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Melissa Bradley is turning a new leaf! Since 2016, Bradley, who was featured as an AFROTECH™ Future 50 Dynamic Investor, has been the proud founder of Washington, DC-based 1863 Ventures, which provides business development programs, coaching, mentorship, and access to capital primarily for new entrepreneurs, as noted on her LinkedIn profile. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the venture aims to create $100 billion in wealth for the “New Majority,” Black and brown entrepreneurs. This goal is reflected in its portfolio, which comprises 90% Black-owned businesses, including the following: Nubian Heumann Eu’Genia Shea Harlem Candle Co. The Black Girl Doctor Now, eight years into 1863 Ventures’ inception, the Washington Business Journal has reported that the organization’s board voted to close down 1863’s nonprofit arm, which focused on early-stage companies. Currently, Bradley is on the hunt for a partner who can take on ownership of its portfolio companies, which have benefited from an...
When it comes to AFROTECH™, think of its offerings like an Oprah Winfrey giveaway. Everyone gets a session. Although the conference has tech in its title, the annual convening is more than a gathering of tech professionals. AFROTECH™ Conference is a vibrant, inclusive event crafted for tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and professionals from all walks of life. On Day 2, Nov. 14, the agenda offers a deep dive into what attendees can expect from this year’s gathering. Regardless of your field, there’s something here for everyone. Let’s break down what to expect on Thursday. If you’re just arriving, head to the registration booths to get everything you need for a smooth experience. The Mall Of Opportunity The Expo Hall opens today, with resources and engaging experiences for all attendees. This year, the space is designed for you to connect with industry leaders, explore cutting-edge products, participate in hands-on workshops, check out sponsor booths, and stay ahead of industry trends...
When Lawrence Phillips set out to create Green Book Global, he wanted a platform that would increase confidence and reduce anxiety for Black travelers. After working with Accenture for eight years, Phillips shared how he felt burned out and needed a mental health break filled with traveling. During the 2023 AFROTECH™ Conference, the founder and CEO recalled his experience of traveling to over 30 countries across all seven continents, sparking his drive to create his travel review site. Haven’t gotten your ticket for AFROTECH™ Conference 2024 in Houston, TX? Click here. “It was really that in-depth travel experience as a Black traveler,” Phillips said during a panel titled “ Black and Well-Traveled: Centering Black Travelers Through Technology, Presented By Expedia Group.” “ I was going to certain places like, ‘Oh shoot, should I go here? I don’t really know.’ You ask that question, ‘Is it good for us ?’ I would go to blog here or there, and you might have one person say [something],...
The journey of building a carbon negative future is going to require all hands on deck. Lisa Dyson, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Air Protein, fully joined in on the mission before she founded her startup. The idea was initially sparked when the scientist visited New Orleans, LA, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “As a scientist, I was thinking about climate science and how climate scientists have been telling us that we’re going to have these weather events that are going to be more intense and more frequent,” Dr. Dyson recalled at the 2023 AFROTECH™ Conference in conversation with James White, executive chair of Air Protein and former CEO of Jamba Juice. “And just seeing how that impacted people’s lives, it caused me to want to see how I could be a part of creating a different future, a different reality, and join the many people that are out there, and started working on climate solutions.” Purchase your ticket to AFROTECH™ Conference now! During the fireside chat, Dyson shared how...
Brandon Nicholson is a part of a nonprofit exposing Black males to technology. The Hidden Genius Project Nicholson, an AFROTECH™ Future 50 honoree, serves as CEO of The Hidden Genius Project, an Oakland, CA-based venture that curates several programs, mentoring Black male youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills, according to its website. Nicholson reveals that the project was originally planned as a two-year initiative but ultimately grew into something much greater, now spanning nearly a decade. “As volunteers with no budget and no infrastructure and no real idea of what we’re doing and probably no business doing it at all, we set out to establish this first ever cohort in 2012,” he told AFROTECH™. “Five young men, high school age who are gonna commit to it just a short period. But what eventually became like a two-year program unbeknownst to literally everybody involved, it just, [was] building the plane as it was flying.” Today, The Hidden Genius...
Boston Celtics player and 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is honoring his commitment to creating wealth for underrepresented communities. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Brown announced his plans to bring Black Wall Street to Boston, MA, after he signed a five-year supermax contract extension valued at $304 million in July 2023. Boston XChange One year later, Brown announced a new venture spawned from that desire — Boston XChange (BXC). According to a press release shared with AFROTECH™, Boston XChange is a nonprofit that aims to create $5 billion in new wealth for underrepresented communities through investments and partnerships that could lead to coaching from seasoned individuals, resources, and workplaces for creators. “True systemic change requires collaboration, shared vision, and collective impact,” Brown said in the press release. “By working with community partners, thought leaders, and cultural influencers, we can create a powerful network of support and innovation....
Missy Elliott’s lyrics traveled all the way to space! According to a news release, lyrics from Elliott’s song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” were transmitted about 158 million miles away to reach Venus through NASA’s DSN (Deep Space Network). NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California transmitted the lyrics at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12. “Transmitted at the speed of light, the radio frequency signal took nearly 14 minutes to reach the planet,” the news release reads. “The transmission was made by the 34-meter (112-foot) wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, located at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, near Barstow in California. Coincidentally, the DSS-13 also is nicknamed Venus.” The rapper also acknowledged the significance of Venus, as it’s her favorite planet. “I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe,”...
Issa Rae has landed a deal with a major retailer. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Rae joined forces with Hannah Diop’s Sienna Naturals in 2020, becoming a co-founder of the haircare line focused on Afro-textured hair. Per its website, Sienna Naturals uses Rooted Technology in its formulations to restore hair health beginning with the scalp. “It is our clean technology promise to our textured hair community. The result is a clean haircare formula with performance superior to that of conventional haircare,” the company website mentioned. Now, the company will be able to reach more individuals in the textured hair community after securing a deal with Sephora to sell its products on the cosmetic retailer’s online store, a press release sent to AFROTECH™ mentioned. “We are excited to partner with Sephora to make Sienna Naturals even more accessible for consumers,” said CEO and co-founder Diop, per the press release. “Our mission is to empower everyone to embrace their natural hair with...
History has been made by Sheila Jackson and Natasha McCrea. They are reportedly the first Black women entrepreneurs to own a whiskey brand in the state of California. The founders’ vision stemmed from a 2020 conversation held over dinner when they bonded through a shared interest in whiskey. It was then that they came to an understanding they could make their mark in the industry by entering into business together. “…Many women love whiskey but we are never included in the conversation,” McCrea said during an interview with Canvas Rebel. “We talked about how whiskey sales were on the rise and how we had both thought about starting a whiskey brand. In that moment we decided we should be the women who disrupt an entire industry.” In 2022, Jackson McCrea was launched. Both founders bring together past career experiences in separate fields. Jackson helms a production company uplifting Black woman and leads “The Good CEO” podcast, speaking with “bold, unapologetic CEOs.” “My entire...
Fantasia Barrino had to answer to Uncle Sam and almost lost her home in the process. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the singer had vocalized her financial troubles that followed her “America Idol” win in 2004. She was sued by her father two years later and had difficulties with money management and understanding contracts. “It wasn’t easy,” she told PEOPLE. “I lost a lot. I lost everything.” Barrino’s circumstances almost even cost her the mansion she had been living in with her family in North Carolina, according to Forbes. She was served by the court for the first time due to owing $1 million in taxes, and her home could have been put up for auction as a result. “I had a bunch of people on my team who said ‘hey we’re handling all the business,'” she shared during ForbesBLK Summit 2024. “I look up and I owe a million dollars in taxes. So, because of that my lawyer didn’t show up to court, and then they put my house up for auction.” She continued, “I get a knock at the door, and...
Elise Smith is helping to create better outcomes for diverse employees. She is the co-founder and CEO of Praxis Labs, an “immersive practice-based platform that drives inclusive, engaged, and higher-performing teams,” a press release mentioned. The platform offers has assisted companies including Google, Uber, and ServiceNow to help achieve benchmarks that boost engagement and lead to retention, enhance company culture, and increase equity and inclusion. “For me, it’s how do we use technology to help us become even better humans, to help us be able to give feedback across differences, to navigate difficult conversations, to provide performance feedback and expectations with accountability and care in a way that actually serves us all better, that creates more value for everyone, doesn’t cause harm,” she told AFROTECH™. “We’re seeing our workplaces need that more than ever.” To date, Praxis Labs has raised $23 million, per digitalundivided. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Praxis...
South Carolina State University (SC State) has received funding to support research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). According to WCIV-4 News, the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) has received $8 million, which will go toward education and research within its College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Transportation (STEM-T College) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) workforce development. “I thank Gov. Henry McMaster and the General Assembly for supporting this visionary milestone in the development of SC State and our partners in this critical endeavor,” SC State President Alexander Conyers said, per WCIV-4 News. Elbert R. Malone, SC State associate provost for research and sponsored programs, added: “These funds will be transformational to the STEM-T College because it will provide an opportunity to build a robust research infrastructure that will allow the university to compete in the research arena on...
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has revealed his thoughts amid the ever-changing landscape of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. In a shareholder letter shared via Axios, Dimon reiterated the bank’s commitment to DEI, noting its programs that include resource groups for Black, LGBTQ+, and employees living with disabilities, as well as other initiatives, including a fund geared toward helping entrepreneurs of color, investing efforts in rural communities, and recruiting at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Moreover, Dimon revealed that the $30 billion racial equity commitment made by JPMorgan Chase in the wake of racial unrest and turmoil in 2020 is “nearly completed,” with plans to make the initiative a permanent program. “We’re thoughtfully continuing our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” he wrote. Dimon also confirmed that the initiatives will adjust as laws continue to evolve around these issues. His statement comes at a time...
Anikitia Abram leads the first Black- and woman-owned candle-making studio in Middle Georgia, according to the Macon. She accomplished this feat in July 2023 with the opening of Pretty Lux Co., which offers candle, skin, and hair products that are “100% vegan, cruelty free, and created with minimal ingredients,” per its website. For Abram, that means using locally-sourced materials and remaining environmentally conscious during production. “Pretty Lux Co. is not just a business; it’s a movement toward greater wellness and understanding, providing a nurturing environment that supports both personal and communal growth,” Abram told the Macon. “This foundational inspiration continues to drive every aspect of Pretty Lux Co., guiding our mission to enrich lives through both our products and our educational initiatives.” Those initiatives encompass a focus on engaging the community in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through candle and skincare development. “By...
Black-owned rideshare company Goldsainte is making significant strides. The Charlotte, NC-based company, founded by Andre Powell in 2021, is marketed as “the world’s first franchised rideshare.” The business is looking to disrupt the $70 billion dollar industry and is taking on a business model that will allow riders to benefit from luxury vehicles with advanced proprietary technology provided by franchisees. The model is also inspired by Powell’s background as a multi-unit Jimmy John’s franchisee through his venture APEM Restaurant Group. “It made more sense to scale through franchising because the better part of my career was spent as a multi-unit franchisee,” Powell told the Charlotte Business Journal. Currently, Goldsainte offers two verticals featuring franchisee-owned vehicles. The first, Goldsainte XL, offers Infiniti QX80s to lease or own by the franchisee and is available for franchising across 38 states . Goldsainte Premium is available in select U.S. markets, according to...