Articles
Dawn Staley has made history yet again. The University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball coach continues to leave an indelible mark on the sport. Known for her trailblazing accomplishments, Staley first made headlines in 2021 when she became the highest-paid Black coach in NCAA women’s basketball, as previously reported by AFROTECH™. Her leadership has propelled the Gamecocks to remarkable success, including appearances in six NCAA Final Fours and securing the school’s first national title in 2017, Reuters reports. Since then, Staley has only strengthened her legacy. In 2024, under her guidance, the team celebrated an undefeated 38-0 season, culminating in their third national championship, according to Sports Illustrated. Notably, all three titles have been achieved during her tenure. A Historic New Contract Staley’s transformative impact on the University of South Carolina’s basketball program has earned her another groundbreaking contract. Per a university press release,...
Mellody Hobson is exiting her board role at Starbucks. Hobson is well regarded for her efforts at Ariel Investments, a global value-based asset management firm, where she is responsible for management, strategic planning, and growth beyond research and portfolio management as co-CEO and president, her LinkedIn mentions . In 2021, Hobson launched Ariel Alternatives, LLC, leading to a $1.45 billion raise for its private equity fund, Project Black. This initiative aims to support both non-minority-owned middle-market companies and those currently owned by Black and Latino entrepreneurs that generate $100 million to $1 billion in revenue, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. With funding, these companies would then be expected to transform into certified minority business enterprises of scale to serve as Tier 1 suppliers to the Fortune 500. Hobson has also been tied to various corporate boardrooms. She was a board member of the Estée Lauder Companies and chairman of the board of DreamWorks...
The Supreme Court upholds the U.S. bill that would essentially ban TikTok. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Court demonstrated that it was “likely” to rule in favor of banning the application owned by ByteDance. A ban would result in the app no longer being available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and over time U.S. users who have already downloaded the app would no longer be able to make system updates. TikTok has said the app would be wiped from phones if the ban is enforced. The Supreme Court’s stance supports a bipartisan bill that had been signed in April 2024 by President Joe Biden requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S.-based company or face a ban of the app, according to NPR. There were national security concerns by the president and Congress surrounding China’s data access and the spreading of misinformation. TikTok is not in favor of the ban that would go into effect Sunday, Jan. 19, as its owners believe a ban restricts free speech. “The Supreme...
Apple is on the lookout for bright developers. The tech giant will soon be jumpstarting its 2025 Swift Student Challenge, which was created to empower rising developers, creators, and entrepreneurs. Its website mentions they will be tasked with scaling their ideas into an application leveraging tools that include Swift Playgrounds and Xcode. Previous winners include Keitaro Kawahara of Japan (PuzzlePix), Ruoshan Li of China (Deep Blue Tangram), and University of Alabama at Birmingham student AJ Nettles, who submitted an application named CryptOh. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, his app includes an interactive guide that explains the importance of password security and serves as a password manager and generator. “I wanted to make it easier for people to store their passwords and not have them on a random sticky note on the edge of their computer,” he told AFROTECH™. Nettles was among the 50 Distinctive Winners out of 350 winners of the challenge in 2024, and he was able to meet...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly blurred the line between truth and fiction. For example, deepfake technology is the creation of a video, audio, or image via machine learning that draws inspiration from a real person, as the U.S. Government Accountability Officer mentions. Examples of this include a fake Kamala Harris presidential campaign video that Elon Musk shared in July 2024 with his millions of followers on X. The footage included Harris labeling herself as a “DEI hire” and sharing negative remarks about President Joe Biden. “I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate,” she said in the altered clip. The video amassed 131 million views, according to NBC News. Notably, it violated Musk’s own policies for X—acquired by him in 2022—which state, “You may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm.” Deepfake technologies have...
While the Supreme Court appears likely to uphold a ban on TikTok, President-elect Donald Trump seems to have different plans. TikTok Ban On Sunday, Jan. 19, the app is expected to be banned in the United States under the contingency that its parent company, ByteDance, does not follow a mandate to sell the app to a U.S.-based company, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “On January 19th, as I understand it, we shut down,” TikTok lawyer Noel Francisco said in January hearing with the Supreme Court, per NPR. What’s The Issue? The potential TikTok ban is a result of concerns related to user data and the spreading of misinformation. However, TikTok, which has more than 170 million active users, argues this is in violation of the U.S. First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok previously said in a...
FICO is partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to educate the next generation of data scientists. According to a news release, the global analytic software company is bringing back its FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge for the second year. This will give students the opportunity to engage with real-world challenges in artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics, inspiring them to develop innovative solutions. This year’s challenge will center on empowering students to combat payment transaction fraud by tasking them with developing a robust fraud detection model. Students will be supported by Dr. Scott Zoldi, chief analytics officer at FICO, and his team of data scientists, who will also teach and mentor participants. Additionally, they will be given financial assistance and resources for internship opportunities. The FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge will expand to the following educational institutions in Spring 2025: F. Drake State Community...
Serena Williams is supporting innovation in women’s health. Teal Health The tennis star has aligned herself with Teal Health, a women’s health startup founded by Kara Egan (CEO) and Dr. Avnesh Thakor in 2020. According to the company website, Teal Health’s inception trickles back to Thakor’s medical experiences over the years. He observed insufficient innovation around cervical cancer screenings and created a self-collect prototype. With Egan’s two decades of experience in finance, health, and technology, the company was formed with the vision to develop an at-home self-collect cervical cancer screening kit, currently under FDA review. A user can start by requesting a kit, which initiates a vetting process to confirm eligibility. Once approved, the kit will be delivered to your home for sample collection. The sample is then mailed to a lab, and results are shared through Teal Health’s application. Users also have the option to speak with a provider for additional support. Teal...
LeBron James’ business partner and Klutch Sports Group Founder Maverick Carter is looking to own an international league. Since 2006, Carter has been working alongside James within the business world. The pair had been playing basketball together in high school, and Carter was a trusted figure in James’ life. For that reason he was tapped by the NBA superstar to assist him on the business side as his sports career was taking off. “He betted on me at a time I didn’t know what I was doing,” Carter recalled during an interview on the “ UNINTERRUPTED” podcast . “And, you know, I’m still learning every day. But he really gave me a shot and was like, ‘I’m gonna empower you.'” Since that time, Carter has been a pivotal player in James’ journey to becoming a billion-dollar athlete today. Carter has served as his manager , and they have launched several business together, including SpringHill Entertainment, which merged with British television, film, and music production company Fulwell 73...
LeBron James has revealed why he turned down a $10 million shoe deal at 18. The Los Angeles Lakers player appeared on the “New Heights” podcast to reflect on the array of shoe deals he considered during his early days in the league. While currently signed with Nike, James once weighed different options. At a young age, James was inspired by Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway, who were both signed to Nike. When he began playing for AAU, he grew fond of Adidas, Nike’s retail competitor. “It was Adidas from seventh, eighth grade to pretty much my junior senior year. They sponsored us. Every year, we played in all the Adidas tournaments,” he said on the podcast. At one point, a wave of companies approached James, but he felt that Reebok had delivered the most compelling pitch. “I’m sitting across from the table. I’m a senior in high school…I’m going back to class the next day. They flew me in. I’m going back to St. Vince St Mary the next day, my senior year, and the guy slides over a...
Walmart shareholders are urging the company to reconsider and adjust its approach to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives. In November 2024, the company, which has 1.6 million workers, announced it would be scaling back on its DEI policies, notes AP News. They join a list of companies, including Amazon, McDonald’s, and Meta. “We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers, and suppliers, and to be a Walmart for everyone,” Walmart said in a statement, according to AdWeek. Walmart’s shareholders, which consist of over 30 individuals, admit to feeling “deep disappointment” in Walmart’s stance. They want to uphold Walmart’s work in DEI as it has led to a sense of belonging for associates, and “when associates feel like they belong, they’re more engaged and empowered to deliver great service to our customers and members.” Its...
Pryce Yebesi has raised new funding in his next era as a founder. Yebesi co-founded Utopia Labs at the age of 21 alongside Kaito Cunningham (CEO), Jason Chong, and Alexander Wu. The venture offered crypto payments and crypto treasury management, and was “trusted by leading DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) and crypto companies to streamline operations, manage payroll, and consolidate financial reporting,” as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Yebesi also dropped out of college to focus on Utopia Labs, which had been supported by a $1.5 million raise in 2021 and was later acquired by Coinbase in November 2024. According to information shared with AFROTECH™, Yebesi then began working as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and through his observations he recognized small business owners were challenged by accounting software. This prompted the launch of a new brainchild in the fintech space, Open Ledger, which was established with the help of...
Time is ticking for TikTok users in the U.S. The application, owned by its parent company ByteDance, has stated the app could be pulled from U.S. users beginning on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, a mandate was issued to the China-based company requiring it to sell the application to a U.S.-based company or face a ban that would go into effect on Jan. 19. The app launched onto the market in 2012, founded by Zhang Yiming, and debuted in the United States six years later. The U.S. government has expressed concerns over how the application is using user data and spreading misinformation, according to The New York Times. “For years, the Chinese government has sought to build detailed profiles about Americans – where we live and work, who our friends and coworkers are, what our interests are, and what our vices are,” Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar, the 48th Solicitor General of the United States, told the Supreme Court in a hearing held Friday Jan. 10, per CNN. She...
Erin Harkless Moore believes artificial intelligence (AI) can improve the Care Economy. Since 2020, Moore has served as vice president and managing director of investments at Pivotal Ventures, a company launched by billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates to advance social progress and accelerate women’s influence globally, per its website. Gates has even committed $2 billion towards the mission. Furthermore, alongside partners, Pivotal Ventures prioritizes an expansive list of pillars within the $648 billion Care Economy, including mental health, paid medical and family leave, and women and tech innovation. Moore is tasked with leading a team responsible for selecting, investing in, and managing a diverse portfolio that adheres to Pivotal Ventures’ mission, her LinkedIn states. “We really start with our investment thesis and our direct investments in care looking at you know tech solutions that reduce burdens of care, lower cost of care, and improve access to care, and...
Crowdaa aims to remind the middle-class creator economy that power can be in their hands. The French-American startup, founded by musician and psychologist Vigile Hoareau and American composer and producer Jimmy Thomas, understands the potential of technology to level the playing field for creators. The company aims to empower users to take greater control of their creative freedoms and challenge the status quo often perpetuated on social media platforms like TikTok—which faces a potential ban on January 19 unless sold to a U.S.-based company—and Instagram, as well as on music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. This includes moving away from traditional revenue models on these platforms, which often benefit the platforms more than the creators, especially regarding compensation. Even Snoop Dogg has voiced concerns about the low payouts from Spotify, despite achieving 1 billion streams. He reportedly received less than $45,000, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “When you look at...