sydney Thomas, who always displayed an “entrepreneurial spirit,” founded the venture capital (VC) firm in 2022. Having already dedicated years to being a serial investor, her work in venture capital began in 2016. It was during that time that she observed a common pattern: Many firms placed broad bets on numerous founders, accepting that most would fail in hopes that a few would yield outsized returns. However, she believed it was possible to have a more refined approach that would put more early-staged founders in a better position. “While it is still incredibly risky to work in early stage, a way to actually de-risk your investment is to have a much more structured and focused support strategy with those companies that increases the likelihood that they graduate from pre-seed to seed, and increases the likelihood that they graduate from seed to...
Megan Thee Stallion is set to become a franchisee! The Houston, TX-born rapper is diving deeper into her entrepreneurship bag. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, through her music career, she already has full ownership of her master recordings and publishing thanks to her deal with Warner Music Group. She has also gone on to launch her own tequila brand, Chicas Divertidas. At the time of this writing, the brand boasts two offerings: Blanco and Reposado. Photo Credit: World Red Eye “As someone who values good vibes and great memories, I knew I wanted to create a tequila that was designed to be shared and savored with my Hotties,” Megan Thee Stallion said in a news release shared with AFROTECH™. “Smooth, sultry, and premium. This process has been years in the making, and I’m so proud to take this next step in my journey as an entrepreneur and launch this brand. I know the Hotties are ready, it’s time to give them a drink made by me! I’m excited to share this labor of love with you all...
A new venture has launched to amplify Caribbean founders. Caribbean Venture Collective Caribbean Venture Collective — founded by Daniel Smith (Keepingly) and Mita Carriman (Adventurely), both Techstars alumni of Caribbean descent — has launched to help founders realize their full potential, a ccording to a news release shared with AFROTECH™ . Entrepreneurs will be supported across eight impact verticals: travel/hospitality tech, logistics and supply chain, proptech, agritech, climate tech, fintech, healthtech, and edtech. The move will also help to improve a region that spans over 30 countries and territories, with a combined population of more than 40 million. “Having been a founder in Trinidad and then moving to The U.S, realizing that one of the biggest issues that most founders face is around funding and being able to have access to funding and understand the market sizes, etc… What we’re doing is to ensure that we build a pipeline,” Smith told AFROTECH™. “One of the biggest...
A passion area for Shannae Ingleton-Smith has blossomed into a 6-year-old talent management firm prioritizing diverse creators. Ingleton-Smith understands the nuances of the creator economy, having worked as an influencer who was earning revenue and steadily securing more deals. She also co-led a Facebook group with a close friend that helped Black creators learn how to advocate for themselves and negotiate opportunities. This even led to a mention by a Forbes writer who highlighted the significant revenue creators were generating through the group. In addition, while actively working in a corporate role, Ingleton-Smith began receiving requests from creators to become their manager. “I was working full time, and I had a job. And I was just like, ‘I’m just doing this for fun. I’m learning and I like helping people. I don’t expect to be paid doing this.’ That was my mentality initially,” she said in an interview with AFROTECH™. “Then I think after the fourth or fifth person asked me...
Gabby Thomas is chasing purpose not a check. The Harvard University alum and track runner, who boasts several gold medals at the Olympic level, has remained grounded throughout all her success over the years. This she attributes to her upbringing in a single-parent household. Thomas views her mother, Jennifer Randall, as a “superhero” and credits her for the work ethic that she carries today on and off the field. According to information shared on the Olympics page, Randall moved her family to Massachusetts from Georgia with few financial resources so she could obtain a Ph.D. while teaching. Today, she is a professor at the University of Michigan, her LinkedIn states. “She showed me what leading with work ethic and compassion looks like on a daily basis,” Thomas told AFROTECH™ in an email interview. “Furthermore, she led with a focus on education and giving back. She taught me that leaving a place better than you found it is not only the nice thing to do, but the right thing to do....
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Often, those who rank in seniority get to speak for the broader community. How long does that work though, and how long should it last? It’s a question that comes up whenever someone of a previous generation is asked to speak or is seen as a representative during a current crisis a community is facing. AFROTECH™ previously reported that after Target rolled back its commitments to DEI, the retail store has seen a decline in foot traffic for the past 10 weeks. Target was one of the brands that, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, put a lot of time and money towards pushing for racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion across the board. After the decline, The New York Post reported that Target CEO Brian Cornell met with Reverend Al Sharpton about its DEI policies, but should Sharpton be the one speaking for us? Sharpton came to prominence during the 1970s with his focus on...
Dr. Christine Izuakor is making it easier for people in technology to forge meaningful connections. The Houston, TX, native is a cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience leading cybersecurity functions at Fortune 100 companies. Her career journey could have looked very different had she pursued the medical field, a path favored by her Nigerian parents. However, she “failed miserably” in her attempt to become an eye doctor. Her pivot came after taking a course on encryption, which sparked her interest in cybersecurity. “I immediately switched my major and went on to earn a Ph.D. in security engineering. From there, I spent about 10 years leading different security functions at United Airlines, was a graduate cybersecurity professor, and so that’s what really kind of got me into this space and then allowed me to grow,” she told AFROTECH™ in an interview. Cyber Pop-up Today, Izuakor works part-time as an adjunct professor in cybersecurity at various schools and...
A strategic partnership has formed to empower Black leaders. AFROTECH™ and The Gathering Spot (TGS) will be teaming up to scale AFROTECH™ Insider, a membership program designed to place participants on a track of excellence in tech and business through exclusive conversations and meetups, such as fireside chats, panel discussions, cocktail hours, and personal branding privileges, including priority for speaking events such as the annual AFROTECH™ Conference and PR opportunities. By teaming up with The Gathering Spot — a private-membership club bridging the gap between community and culture — AFROTECH™ will be able to provide greater resources, relationship building, and platforms to scale organizations for the membership community, which consists of Black executives, founders, and visionaries. “The Insider program was built for the modern executive who isn’t just leading teams — they’re shaping industries,” said Morgan DeBaun, founder and CEO of Blavity Inc. “Our partnership with...
Entreprenuership is a risk that Monique Rodriguez was willing to take on. Business Risks Rodriguez is the co-founder of haircare brand Mielle Organics, which she launched with the help of her husband, Melvin. She shares on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast, hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas, that her earliest risk in her entrepreneurship journey was walking away from a stable position as a registered nurse. Melvin also took a leap, leaving his corporate role. Together, they trusted in what they believed was a vision from God and created a blueprint that ultimately led to success. “We didn’t just leave our jobs and say, ‘Oh, we don’t have a plan in place or we don’t have income.’ We had to have a solid plan in place to map out how we were going to get some type of income to still keep our bills afloat and food in our kids’ mouth. So we had to plan that out. But it was a huge risk of the unknown, of both of us turning away from our jobs,” Rodriguez mentioned on the...
Beyoncé haircare line is shattering projections at Ulta Beauty. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, in early 2024 the “Cowboy Carter” artist launched Cécred, a science-backed and self-funded haircare brand that was six years in the making, with inspiration from her mother Tina Knowles’ salon. Its products cater to all hair types and include a clarifying shampoo, scalp scrub, moisturizing deep conditioner, and r estoring hair and edge drops, which reached its first-year projections in just one month, WWD reports. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CÉCRED (@cecred) Cécred secured a retail deal with Ulta Beauty, bringing its products to 1,400 Ulta Beauty stores starting April 6, 2025. A party was held at Ulta Beauty’s Westwood location in Los Angeles, CA, to celebrate its launch with Beyoncé sharing kind words. “I grew up in a hair salon, as most of you guys know, with my mother, and this was [our] dream,” Beyoncé said at the event, according to Glossy. “Our team worked so...
Growth Warrior Capital has raised new funding to support enterprise companies being fueled by artificial intelligence (AI). The operator-led venture firm, which invests in early-stage Enterprise AI companies, was created by Promise Phelon, a former Silicon Valley tech CEO with more than 15 years of experience as an angel investor. According to a news release shared with AFROTECH™, her career trajectory has led to an expansive network , some of whom have now invested in Growth Warrior Capital’s first fund, which totals $26 million. Limited partners include Ho Nam and Han Kim (Altos VC) and well as Seth Levine and Brad Feld (Foundry). Amazon Catalytic Capital, Bank of America, Bessemer Venture Partners, Pivotal Ventures, and more are also listed as limited partners. “My goal is to be the first VC fund of significant scale run by a woman of color,” Phelon, founder and managing partner, said in a news release. “We have the backing of VC industry legends, and their support is proof of...
Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, had solid revenue in its first year. Investing In Its Athletes From The Start As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Medley, FL-based league with 36 players was created by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart and offers the highest-paid salaries in women’s sports, with an average salary of over $200,000. The league has also provided incentives to players, with $50,000 allocated to each player on the winning 2025 Playoffs team. This year’s reigning champion is the Rose BC, led by Coach Nola Henry and featuring players Brittney Sykes, Angel Reese, Kahleah Copper, Azura Stevens, Lexie Hull, and Chelsea Gray. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rose BC (@rosebc) What’s more, Unrivaled is pushing the boundaries of what it means to invest in women’s sports. The league provides a makeup room, weight room, and daycare center for practice and games, per Front Office Sports, and it has partnered with Samsung as its official presenting and...