Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has done it again. Cécred The iconic entertainer, who earned her first Grammy in the prestigious album of the year category for “Cowboy Carter” in 2025, shows no signs of slowing down. Her influence stretches far beyond music and into the business world, where she has made a significant mark in the haircare industry. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Houston, TX, native launched the science-backed and self-funded haircare brand Cécred, drawing inspiration from her early years spent at her mother Tina Knowles’ salon. This venture highlights her entrepreneurial spirit and deep connection to the beauty industry. “Hair has always been a very big part of our lives,” Tina, who served as Cécred’s vice chairwoman, told Essence. “Just as fashion saved our family, hair is how we made a living.” The inception of Cécred was six years in the making. Its hair repair technology has led to its first line of products, which includes Clarifying Shampoo and Scalp Scrub...

If you’re a burgeoning business owner or hopeful entrepreneur, chances are you’re familiar with ABC’s “Shark Tank.” Premiering in 2009, the show’s premise revolves around aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their products or business ideas to a panel of potential investors, known as “sharks.” Made up of successful business moguls including Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary, these seasoned vets have the power to make some big dreams come true, as contestants plead for investment funds in exchange for equity in their companies. The show has been the force behind some of the industry’s most coveted products, from the Squatty Potty to the Scrub Daddy. Some products that don’t secure a deal on the show still manage to make traction, including Melissa Butler’s inclusive cosmetic brand , The Lip Bar. But what happened to The Lip Bar after “Shark Tank?” Here’s what we know. Who Is Melissa Butler? Before her appearance on “Shark Tank,” Melissa Butler was a former Wall Street financial analyst who...

Entrepreneur Toni Gilliard is cheering that she’s landed her products in two major retailers.

Last year, founders Layla Nielsen, Natalie Robinson and Love-leigh Trimiew announced plans to launch HellaBlack, a new e-commerce marketplace for Black retailers and enthusiasts — now the digital shopping platform is officially live. In an op-ed for Blavity, Trimiew previously wrote about how her family’s story and desire to own her historical narrative inspired her to start her own Black-owned business. “In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, there have been many important articles written about the history of Blacks being denied the opportunity to thrive economically — Wilmington, North Carolina, and Tulsa, Oklahoma are often cited,” she wrote. “A lot of Black thought-leaders have written think pieces about the necessity of Black economic empowerment. I am neither a philosopher, historian or expert in African-American studies. I am a Black woman business owner, the descendant of West African slaves and an East African immigrant, looking to my own historical narrative of hope amid...

This company is adding more than just a little sparkle to Africa. Sparkle is an online platform using technology to build a community of retailers in Nigeria. Face2Face Africa reports the company’s founder, Uzoma Dozie, is on a mission to build a retail market throughout not only Nigeria but the entire continent of Africa. Launched in 2019, Sparkle employs artificial intelligence to help users make good business decisions. It also allows entrepreneurs to reach out to those in the informal economy with the main goal of bringing them into the formal economy to ensure financial inclusion all through the use of their mobile phones. According to Dozie, the platform is neither considered a bank nor a fintech platform in the traditional sense despite the fact that it provides financial services through technology. “Why? Because we know that our customers are on mobile — they are digital natives and digital aliens,” said Dozie in an interview with Forbes . “They are building their...

2020 and COVID-19 have brought on an unexpected wave of challenges for small businesses with shutdowns, social distancing rules, and other pandemic-related instances hitting companies hard. As more businesses adopt new ways to reach consumers, a new e-commerce marketplace has surfaced to help provide a larger platform for companies across various industries. Bluejestic — a Black-owned selling platform for small/mid-sized U.S., Caribbean, and Central American businesses — launched last month to give businesses the opportunity to showcase their retail products and expand their markets, Black News reports . “What we are doing is leveraging technology to create economic growth for businesses in the U.S as well as the Caribbean who are in a more dire need for a centralized marketplace,” Jude Plaisir, founder of Bluejestic, stated in a press release . “This is very much a mission-driven effort.” As we continue to feel the grueling effects of COVID-19, many businesses are still struggling...

Founder of Red Bay Coffee, Keba Konte , is no newbie to innovation. In 2014, the San Francisco native combined his passion for photographic journalism and coffee to create a Coffee Dojo that simultaneously served as the headquarters of Red Bay Coffee and a daily art exhibit that showcased his photography. With such creative ingenuity, it’s no surprise that Konte honed his entrepreneurial acumen when the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard. Due to coronavirus, Forbes reports Red Bay Coffee’s retail stores had to shut down resulting in an 85 percent decline in sales and a drastic reduction in his workforce. Now, that some of his six retail locations are reopened, he says the decline is only about 40 percent. However, according to Forbes , the Oakland, California coffee hub has seen a 350 percent increase in e-commerce sales since the start of the pandemic. Before the stay-at-home regulations, Red Bay Coffee’s supermarket sales from Whole Foods and Safeway made up 17 percent of overall sales....

Salesforce is retracting its DEI goals. Business Insider reports that the major software company removed references to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals in its annual financial report. Regarding hiring, the company says it will now uphold equality as its core value. “While we are not specifying representation goals, we remain committed to our core value of equality,” a Salesforce spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg. This sentiment was also echoed in the filing, which read, “We value the equality of every individual at our company and in our communities and are dedicated to fostering a workplace that complies with these protections, creating an inclusive culture where every individual feels seen, heard and valued.” Salesforce joins a growing list of companies that have all followed a common pattern in recent months. Google, Amazon, and Meta are other technology-driven companies that are shifting their focus away from DEI. In retail, Walmart, Aldi, and Target have done...