Kristen Wells-Collins is inspiring young girls to become chemists. Wells-Collins was raised in an under-resourced community in Beaumont, TX, and said she had limited exposure to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), according to her commentary on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” However, Wells-Collins went on to pursue a degree in chemistry at Prairie View A&M University, according to her LinkedIn . After her studies, she became exposed to cosmetic chemistry and was immediately hooked . Black To The Lab Wells-Collins’s interest in STEM has led her to become a cosmetic chemist educator and founder of Black to the Lab, which provides an activity kit with hands-on learning experiences for girls to create lip gloss, body scrubs, lotion, and more. She is driven by a mission to increase representation in the field among Black girls, she told Jennifer Hudson. PC: Black to the Lab “We know that they know makeup, so they know science. We want young girls to know that their...
A new cohort of small businesses has received a financial boost to power their business with AI. The C oramino Fund Through The Coramino Fund, the investment arm of Kevin Hart and Juan Domingo Beckmann’s tequila company Gran Coramino, $10,000 grants have been allocated to small business owners over the past three years so they can utilize AI training provided by 1st Street Partnerships to improve their operations. The program was launched in partnership with Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) and is part of a $1.5 million commitment to support more than 150 under-resourced entrepreneurs across the U.S. and Mexico as they compete with larger companies, according to information provided to AFROTECH™. “According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of new businesses fail within their first year, and nearly 50% fail by their fifth year. The most successful entrepreneurs — locally and nationally — are the ones that have support, whether from their networks, communities,...
Beyoncé’s partnership with Levi’s is delivering strong returns. “Cowboy Carter,” the eighth studio album from the Houston-born singer, was released on March 29, 2024. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 , and Beyoncé won Best Country Album and Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammy Awards, according to The New York Times. Among the tracks listed on the album is “Levii’s Jeans” featuring Post Malone. Six months after the single’s release, a global partnership between iconic denim brand Levi’s and Beyoncé was announced and has been faring well. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the company’s stock rose by 20% one week after “Levii’s Jeans” was released, leading to a surge in sales of its denim skirts and pants. “One of the things that really is significant about the Levi’s brand, and we place a lot of emphasis and investment, is making sure that Levi’s brand remains in the center of culture,” Levi Strauss CEO Michelle Gass previously shared with CBS News. “And I don’t think there’s...
Netflix’s latest deal marks a significant update in the entertainment landscape. In a press release, Netflix confirmed it has agreed to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. in a deal with a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion ( equity value of $72.0 billion). The agreement, approved unanimously by the boards of directors of both companies, states that the acquisition includes Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO Max, and HBO, but not Discovery. The deal is projected to be finalized in the third quarter of 2026 as Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. separates Discovery Global, its Global Networks division, into a new publicly traded company. Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, noted in the press release that the acquisition will position the company to reach a broader audience while scaling its business model in the decades ahead, ensuring customers have an optimal streaming service and improving the entertainment landscape, which will also benefit shareholders....
iHeartRadio is making its stance loud and clear when it comes to AI’s use on its platform. According to Billboard, Tom Poleman, iHeartRadio’s chief programming officer and president, said in a letter that the company will not be using AI-generated personalities or “play AI music that features synthetic vocalists pretending to be human.” Additionally, its podcasts published will follow this new program, “Guaranteed Human,” as well. “…iHeart is one of the last truly human entertainment sources and our listeners come to us for companionship, connection, and authenticity — something AI can’t replicate,” Poleman said. The announcement comes at a time when AI artists are making waves in the music industry, including Solomon Ray, an AI-generated “Mississippi-made soul singer,” with an EP called “A Soulful Christmas,” Christian Today reports. Christopher “Topher” Townsend, a conservative Hip-Hop artist, is the human behind Solomon Ray. The AI artist he created has garnered more than 324,000...
AT&T has adjusted its policies around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). According to a Dec. 1 letter shared on X, the company had been examining recent executive orders, Supreme Court rulings, and direction from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This has informed AT&T’s decision to dismantle “DEI-related policies.” The company also stated plainly that it “does not and will not have any roles focused on DEI.” The letter further said AT&T will remove DEI training and career development as well as internal and external messaging to comply with the EEOC. “AT&T has always stood for merit-based opportunity, and we are pleased to reaffirm our commitment to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination today,” the letter mentioned. “Consistent with applicable law, our multi-pronged approach allows employees to thrive in an environment free from invidious discrimination.” AT&T’s announcement follows its November 2024 agreement to purchase wireless spectrum...
Former Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem is looking to put an FTX-related lawsuit behind him. Lawsuit Explained According to Yahoo! Sports, an $11 billion class action lawsuit was filed in Florida in November 2022 against FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried and a handful of celebrities, including Haslem, Stephen Curry, Naomi Osaka, Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady, and others who had promoted the cryptocurrency exchange company in ads and other marketing. Earlier that November, FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and went defunct. Claims in the lawsuit said the defendants were promoting the exchange in a “fraudulent scheme” that was “designed to take advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country, who utilize mobile apps to make their investments,” per AFROTECH™. O’Neal settled for $1.8 million without admitting wrongdoing back in June 2025. “We are pleased to have this matter behind us,” counsel for O’Neal said in a statement, according to CNBC. Haslem Reportedly...
Louis Carr is the new president of BET. According to a press release shared with AFROTECH™, Paramount announced that Carr will step into the role after nearly four decades at the company. He is credited for his efforts in the multicultural advertising landscape and for bridging the gap between global corporations and Black and Brown communities. Under his leadership, BET has secured partnerships with Procter & Gamble, Walmart, Unilever, McDonald’s, Meta, and Toyota, among others. Carr’s impact at BET led to billions in advertising sales and investments in diverse communities. “Louis’ leadership has been integral to BET’s success for nearly four decades,” said Paramount TV Media Chair George Cheeks, to whom Carr will report in his newly appointed role, according to the release. “His vision for the future will drive innovation, deepen BET’s cultural impact, and position the brand for continued growth.” Carr will be tasked with carrying forward BET’s foundation of strengthening its...
Kayla Rowe turned pain into a business empire that is helping countless women and raking in major revenue. Rowe is a University of South Florida alum with a degree in public health , which she obtained in 2015, according to information on her LinkedIn. Her mother also planted the seed for her interest in health as a certified nursing assistant, Ebony reports. However, the catalyst for Rowe becoming a founder came after experiencing a miscarriage when she was five months pregnant in 2021. “That was very hard for me,” she told Ebony. “After that happened, I became more aware of everything, what I was eating, putting on my body, [and] I just became more cognizant and aware of health.” Her Fantasy Box A year later, Rowe launched Her Fantasy Box, a plant-based feminine hygiene and wellness brand. With a focus on transparency, safety, and women’s wellness, Rowe shared that it was important for ingredients to be nontoxic and not include parabens, phthalates, and other harmful chemicals...
It’s a family affair over at the Shaq Brand. Walking Away From Reebok As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Shaquille O’Neal had a multi-million-dollar shoe deal on the table from Reebok. However, he walked away from the deal in 1998 to launch an affordable shoe line in partnership with Walmart. This was prompted after a mother told him that his younger fans couldn’t afford his shoes being sold by Reebok . O’Neal recounts on “The Big Podcast” that he went to his mom in hopes she would counter what the woman had said. However, his mother not only agreed but she also reminded him about his hometown of Newark, NJ. “She’s like, ‘Remember, you ain’t never had no shoes that cost more than $40.’ So, I said to myself, ‘All right, I’m gonna start my own line.’ I called Reebok and said, ‘Hey, we’re not going to renew.’ I had like $50 million on the table. I had no idea what I was going to do. So, I was thinking about where do my people go. Walmart. Walmart is the best distribution in the world....
Fanbase continues to find new ways for its users to profit from their content. The Atlanta, GA-based company was founded by Isaac Hayes III in 2018. Through its social media platform, users are paid from day one for their content, including videos, photos, audio, and stories, as AFROTECH™ previously told you. Fanbase is now teaming up with pocstock, a global diversity content company that offers royalty-free diversity stock photos, videos, and illustrations of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Indigenous people, as well as people with disabilities. According to separate coverage from AFROTECH™ , pocstock secured $500,000 in seed funding in a 2023 round led by 9.58 Venture Partners, with a portion of the funding used to integrate AI to improve the customer experience and ensure photographers have access to “cutting-edge, diversity-imaging solutions.” “As with any frontier, especially technology, there will be a rush to get products out to the market,” pocstock CEO Steve Jones said in a...
What began as unfamiliar territory for Haley Bryant has become her mission — to democratize access to venture capital through her work at Hustle Fund. The Boston native comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her father worked at Bank of America in London and later launched an investment business and then a consultancy. She was inspired to bet on herself throughout her career by observing her father’s blueprint as well as that of other family members. Her mother owns a public policy consultancy, and her sister is a leader of Sick Sad Girlz Club, a community of more than 30,000 women with chronic illness. Bryant initially planned to become a journalist and attended the University of Virginia, earning a degree in media studies and communications by 2010. However, she was always drawn to technology, she says, which led her to Apple and its retail stores after college. She onboarded as an associate and, within four years, rose to senior manager, leading stores that were earning millions...
Quitting isn’t an option for college student and founder Elijah Khasabo. The 22-year-old is currently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, studying marketing. His ambition is evident beyond his studies, as he is also a co-founder of Vidovo, a platform that makes it easy for brands to connect with and hire user-generated content (UGC) creators and influencers, according to its website. The platform also improves the content creator experience for its growing network, which will have access to hundreds of brands after onboarding. On LinkedIn, Khasabo shared that he had just $19.12 to his name when he launched Vidovo at age 19 from his bedroom just over two years ago . Vidovo has been bootstrapped, and it was built without any connections. Khasabo wanted to quit various times, but credits his mother for instilling his spirit of perseverance. “It didn’t matter that I had nothing. I had the drive, and honestly that was enough to start. It made sense on paper, brands were...
Grammy-nominated producer Joseph Macklin has created a media hub for Kansas City, MO, creatives. According to The Kansas City Star, he was inspired to start a media hub to ensure people in Kansas City didn’t feel they needed to move elsewhere to make their dreams a reality, as he did. Known as Jo Blaq, Macklin has worked with talents such as Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber as a result of his move to Los Angeles. He split his time between Los Angeles and Kansas City from 2016 to 2019, before deciding to move back to his hometown. “Kansas City has the most talented people in the world,” Macklin explained to The Kansas City Star. “The thing about LA and other cities is they have the etiquette, they have the connections. They have been there, and they’ve seen it. We have the talent in every capacity, they just need the guidance (and) the mentorship.” DISTRKCT Macklin’s solution, DISTRKCT, spans more than 7,000 square feet and features four recording studios, a computer lab, private...
A vending machine has opened to feed families in The Bronx. According to a report from the New York State Department of Health in January 2024, among New York City boroughs, The Bronx had the highest percentage (39%) of people who were food insecure. Challenges may have only heightened after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were halted during the recent U.S. government shutdown, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Although benefits were restored, estimates from the Congressional Budget Office report that, as a result of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, 2.4 million people could lose SNAP benefits altogether between 2025 and 2034. The bill adjusted requirements for those receiving SNAP, and now individuals will have to work, volunteer, or participate in job training totaling at least 80 hours per month, CNN reports. If they don’t meet the requirement, they can only receive SNAP benefits for three months every three years. Change Food For Good, a New York...
